Pi^AYm^M O OK , 

ro/t Religious 



v 




Copyrights 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT: 



/ 



PRAYER-BOOK FOR RELIGIOUS. 



BY THE SAME AUTHOR: 



Manual of the Holy Eucharist. Conferences on the 
Blessed Sacrament and Eucharistic Devotions. Ob- 
long, 24mo *. $0.75 

A clear, pithy, and accurate exposition. 

Visits to Jesus in the Tabernacle. Hours and Half- 
Hours of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. 
With a Novena to the Holy Ghost, and Devotions for 
Mass, Holy Communion, etc. "i6mo, cloth, red edges . . 1.25 
The choicest and most useful work for visits to the Blessed 
Sacrament. 

Pious Preparation for First Holy Communion. With 

a Retreat of Three Days. 32mo, cloth °-75 

A complete manual for a child who is preparing for 
First Holy Communion. 

Mass Devotions and Readings on the Mass. Oblong, 

24mo, 640 pages o . 75 

This book contains twelve different methods of hearing 
Mass. 

Short Visits to the Blessed Sacrament (vest-pocket 

size) 0.25 

Little Manual of St. Anthony (vest-pocket size) .... 0.25 
The Sacred Heart Book. Oblong, 3 2mo, 640 pages ... 0.75 
A complete and practical manual for all devout souls. 




" Whosoever doth not carry his cross and come after Me, 
can not be My disciple/' — Luke xiv 27. 



PRAYER-BOOK FOR RELIGIOUS: 



A COMPLETE MANUAL OF 

IPragmi arih JBebottons for fyt Wiu of tf)t 
ffltmbnz of all Kfltgtous Gtommunitm. 

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE PARTICULAR EX A MEN 
AND TO THE METHODS OF MEDITATION. 



Rev. F. X. LASANCE, 

Author of " Visits to Jesus in the Tabernacle" " The Sacred 
Heart Book" " Mass Devotions" etc. 



New York, Cincinnati, Chicago : 
B K N 2:iOER BROTHERS, 

Printers to the Holy Apostolic See. 
1904. 



mtbtl ©bstat. 



LIBRARY nf CONGRESS 
Two Oooies Received 
JUL 6 1904 
Cooyrlffht Entry 

CLASS Ov XXe. Na 

COPY B 



4? 



REMY LAFORT, 

Censor Librorunt. 



Umprlmatur* 

f JOHN M. FARLEY, 

Archbishop of New York* 



New York, May 16, 1904. 




Copyright, 1904, by Benziger Brothers. 



preface* 



The character and the purpose of this book are clearly 
indicated by its title. It is a book of devotions and pray- 
ers designed and specially adapted for the use of Relig- 
ious. It offers itself to them as a helpful companion in 
all the exercises of religion ; it aims to assist them in the 
particular and general examination; to instruct them in 
the correct and practical methods of making a meditation, 
and to direct them how to converse with God most prop- 
erly and profitably in mental and vocal prayer. 

It supplies them with abundant devotions and prayers 
for all the seasons of the ecclesiastical year. 

A member of one of our most illustrious Religious 
Orders remarked one day quite casually in our presence, 
when devotional literature was the topic of conversation : 
¥ What we need in English is a complete Prayer-book to 
meet the special wants of Religious, so that a Mistress of 
Novices may be able to say to inquiring aspirants to the 
religious life: ' Besides the Roman Missal, I recommend 
to you this particular book; then you will surely have 
what will prove most serviceable in the convent for the 
hours of devotion.' " 

Acting on this inspiration or suggestion, we have de- 
voted much time and spared no pains in the compilation 
and adaptation of the present work. It is the result at 
least of honest effort to meet the wknts of our various 
Sisterhoods, and it comprises, indeed, a number of little 
books under one title. 



5 



6 



Preface. 



Book I. contains treatises on Meditation, Prayer, and 
the Particular Examen, besides the Spiritual Exercises 
of St. Ignatius reduced to prayers. 

Book II. embraces the General Devotions; Morning 
and Night Prayers; many methods of assisting at Mass, 
and devotions for Confession and Communion. 

Book III., all the Special Devotions for the various 
seasons of the year. 

Book IV., the Bona Mors Devotions; Reflections for 
the Monthly Retreat; Examination of Conscience for 
Extraordinary Occasions; Prayers for the Sick and 
Dying; the Administration of the Last Sacraments, and 
the Office of the Dead. 

Book V., miscellaneous devotions; Litanies; Indul- 
genced Prayers; Novenas; Helpful Sayings or Maxims, 
and Extracts from the writings of Masters in the Spiritual 
Life. 

It contains the Officium Parvutn Beafce Mar ice Vir- 
ginis, i.e., The Hours of Our Lady, with special com- 
memorations of the Founders of Religious Orders; 
besides the little Offices of the Holy Ghost, the Sacred 
Heart, the Immacu ] ate Conception, and the Holy Angels. 

A cursory inspection of the contents of this book will 
reveal the fact that a distinct and original plan or 
method was adopted and carried out in the disposition 
of the matter and in the arrangement of details. 

In accordance with this method, most of the offices, 
devotions, and prayers are grouped and classified under 
the headings of "The Week Sanctified." 

This is a popular term, applied to the custom in vogue 
among religious people, whereby each day of the week 
is consecrated or dedicated to a particular devotion, thus : 

Sunday To the Holy Trinity. 

Monday To the Holy Ghost and to the Holy 

Souls in Purgatory. 
Tuesday. .......... To the Holy Angels. 



Preface. 



7 



Wednesday To St. Joseph. 

Thursday To the Blessed Sacrament and to 

the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Friday To the Passion of Our Lord. 

Saturday To the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



Under these heads we were able to classify in a very 
desirable and practical manner all the devotions for the 
various seasons of the liturgical year — Christmas, Easter, 
and Pentecost cycles — and, in particular, all our favor- 
ite monthly devotions. 

The monthly devotions are usually arranged in the 



following order: 

January The Holy Infancy. 

February The Holy Trinity (also the Holy 

Family) . 

March St. Joseph. 

April The Holy Ghost (also the Pas- 

sion for Lent). 

May The Blessed Virgin Mary. 

June The Blessed Sacrament and the 

Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

July The Precious Blood of Jesus. 

August The Most Pure Heart of Mary. 

September The Holy Cross. 

October The Holy Angels and the Holy 

Rosary. 

November The Holy Souls in Purgatory. 

December The Immaculate Conception. 



It appeared to me that without a strain all these devo- 
tions could be classified under the headings of " The 
Week Sanctified/' and so they were classified. Novenas 
and prayers to many different saints will be found in 
a special group. The Indulgenced Prayers, except those 



8 



Preface. 



which were approved since 1902, are from The New 
Raccolta. 

This book is dedicated most respectfully to the mem- 
bers of our Religious Orders, whose heroic life of 
self-denial for the love of God and their neighbor, in the 
following of Christ and in the spirit of their vows of obedi- 
ence, chastity, and poverty, is an inspiration and encour- 
agement to all who value truth and justice, virtue and 
holiness, while it is, at the same time, a rebuke to the 
worldly-minded, who walk not with God, whose thoughts 
are not of heaven, but of earth, and who, in their nervous 
quest for honor, wealth, and pleasure, in these times of 
individualism or egotism, seek simply the gratification of 
self. 

We plead with these good and edifying Religious for 
an occasional Memento before Jesus in the tabernacle. 

F. X. Lasance. 



Contents. 

(See complete Alphabetical Index, page 1143.) 

PAGE i 



Preface 3 f 

The Calendar 15 

Some Movable Feasts of Special Devotion 27 

Fasting-Days 28 

Feasts of Obligation in the United States 28 

Table of Movable Feasts 29 

asooft it. 

Meditation, Prayer, and the Particular Examen. 

Prayer . : 40 

For What and for Whom we Should Pray 45 

A Talk about Prayer 49 

Vocal Prayer 58 

Mental Prayer 60 

Is Mental Prayer Easy? 63 

Method of Meditation according to St. Ignatius 69 

Outlines of the Sulpician Method of Meditation 74 

Explanation of the Sulpician Method of Mental Prayer.. 76 
Bishop Bellord's Summary of a Method of Meditation. ... 78 
Method of Particular Examination in Striving after Per- 
fection 80 

The Subject-Matter of the Particular Examen. 81 

The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Arranged in Prayers. 9r 

JSOOft «♦ 

General Devotions. 

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES IN THE MORNING 117 

On Awaking and Arising 117 

Prayer while Dressing 117 

Prayer while putting on the Habit 118 

Prayer of St. Gertrude on Awaking 118 

Prayer of Blessed Margaret Mary 119 

9 



i o Contents. 

PAGE 

Prayers before Meditation 121 

Prayers after Meditation 123 

Morning Prayers 126 

Renewal of Vows 132 

Short Formula of Renovation of Vows 133 

Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus 134 

A Short Form of Morning Prayers for Religious 139 

Morning Offering to the Blessed Sacrament 141 

EVENING PRAYERS 142 

Litany of the Blessed Virgin 146 

Consecration of Religious Communities 150 

Act of Consecration for Religious 151 

A Short Form of Evening Prayer 152 

Night Offering to the Blessed Sacrament 154 

Vesper-Song of Our Lady 155 

Compline 157 

A Formula of the Vows 172 

GRACE BEFORE AND AFTER MEALS 173 

GENERAL PRAYERS 187 

Daily Intentions 187 

Daily Prayer for the Associates in the Sacred Heart of Jesus . 188 

Daily Prayer for the Associates in the Sacred Heart of Man- . 1 88 

Prayer before Examen 189 

Daily Examen 189 

General Examen 191 

An Offering of Communion 192 

Intentions for Holy Communion 193 

Prayer of the Associates for the Communion of Reparation 195 

METHODS OF HEARING MASS 197 

Offering of Mass and Communion on Sunday — The Holy 

Trinity 197 

Offering of Mass and Communion on Monday — The Holy 

Souls in Purgatory 199 

Offering of Mass and Communion on Tuesday — The Holy 

Angels 200 

Offering of Mass and Communion on Wednesday — St. 

Joseph 203 

Offering of Mass and Communion on Thursday — The 

Blessed Sacrament and the Sacred Heart 205 

Offering of Mass and Communion on Friday — The Pas- 
sion and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 214 

Offering of Mass and Communion on Saturday — The 

Blessed Virgin Mary 222 

Prayers Ordered by Pope Leo XIII. , to be Said after 

Every Low Mass in all the Churches of the World. ... 228 

Ordinary Method of Serving a Priest at Mass 229 



Contents. 



ii 



PAGE 



A Method of Assisting at Mass for Children 233 

The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 239 

Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week — Sunday — 

Votive Mass of the Blessed Trinity 278 

Monday — Votive Mass of the Holy Ghost 281 

Tuesday — Mass of the Holy Angels 284 

Wednesday — Votive Mass of St. Joseph. . 287 

Thursday — Votive Mass of the Blessed Sacrament. 290 

Fridays-Votive Mass of the Passion 296 

Saturday — Votive Mass of the Immaculate Conception 

of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 299 

Mass of the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary. . . . 302 

A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious 310 

A Method o, r Hearing Mass by Way of Meditation on the 

Passion , 323 

The Holy Mass in Union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. . 331 

A Mode of Hearing Mass for the Faithful Departed .... 342 
A Mode of Hearing Mass in Honor of the Blessed Virgin 

Mary 352 

DEVOTIONS FOR CONFESSION 369 

Prayers to the Holy Ghost before Confession 370 

Preparatory Prayers 370 

Examen for Confession 371 

Means of Arriving at Perfection 374 

Interior Practice . 376 

Reflections for Contrition and Amendment 380 

Offering of Confession. 385 

The Seven Penitential Psalms in Latin and in English. . . . 388 

DEVOTIONS FOR HOLY COMMUNION 401 

Mass in Honor of the Blessed Sacrament before Holy 

Communion 40 1 

After Mass and Communion (Thanksgiving) 414 

Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion 421 

A Mass of Thanksgiving after Holy Communion 426 

Various Exercises of Devotion for Holy Communion 456 

Simple Prayers for Holy Communion 466 

Litany for Holy Communion 469 

Short Acts for Holy Communion . 472 

After Holy Communion 473 

The Picture of a Good Novice 487 

Reflections and Prayers before and after Communion for 

Religious. 489 

A very Commendable Exercise for Holy Communion 504 

VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS 518 

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament 537 



12 



Contents. 



asook imir. 

Litanies, Novenas, Indulgenced Prayers, Offices, and 
Prayers for Particular Occasions. 

PAGE 

THE WEEK SANCTIFIED 547 

I. The Holy Trinity: One God 548 

II. The Holy Ghost 551 

Devotions for the Faithful Departed 571 

III. Devotions to the Angels and in Particular to the 

Angel Guardian 578 

IV. Devotions in Honor of St. Joseph 585 

V. Devotions to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Sacred 

Heart of Jesus 601 

The Hour of Adoration 610 

Prayers for Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and the 

Hour of Adoration 610 

Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity before the Blessed 

Sacrament 612 

Sentiments of a Religious before the Blessed Sacra- 
ment 61 8- 

Reparation and Consecration for Religious 631 

Renovation of Vows for Religious Persons 633 

Litany of the Blessed Sacrament 648 

Litany of the Sacred Heart 651 

Little Office of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 652 

The Holy Hour 661 

A Favorite Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus .... 670 
Consecration of Religious Communities and Families. 675 
The Venerable Mother Julie Billiart and Her Devo- 
tion to the Sacred Heart 676 

Rosary of the Sacred Heart 677 

The Month of June 681 

VI. Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord 683 

Thoughts from the Saints. 683 

The Via Crucis or Way of the Cross 687 

Litany of the Passion 694- 
Month of the Precious Blood 703 

Novena in Honor of the Precious Blood of Jesus. . . . 704. 

The Ceremonies of Holy Week Explained 707 

VII. Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary 720 

Reflections of a Religious on Devotion to Our Lady.. 720 
Indulgenced Novenas in Honor of the Blessed Virgin 

Mary 725 

Mysteries of the Holy Rosary 727 

Rosary of the Blessed Virgin 728 

Little Office of the Immaculate Conception 735 



Contents. 



i3 



PAGE 

Novena in Honor of the Dolors of the Blessed Virgin. 746 
Officium Parvum Beatae Mariae Virginis (The Office 
of the Blessed Virgin Mary; or, The Hours of 



Our Lady) 755 

Comments on the Rubrics of the Office of the Blessed 

Virgin Mary 756 

Commemorations.. 851 



asook id. 

Bona Mors Devotions; Preparation for a Happy Death; 
Examination of Conscience for Extraordinary 
Occasions; Prayers for the Sick and Dying; The 
Administration of the Last Sacraments; The Office 
for the Dead; a Little Book of Novenas; Miscel- 
laneous Prayers. 



The Monthly Retreat or Day of Recollection and Prayer 

in Preparation for a Happy Death 869 

Thoughts from St. Alphonsus on Death and Eternity. ... 871 
Offering of Mass and Communion for the Monthly Recol- 
lection in Preparation for Death 874 

A Bona Mors Litany, and Other Prayers for a Happy Death 898 

Devotions for the Sick, and the Last Prayers 904 

The Order of Administering Holy Communion to the Sick 910 
The Order of Administering the Sacrament of Extreme 

Unction * 912 

Apostolic Benediction and Plenary Indulgence at the Hour 

of Death 916 

Recommendation of a Soul Departing 919 

The Office of the Dead 926 

The Burial Service 972 

Ordinary of the Mass for the Dead 982 

Litany of the Saints 1012 

Litany for the Faithful Departed. 1023 

The Psalter of Jesus 1025 

Devotions for Advent and Ember Days.' 1033 

Ember Days 1035 

A LITTLE BOOK OF NOV EN AS: 

Novena for Christmas .-. . 1035 

Another Novena to the Holy Child 1040 

The Last Day of the Year 1046 

Novena to the Infant Jesus. I °49 

Novena for the New Year io 5° 

Novena for Epiphany 105 1 

Novena to the Holy Name of Jesus 1053 

Novena for the Purification of Our Lady 1054 



14 



Contents. 



PAGE 

Novena to St. Joseph 1055 

Novena for the Annunciation of Our Lady 1056 

Novena in Honor of Our Saviour's Passion. 1057 

Novena for Easter. In Honor of the Glorious Resurrection. 1060 

Novena for Pentecost ... . 106; 

Prayers for the Month of May 106^ 

Novena for Corpus Christi 1064 

Novena for the Feast of the Sacred Heart 1065 

Novena for the Festival of the Visitation 1066 

Novena for the Assumption 1067 

Novena for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1068 

Novena to Our Lady of Mercy 1069 

Novena for the Feast of the Guardian Angels 1070 

Novena to the Patron Saint of the Religious Order to which 

One Belongs 107 1 

Novena for the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed 

Virgin Mary 1072 

Novena for the Immaculate Conception 1073 

Novena to St. Benedict, Abbot 1078 

Devotions to St. Francis of Assisi 1079 

Novena to St. Francis of Assisi 1080 

Novena to St. Clara 108 1 

Novena to St. Dominic 1081 

Novena to St. Catharine of Sienna 1083 

Novena to St. Francis de Sales 1085 

Novena and Prayers to St. Jane Frances de Chantal 1088 

Novena in Honor of St. Vincent de Paul 1089 

Novena to St. Ignatius Loyola 1090 

Novena to St. Ursula 1092 

Novena to St. Bernard 1093 

Novena to St. Charles Borromeo 1096 

The Novena of Grace in Honor of St. Francis Xavier, 

Apostle of the Indies 1097 

St. Francis Xavier, Patron of the Apostleship of Prayer. . 1099 

Novena for the Feast of All Saints 1102 

Novena to St. Anthonyof Padua. 1102 

Miscellaneous Prayers 1105 

Devout Exercise of the Six Sundays in Honor of St. 

Aloysius Gonzaga 1106 

Indulgenced Aspirations and Short Prayers. 1110 

Additional Prayers for Various Occasions n 14 

Prayers for Travelers 1119 

Prayer for Sisters in Retreat 1122 

Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers 1127 

Extracts from Masters in the Spiritual Life 1131 



PRAYER-BOOK FOR RELIGIOUS. 



Zhc Calendar, 

JANUARY. 

1. CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD; St. Fulgentius 

St. Odilo, Ab. 

2. Octave of St. Stephen; St. Macarius; St. Adalard. 

3. St. Genevieve, V.; Octave of St. John, Ap., Ev. 

4. Octave of Holy Innocents; St. Angela of Foligno. 

5. St. Telesphorus, P.,M. ; St. Simeon Stylites; Vigil of Epiphany 

6. Epiphany op Our Lord. 

7. St. Lucian, P., M.; of the Octave of Epiphany. 

8. St. Severinus; St. Gudula, V.; of the Octave of Epiphany. 

9. SS. Julian and Basilla, MM.; of the Octave of Epiphany. 

10. S. William, Abp. of Bourges; of the Octave of Epiphany. 

11. St. Hyginus, P., M.; of the Octave of Epiphany. 

12. St. Arcadius, M.; St. Aelred, Ab.; of the Octave of Epiphany 

13. St. Veronica of Milan, V.; Octave of the Epiphany. 

14. St. Hilary, B.; St. Felix, M. 

15. St. Paul,' first H. 

16. St. Marcellus, P., M. 

17. St. Antony, Ab. 

18. Chair of St. Peter at Rome. 

19. St. Canute, K. of Denmark, M.; St. Wolstan. 

20. SS. Fabian and Sebastian, MM. 

21. St. Agnes, V., I L 

22. SS. Vincent and Anastasius, MM. 

23. St. Ravmond of Pennafort, C; Espousals of the B. V: M. 

24. St. Timothy, B., M. 

2;. Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. 

26. St. Polycarp, B., M. 

27. St. John Chrysostom, B., D. 

28. St. Flavian, M.; and St. Agnes, the second time. 

29. St. Francis of Sales, B., D. 

30. St. Martina, V., M. 

31. St. Peter Nolasco, C. 

Abbreviations. — Ab., Abbot or Abbess: Abp., Archbishop: Ap., 
Apostle: Bl. , Blessed; B Bishop; B. V. M. , Blessed Virgin Mary; Comp. , 
Companion and Companions; C., Confessor: D. and D.D., Doctor and 
Doctors; Ev., Evangelist; H. , Hermit ; K., King; M. and MM., Martyr 
and Martyrs. P., Pope; Pa., Patriarch: Pen., Penitent; Pr., Priest; Q., 
Queen; SS., Saints: T., Virgin; W., Widow. 

T -S 



1 6 The Calendar. 



FEBRUARY. 

1. St. Ignatius, B., M.; St. Brigid, V., Patroness of Ireland. 

2. Purification of the Bl. Virgin Mary. 

3. St. Blase, B., M. 

4. St. Andrew Corsini, B. 

5. St. Agatha, V., M.; St. Philip of Jesus. 

6. St. Dorothy, V., M.; St. Titus, B. 

7. St. Romuald, Ab. 

8. St. John of Matha, C. 

9. St. Apollonia, V., M.; St. Cyril of Alexandria, B., C, D. 

10. St. Scholastica, V. 

11. St. Saturninus, M.; Seven Founders of the Servite Order. 

12. St. Meletius, Bishop of Antioch, C. 

13. St. Catharine of Ricci, V.; Gregory II., P. 

14. St. Valentine, Pr., M.; St. Agathon, P. 

15. SS. Faustinus and Jovita, MM! 

16. St. Onesimus, B. of Ephesus, M.; Gregory X., P. 

17. St. Theodulus, M ; St. Hyginus, P. 

18. St. Simeon, B. of Jerusalem, M. 

19. St. Mansuetus, B. of Milan and C. 

20. St. Eucherius, B., C. 

21. St. Severianus, B., M. 

22. Chair of St. Peter, at Antioch. 

23. (Vigil.) St. Peter Damian, B., D. 

24. St. Matthias, Ap., in leap-years on the 2$th, 

25. St. Felix, P., C. 

26. St. Alexander, B. of Alexandria, C. 

27. St. Leander, B. of Seville, C. 

28. St. Romanus, Ab. 

29. St. Oswald, B. of Worcester, C. 



The Calendar. 1 7 



MARCH. 

1. St. Albinus, B., C; St. David. 

2. St. Simplicius, P., C. 

3. St. Cunegunda, V. 

4. St. Casimir, C. 

5. St. Phocas, M. 

6. St. Victor, M.; St. Fridolin, C. 

7. St. Thomas Aquinas, C, D. 

8. St. John of God, C. 

9. St. Frances of Rome, W.; St. Catharine of Bologna, V. 

10. The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. 

11. St. Eulogius, Pr., M. 

12. St. Gregory the Great, P., D. 

13. St. Euphrasia, V. 

14. St. Mathilda, W. 

15. St. Longinus, M. 

16. St. Abraham, H. 

17. St. Patrick, B., Ap. of Ireland. 

18. St. Gabriel, Archangel; St. Cyril of Jerusalem. 

19. St. Joseph, Spouse of the B. V. M., Patron of the Universal 

Church. 

20. St. Cuthbert, B., C. 

21. St. Benedict, Ab. 

22. St. Basil, Pr., M.; St. Catharine of Sweden, V. 

23. St. Turibius, B. of Lima, C. 

24. St. Simon, an infant Martyr at Trent.; St. Irenaeus, B. 

25. Annunciation of the B. V. M. 

26. St. Ludger, B., C. 

27. St. John Damascene, B., D.; St. Robert, B., C. 

28. St. Guntran, K., C; St. John Capistrano, G. 

29. St. Eustace, A. 

30. St. John Climacus, Ab. 

31. St. Balbina, V. 



The Calendar. 



APRIL. 

1. St. Hugh, B. of Grenoble, C. 

2. St. Francis of Paola, C. 

3. St. Richard, B., C. 

4. St. Isidore, B. of Seville, D. 

5. St. Vincent Ferrer, C. 

6. St. Celestine I., P., C. 

7. St. Hegesippus, C. 

8. St. Dionysius, B. of Corinth. 

9. St. Mary of Egypt. 

10. St. Macarius, B. of Antioch, C. 

11. St. Leo the Great, P., D. 

12. St. Victor, M. 

13. St. Hermenegild, M. 

14. SS. Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus, MM.; St. Justin, M.; 

St. Lidwina, V. 

15. SS. Basilissa and Anastasia, MM. 

16. St. Lambert, M.; Benedict Joseph Labre, C. 

17. St. Anicetus, P., M. 

18. St. Perfectus, Pr., M.; Bl. Mary of the Incarnation. 

19. St. Timon, D., M.; St. Werner, M. 

20. St. Agnes of Montepulciano, Ab., V.; Bl. Gerard, C. 

21. St. Anselm, B. of Canterbury, D. 

22. SS. Soter and Caius, Popes, MM. 

23. St. George, M. 

24. St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, M. 

25. St. Mark the Evangelist — The great Litany. 

26. St. Cletus and Marcellinus, Popes, MM,; Our Lady of Good 

Counsel. 

27. St. John, Ab., C; St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, B., C. 

28. St. Vitalis, M.; St. Paul of the Cross. 

29. St. Peter, M. 

30. St. Catharine of Sienna, V. 



The Calendar. 



19 



MAY. 

1. SS. Philip and James, Apostles. 

2. St. Athanasius, B. of Alexandria, D. 

3. Finding of the Holy Cross. 

4. St. Monica, W.; Bl. John Fisher, Thomas More and Comps. 

5. St. Pius, V., P., C. 

6. St. John the Apostle, before the Latin Gate. 

7. St. Stanislaus, B., M. 

8. Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel. 

9. St. Gregory Nazianzen, B., D. 

10. St. Antoninus, B. of Florence. 

11. St. Mamertus, B. of Vienna, C. 

12. SS. Nereus and Achilleus, MM. 

13. St. John the Silent, H. 

14. St. Boniface, M. 

15. St. Torquatus and Comps., MM. 

16. St. Ubald, B. 

17. St. Paschal Baylon, C. 
j 8. St. Venantius, M. 

19. St. Peter Celestine, P.; St. Pudentiana, V. 

20. St. Bernardine of Sienna, C. 

21. St. Valeris, B., M. 

22. St. John Nepomucene, M.; St. John Baptist De La Salle. 

23. St. Desiderius, B , M. 

24. Feast of B. V. M., as Help of Christians. 

25. St. Gregory VII., P., C 

26. St. Philip Neri, C. 

27. St. Bede, C, D. 

28. St. Germanus, B. of Paris, C; St. Augustine of Canterbury, 

B., C. 

29. St. Marv Magdalen of Pazzi, V. 

30. St. Felix, P., M. 

31. St. Petronilla, V.; St. Angela Merici, V. 



20 



The Calendar. 



JUNE. 

I St. Pamphilus, Pr., M. 

2. SS. Marcellinus, Peter, and Erasmus, MM.; St. Blandina. 

3. St. Clotilda, Q. of France. 

4. St. Francis Caracciolo, C. 

5. St. Boniface, B., Ap. of Germany. 

6. St. Norbert, B. of Magdeburg. 

7. St Robert, Ab. 

8. St. Medardus, B., C; St. William, B. of York, England. 

9. SS. Primus and Felicianus, MM.; St. Columba (Ireland). 

10. St. Margaret, Q. of Scotland. 

11. St. Barnabas, Ap. 

12. St. John of St. Fagondez, C. 

13. St. Anthony of Padua, C. 

14. St. Basil the Great, B.> D. 

15. SS. Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia, MM. 

16. St. John Francis Regis, C. 

17. St. Avitus, Pr., C. 

18. SS. Marcus and Marcellianus, MM. 

19. St. Juliana Falconieri, V. 

20. St. Silverius, P., M. 

21. St. Aloysius Gonzaga, C. 

22. St. Paulinus, B. of Nola; St. Alban. 

23. Vigil of Nativity of St. John the Baptist 

24. Nativity of St. John the Baptist. 

25. St. William, Ab. 

26. SS. John and Paul, MM. 

27. St. Crescent, B., M. 

28. (Vigil.) St. Irenaeus, B., M.; St. Leo II., P. 

29. SS. Peter and Paul, Apostles. 

30. Commemoration of St. Paul, Ap. 



The Calendar. 



21 



JULY. 

1. Octave of St. John the Baptist. 

2. Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

3. St. Eulogius and Comps., MM.; St. Paul I., P. 

4. St. Flavian, B. of Antioch. 

5. St. Athanasius, D., M.; St. Anthony Maria Zaccarda, C. 

6. Octave of SS. Peter and Paul. 

7. SS. Cyrillus and Methodius, B., C. 

8. St. Elizabeth, Q. of Portugal. 

9. St. Cyrillus, B. of Gortyna, M. 

10. The Seven Brothers, MM.; SS. Ruffina and Secunda, V., M. 

11. St. Pius I., P., M. 

12. St. John Gualbert, Ab. 

13. St. Anacletus, P., M. 

14. St. Bonaventure, B., D. 

15. St. Henry, Emp., C. 

16. Our Lady of Mount Caemel. 

17. St. Alexius, C; St. Osmund. 

18. St. Camillus of Lellis, C. 

19. St. Vincent of Paul, C. 

20. St. Jerome ^Emilian, C; St. Margaret, V., M. 

21. St. Praxedes, V. 

22. St. Mary Magdalen, Pen. 

23. St. Apollinaris, B., M.; St. Liborius. 

24. (Vigil.) St. Christina, V., M.; St. Francis Solanus, C^ 

25. St. James the Apostle; St. Christopher, M. 

26. St. Anna, Mother of the Blessed Virgin. 

27. St. Pantaleon, M. 

28. SS. Nazarius, Celsus, and others, MM. 

29. St. Martha, V. 

30. SS. Abdon and Sennen, MM. 

31. St. Ignatius de Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus* 



22 



The Calendar, 



AUGUST. 

1. St. Peter's Chains. 

2. St. Alphonsus M. Liguori, B., D. 

3. Finding of the Relics of St. Stephen, first M. 

4. St. Dominic, C. 

5. Dedication of St. Mary, ad Nives (Our Lady of the Snow). 

6. Transfiguration of Our Lord. 

7. St. Cajetan. C. 

8. SS. Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus, MM. 

9. St. Romanus, M. 

10. St. Lawrence, M. 

11. SS. Tiburtius and Susanna, MM. 

12. St. Clara, V. 

13. SS. Hippolytus and Cassianus, MM. 

14. (Vigil with fast.) St. Eusebius, C. 

15. ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 

16. St. Hyacinthus, C. 

17. Octave of St. Lawrence. 

18. St. Agapitus, M.; St. Helen. 

19. St. Lewis, B. of Toulouse, C. 

20. St. Bernard, Ab., D. 

21. St. Jane Frances de Chantal, W. 

22. Octave of the Assumption; St. Timothy and Comps., M. 

23. (Vigil.) St. Philip Beniti, C. 

24. St. Bartholomew, Ap. 

25. St. Louis, K. of France, C. 

26. St. Zephyrinus, P., M. 

27. St. Joseph Calasanctius, C. 

28. St. Augustine, B., D. 

29. Beheading of St. John the Baptist; St. Sabina, M. 

30. St. Rose of Lima, V. 

31. St. Raymund Nonnatus, C. 

On the Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption the feast 
St. Joachim, the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



The Calendar. 



23 



SEPTEMBER. 

1. St. Giles, Ab.; St. Odo of Canterbury. 
2 St Stephen, K. of Hungary, C. 

3. St. Simeon Stylites, C; St. Michael of the Saints. 

4. St. Rosalia, V.; St. Rose of Viterbo. 

5. St. Lawrence Justinian, B. of Venice. 

6. St. Pambo of Nitria, A. 

7. St. Regina, V., M. 

8. Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

9. St. Gorgonius, M. 

10. St. Nicholas Tolentino, C. 

11. SS. Protus and Hyacinthus, MM.; St. Louis Bertrand. 

12. St. Juventius, B., D. 

13. St. Amarus, Ab. 

14. Exaltation or the Holy Cross. 

15. St. Nicomedes, M. 

16. SS. Cornelius, P., and Cyprian, B., MM.; St. Euphemia and 

Comps., MM. 

17. Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi. 

18. St. Joseph of Cupertino, C. 

19. St. Januarius. B., and Comps., MM. 

20. (Vigil.) St. Eustachius and Comps., MM. 

21. St. Matthew, Ap. 

22. St. Thomas of Villanova, C. 

23. St. Linus, P., M. 

24. Our Lady of Mercy. 

25. St. Cleophas, M 

26. SS. Cyprian and Justina, MM. 

27. SS. Cosmas and Damian, MM. 

28. St. Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia, M. 

29. St. Michael the Archangel. (Dedication.) 

30. St. Jerome, Pr., D. 



2 4 



The Calendar. 



OCTOBER. 

1. St. Remigius, B. of Rheims. 

2. The Holy Guardian Angels. 

3. St. Candidus, M.; St. Thomas of Hereford. 
4 St. Francis of Assisi, C. 

5. St. Placidus and Comps., MM. 

6. St. Bruno, C. 

7. St. Mark, P., C. 

8. St. Bridget, W. 

9. St. Dionysius and Comps , MM. 

10. St. Francis Borgia, C. 

11. St. Germanus, B., M. 

12. St. Wilfrid, B., C. 

13. St. Edward, K. of England, C. 

14. St. Callistus, P., M. 

15. St. Teresa, V. 

16. St. Lullus, B. of Mentz; St. Gall. 

17. St. Hedwig, W.; Bl. Margaret Mary Alacoque. 

18. St. Luke the Evangelist. 

19. St. Peter of Alcantara, C. 

20. St. John Cantius, C. 

21. St. Hilarion, Ab.; St. Ursula and Comps., MM. 

22. St. Mark, B. of Jerusalem, M. 

23. St. Ignatius, B. of Constantinople, M. 

24. St. Raphael the Archangel. 

25. SS. Chrysanthus and Daria, MM.; St. John of Beverly. 

26. St. Evaristus, P., M. 

27. Vigil of SS. Simon and Jude. 

28. SS. Simon and Jude, Apostles. 

29. St. Theodorus, Ab. 

30. St. Serapion, B., C; Bl. Alphonsus Rodriguez. 

31. Vigil of All Saints, with fast.; St. Wolfgang. 



The Calendar. 



NOVEMBER. 

1. FEAST OF ALL SAINTS. 

2. Commemoration of All Souls. 

3. St. Malachy, B. of Armagh; St. Winefride, V., M. 

4. St. Charles Borromeo, B., C. 

5. St. Elizabeth, Mother of St. John the Baptist. 

6. St. Leonard, H. 

7. St. Engelbert, B., M. 

8. Octave of All Saints. 

9. Dedication of the Lateran Church. 

10. St. Andrew Avellino, C. 

11. St. Martin, B. of Tours. 

12. St Martin I., P., M. 

13. St. Stanislaus Kostka. 

14. St. Josaphat, M.; St. Laurence O'Toole (Ireland). 

15. St. Gertrude, V. 

16. St. Edmund, B., C. (Canterbury). 

17. St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, B. 

18. Dedication of Churches of SS. Peter and Paul. 

19. St. Elizabeth of Hungary, W. 

20. St. Felix of Valois, C. 

21. Presentation of the B. V. M.; St. Oswin, M. 

22. St. Cecilia, V., M. 
23 St. Clement, P., M. 

24. St. John of the Cross, C; St. Columbanus (Ireland). 

25. St. Catharine, V., M.; St. Leonard of Port Maurice. 

26. St. Peter, B. of Alexandria; St. Silvester, Ab. 

27. St. Severinus, H. 

28. St. Gregory III., P., C. 

29. (Vigil.) St. Saturninus, M.; St. Willibrord, C, B. 

30. St. Andrew the Apostle. 



26 



The Calendar, 



DECEMBER. 

1. St. Eligius, B., C. 

2. St. Bibiana, V., M.; St. Theodoret, M. 

3. St. Francis Xavier, C. 

4. St. Peter Chrysologus, B., D.; St. Barbara, V., M. 

5. St. S abbas, Ab. 

6. St. Nicholas, B. of Myra. 

7. St. Ambrose, B. of Milan, D. 

8. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE B. V. M. 

9. St. Leocadia, V., M. 

10. St. Melchiades, P., M.; Translation of the Holy House of 

Loretto. 

11. St. Damasus, P., M. 

12. St. Synesius, M. 

13. St. Lucy, V., M. 

14. St. Spiridion, B., C. 

15. Octave of the Immaculate Conception of the B. V. M. 

16. St. Eusebius, B., M. 

17. St. Olympias, W. 

18. Expectation of the Delivery of the B. V. M.; St. Odo of Cluny. 

19. St. Timothy, D., M. 

20. (Vigil.) St. Dominic, Ab. 

21. St. Thomas the Apostle. 

22. St. Ischyrion, M.; St. Felix of Valois. 

23. St. Victoria, V., M. 

24. Vigil with Fast. 

25. NATIVITY OF OUR LORD. 

26. St. Stephen, first Martyr. 

27. St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. 

28. Holy Innocents. 

29. St. Thomas, B. of Canterbury, M. 

30. St. Sabinus, B., and Comps., MM. 

31. St. Sylvester, P., C. 



Some /IDcwable jfeasts of Special H)e\>o 
tion. 



Holy Name of Jesus. 

Passion of Our Lord. . . . 

Holy Crown of Thorns. . 

Spear and Nails 

Five Wounds 

Most Precious Blood. . . 

Seven Sorrows of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary. . 

Patronage of St. Joseph. 
Corpus Chris ti. 

Sacred Heart of Jesus. . 

Most Precious Blood.. 
Holy Name of Mary 



Seven Sorrows of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary. . 

Holy Rosary 

Patronage of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary . . 



Second Sunday after Epiph- 
any. 

Friday after Quinquages- 
ima. 

Friday after First Sunday in 
Lent. 

Friday after Second Sun- 
day in Lent. 

Friday after Third Sunday 
in Lent. 

Friday after Fourth Sunday 
in Lent. 

Friday after Passion Sun- 
day. 

Third Sunday after Easter. 
Thursday after Trinity Sun- 
day. 

Friday after Octave of Cor- 
pus Christi. 

First Sunday of July. 

Sunday within the Octave 
of the Nativity of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Third Sunday of September. 
First Sunday of October. 

Second Sunday of Novem- 
ber. 



27 



1. The Fridays of Advent. (Not in all Provinces.) 

2. Every Day in Lent; except Sundays. 

3. The Four Ember-days, viz., the Wednesday, 
Friday, and Saturday following — (1) the first Sunday in 
Lent; (2) Whitsunday; (3) the fourteenth day of Sep- 
tember; and (4) the third Sunday of Advent. 

4. The Vigils of Whitsunday, of the Assumption, of 

All Saints, and of Christmas. 

Note. — When a fasting-day falls upon a Sunday, it is kept on 
the Saturday previous. 



jFeasts of ©bttgatfon in tbe 
Hintte& States, 



1. The Circumcision of Our Lord, or New Year's 

Day. 

2. The Ascension of Our Lord, or the Thursday 

forty days after Easter. 

3. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 

August 15th. 

4. All Saints' Day, November 1st. 

5. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed 

Virgin Mary, December 8th. 

6. The Nativity of Our Lord, or Christmas Day, 

December 25th. 
All the Sundays of the Year. 

28 



XTable of flDovable jf easts. 



The Year 
L d 


Ash- 
Wednesday. 


Easter Sunday. 


Ascension 
Day. 


Whitsunday. 


First 
Sunday 

of 
Advent. 


1902 


Feb. 12 


Mar. 30 


May 8 


May 18 


Nov. 30 


1903 


Feb. 25 


Apr. 12 


May 21 


May 31 


Nov. 29 


1904 


Feb. 17 


Apr. 3 


May 12 


May 22 


Nov. 27 


1905 


Mar. 8 


Apr. 23 


June 1 


June 11 


Dec. 3 


1906 


Feb. 28 


Apr. 15 


May 24 


June 3 


Dec. 2 


1907 


Feb. 13 


Mar. 31 


May 9 


May 19 


Dec. 1 


1908 


Mar. 4 


Apr. 19 


May 28 


June 7 


Nov. 29 


1909 


Feb. 24 


Apr. 11 


May 20 


May 30 


Nov. 28 


1910 


Feb. 9 


Mar. 27 


May 5 


May 15 


Nov. 27 


1911 


Mar. 1 


Apr. 16 


May 25 


June 4 


Dec. 3 


1912 


Feb. 21 


Apr. 7 


May 16 


May 26 


Dec. 1 


1913 


Feb. 5 


Mar. 23 


May 1 


May 11 


Nov. 30 


1914 


Feb. 25 


Apr. 12 


May 21 


May 31 


Nov. 29 


1915 


Feb. 17 


Apr. 4 


May 13 


May 23 


Nov. 28 


1916 


Mar. 8 


Apr. 23 


June 1 


June 11 


Dec. 3 


1917 


Feb. 21 


Apr. 8 


May 17 


May 27 


Dec. 2 


1918 


rcO. lo 


TWqt Q1 

lYidr. oi 


May 9 


Mntr 1 Q 


Dec. 1 


1919 


Mar. 5 


Apr. 20 


May 29 


June 8 


Nov. 30 


1920 


Feb. 18 


Apr. 4 


May 13 


May 23 


Nov. 28 


1921 


Feb. 9 


Mar. 27 


May 5 


May 15 


Nov. 27 


1922 


Mar. 1 


Apr. 16 


May 25 


June 4 


Dec. 3 


1923 


Feb. 14 


Apr. 1 


May 10 


May 20 


Dec. 2 


1924 


Mar. 5 


Apr. 20 


May 29 


June 8 


Nov. 30 


1925 


Feb. 25 


Apr. 12 


May 21 


May 31 


Nov. 29 


1926 


Feb. 17 


Apr. 4 


May 13 


May 23 


Nov. 28 


1927 


Mar. 2 


Apr. 17 


May 26 


June 5 


Nov. 27 


1928 


Feb. 22 


Apr. 8 


May 17 


May 27 


Dec. 2 



29 



BOOK I. 



flDe&itatton, prater, an& tbe particular 
Bjamem 



The Apostles' Creed. 

I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of 
heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only 
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, 
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
was crucified: died, and was buried. He descended into 
hell : the third day He arose again from the dead : He as- 
cended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the 
Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge 
the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, 
the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the 
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the 
life everlasting. Amen. 

Creed of St. Athanasius. 

HOSOEVER will be saved, before all things it is 
necessary that he hold the Catholic faith. 
Which faith, except every one do keep entire and invio- 
late, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. 

Now the Catholic faith is this, that we worship one God 
in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity. 

Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the sub- 
stance. 

For there is one Person of the Father, another of the 
Son, another of the Holy Ghost. 

33 



34 



The Creeds. 



But the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost, is all one; the glory equal, the majesty 
coeternal. 

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the 
Holy Ghost. 

The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, the Holy Ghost 
uncreate. 

The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehen- 
sible, the Holy Ghost incomprehensible. 

The Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Ghost 
eternal. 

And yet they are not three eternals, bnt one eternal. 

As also they are not three uncreates, nor three incom- 
prehensibles; but one uncreate, and one incomprehen- 
sible. 

In like manner the Father is Almighty, the Son Al- 
mighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. 

And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Al- 
mighty. 

So the Father is God, the Son God, and the Holy Ghost 
God. 

And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. 

So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the 
Holy Ghost is Lord. 

And yet they are not three Lords, but one Lord. 

For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to 
acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and 
Lord: 

So we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say 
there are three Gods or three Lords. 

The Father is made of none, neither created, nor be- 
gotten. 

The Son is from the Father alone, not made, nor cre- 
ated, but begotten. 

The Holy Ghost is from the Father and the Son, not 
made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. 

So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one 



The Creeds. 



35 



Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy 
Ghosts. 

And in this Trinity there is nothing before or after 
nothing greater or less ; but the whole three Persons are 
coeternal together, and coequal. 

So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity is to be 
worshipped in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity. 

He, therefore, that will be saved, must thus think of the 
Trinity. 

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation, 
that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of Our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

Now the right faith is, that we believe and confess that 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and 
man. 

He is God of the substance of His Father, begotten 
before the world; and He is man of the substance of His 
Mother, born in the world: 

Perfect God and perfect man; of reasonable soul and 
human flesh subsisting. 

Equal to the Father according to His Godhead; and 
less than the Father according to His manhood. 

Who, although He be both God and man, yet He is not 
two but one Christ: 

One, not by the conversion of the Godhead into flesh, 
but by the taking of the manhood unto God : 

One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by 
unity of person. 

For as the reasonable soul and the flesh is one man, so 
God and man is one Christ. 

Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, 
rose again the third day from the dead. 

He ascended into heaven; He sitteth at the right hand 
of God the Father almighty ; from whence He shall come 
to judge the living and the dead. 

At Whose coming all men shall rise again with their 
bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. 



36 



The Creeds, 



And they that have done good shall go into life ever- 
lasting: and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. 

This is the Catholic faith, which except a man believe 
faithfully and steadfastly, he can not be saved. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
Ghost. 

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Nicene Creed. 

I BELIEVE in one God, the Father almighty, Makei 
of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and 
invisible. 

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son 
of God, born of the Father before all ages. God of God; 
Light of light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; 
consubstantial with the Father, by Whom all things were 
made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came 
down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost 
of the Virgin Mary: and was made man. [Kneel in 
reverence of Christ 1 s Incarnation.] He was crucified also 
for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. 
The third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; 
and ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand 
of the Father: and He shall come again with glory to 
judge both the living and the dead: of Whose kingdom 
there shall be no end. 

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Life- 
giver, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son : Who 
together with the Father and the Son is adored and glori- 
fied: Who spake by the prophets. And one Holy, Catho- 
lic, and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for 
the remission of sins. And I look for the resurrection of 
the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. 



Profession of Faith for Converts. 37 



Profession of Faith at the Reception of Converts 
into the Catholic Church. 

I, N.N., having before my eyes the holy Gospels, which 
I touch with my hand, and knowing that no one can 
be saved without that faith which the Holy, Catholic, 
Apostolic Roman Church holds, believes, and teaches, 
against which I grieve that I have greatly erred, inasmuch 
as I have held and believed doctrines opposed to her 
teaching. 

I now, with grief and contrition for my past errors, 
profess that I believe the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Ro- 
man Church to be the only and true Church * established 

* Out of the Catholic Church none can be saved. This propo- 
sition, which highly displeases all sectarians and infidels, is not 
only clearly established by the authority of Scripture, and by the 
perpetual and constant belief of the Catholic Church, but it is 
also evident from reason itself, so that one must needs be blind 
who does not perceive its truth. This, however, applies only to 
those persons who culpably and wilfully adhere to heresy, or 
schism, or infidelity, but by no means to those who have been 
imbued with errors and prejudices from their earliest years, and 
to whom not even a doubt occurs that they are involved in heresy 
or schism, or who, if any doubt arises in their minds, earnestly 
and sincerely seek after the truth; such persons we leave to the 
judgment of God, to whom it belongs to penetrate and search 
the thoughts and dispositions of hearts. For it is incompatible 
with the divine goodness and clemency that any one should suffer 
eternal torments who is not guilty of a wilful transgression. To 
assert the contrary would be against the express doctrine of the 
Church. 

"Let us hear St. Augustine: 'We must not,' says he, 'class 
among heretics those persons who, without wilful obstinacy, main- 
tain a false and perverse doctrine, especially if it is not the off- 
spring of their bold presumption, but a legacy from their deceived 
and mistaken parents, and who search after the truth with earnest 
care, being disposed to renounce their error as soon as they are 
apprised of it.' — Epist. 43, Edit. Benedict, alias 162. A long list 

of other Fathers might be cited who are of the same opinion It 

follows from what has been said that every one is bound, to the 
best of his power, to consider the doubts which sometimes occur 



38 



Profession of Faith for Converts, 



on earth by Jesus Christ, to which I submit myself with 
my whole heart. I believe all the articles that she pro- 
poses to my belief, and I reject and condemn all that she 
rejects and condemns, and I am ready to observe all that 
she commands me. And especially, I profess that I 
believe : 

One only God in three divine Persons, distinct from, 
and equal to, each other — that is to say, the Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Ghost: 

The Catholic doctrine of the Incarnation, Passion, 
Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ: and 
the personal union of the two natures, the divine and the 
human; the divine maternity of the most holy Mary, to- 
gether with her most spotless virginity; 

The true, real, and substantial presence of the bodv 
and blood, together with the soul and divinity of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the 
Eucharist ; 

The seven sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ for 
the salvation of mankind; that is to say, Baptism, Con- 
firmation, Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Order, 
Matrimony ; 

Purgatory, the resurrection of the dead, everlasting life ; 

The Primacy, not only of honor, but also of jurisdic- 
tion of the Roman Pontiff, successor of St. Peter, Prince 
of the Apostles, Vicar of Jesus Christ; 

The veneration of the saints, and of their images ; 

The authority of the apostolic and ecclesiastical tra- 
ditions, and of the Holy Scriptures, which we must inter- 
pret, and understand only in the sense which our holy 
Mother the Catholic Church has held, and does hold ; 

And everything else that has been defined, and declared 
by the sacred Canons, and by the General Councils, and 

to him, and to investigate the truth, and when he has found it, to 
embrace it without delay; unless he wish to live under an habitual 
and most grievous guilt, and, by deferring his conversion, expose 
himself to a manifest danger of eternal damnation." 



Profession of Faith for Converts. 



39 



particularly by the holy Council of Trent, and delivered, 
defined, and declared by the General Council of the Vati- 
can, especially concerning the Primacy of the Roman 
Pontiff, and his infallible teaching authority. 

With a sincere heart, therefore, and with unfeigned 
faith, I detest and abjure every error, heresy, and sect 
opposed to the said Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Roman 
Church. So help me God, and these His holy Gospels, 
which I touch with my hand. 



prater* 



"He who prayeth shall certainly save his soul; he who 
prayeth not shall certainly lose it." 

HIS justly celebrated sentence of St. Alphonsus 
Liguori, who may well be called the " Doctor of 
Prayer/ ' finds a fitting place at the beginning of this 
J)ook of devotions for Religious. It was neither lightly 
nor by chance that St. Alphonsus wrote these solemn 
words. Their truth had been impressed upon his mind 
during his long experience as a missionary priest, and in 
confirmation of it many proofs from Holy Writ and from 
tradition are adduced by the holy Doctor in his treatise 
on prayer. 

St. Alphonsus writes: " Prayer is a sure and indis- 
pensable means of obtaining salvation and all the graces 
leading thereto. Convinced as I am of the necessity of 
prayer, I say that all books treating of spiritual subjects, 
all preachers in their sermons, all confessors in every 
confession which they hear, should attach the greatest 
importance to inculcating the necessity of constant 
prayer on the minds of their readers and hearers, and 
they should never tire of impressing it on them and of 
repeating over and over again: Pray, pray always; 
if you pray, you will certainly save your souls ; if you do 
not pray, you will certainly lose them. It is true that 
many excellent ways of persevering in the grace of God 
may be recommended to souls; for instance, avoiding 
occasions of sin, frequenting the sacraments, resisting 
temptation, listening to sermons, meditating on the 

40 



Prayer. 



4i 



eternal truths, etc., all of which are most salutary prac- 
tices, as every one must admit; but, I ask, of what good 
are sermons, meditations, and the other means suggested 
by the masters of the spiritual life, without prayer? since 
Our Lord has declared that He will only grant His grace 
to those who pray for it: 'Ask and ye shall receive' (John 
xvi. 24) . According to the ordinary course of Providence, 
all our meditations, resolutions, promises are useless with- 
out prayer; if we do not pray, we shall always be faith- 
less to the lights we have received from God and to the 
resolutions we have taken. Because, in order to do right, 
to overcome temptation, to practise virtue, to observe 
God's law, it is not sufficient to have received divine 
lights, to have meditated, and to have taken firm reso- 
lutions. God's actual help is also necessary. Now, this 
actual help is only granted by Our Lord to those who 
pray perseveringly for it. The lights we receive, and 
the earnest consideration and firm resolutions which we 
make, have the effect of inciting us to have recourse to 
prayer in the time of temptation and when in danger of 
offending God: by prayer we obtain the divine help 
necessary for keeping us from sin, and if, under these 
circumstances, we were to neglect praying, we should 
undoubtedly be lost. 

" The texts of Scripture which prove the necessity we 
are under of praying, if we wish to be saved, are extremely 
clear: 'We ought always to pray ' (Luke xviii. 1). ' Watch 
ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation ' (Matt, 
xxvi. 41). 1 Ask, and it shall be given you' (Matt, 
vii. 7). 

" Theologians are of opinion that this way of speaking 
imposes the precept and denotes the necessity of prayer. 
Hence the learned Lessius asserts that it can not be denied, 
without sinning against faith, that for adults prayer is 
necessary to salvation. 

" The reason of this is that, without the help of grace, 
we can do nothing good. ' Without Me,' says Jesus Christ, 



42 



Prayer. 



1 you can do nothing ' (John xv. 5) . St. Augustine remarks 
on this subject that Our Saviour did not say. You can 
complete nothing without Me; but, You can do nothing. 
This truth was proclaimed at the second Council of 
Orange, when it was defined that man does no good thing 
except what God enables him to do by the operations of 
His grace. Man is therefore quite unable to work out 
his own salvation unassisted, since it is God's will that all 
he has or can have should come to him by the help of 
grace. Now, this grace God only grants, in the ordinary- 
course of His providence, to those who pray for it. Ac- 
cording to the maxim laid down by Gennadius, ' No man 
can attain salvation without the help of God ; no man can 
obtain this help except by prayer.' This does not mean, 
says St. Thomas, that it is necessary for us to pray in 
order that God may know of what we stand in need; 
but that we must pray in order that we ourselves may 
understand our need of having recourse to God to obtain 
the aid necessary for our salvation, and may thus acknowl- 
edge Him as the only author of all our good." 

NECESSITY OE PRAYER. 

E ought always to pray, and not to faint. — Luke 
xviii. 1. Watch ye, and pray, that ye enter not 
into temptation. — Matt. xxvi. 41. Ask and it shall be 
given you, — Ibid. vii. 7. Without Me you can do noth- 
ing. — John xv. 5. Not that we are sufficient to think 
anything of ourselves as of ourselves, but our sufficiency 
is from God. — 2 Cor. hi. 5. God bestows some favors 
without prayer, such as the beginning of faith; others, 
such as perseverance, are granted only to those who 
pray. — St. Augustine. To enter heaven, continual 
prayer is necessary after baptism; for although all sins 
are remitted by that sacrament, there still remain concu- 
piscence to assail us from within, and the world and the 
devil to attack us from without. — St. Thomas. All the 



Prayer. 



43 



graces, which God hath prepared for us from all eternity, 
will be granted only to prayer. — St. Thomas. God 
wishes to give, but He gives only to those who ask. — St. 
Augustine. To prayer may be traced the beginning, 
the progress, and the perfection of all virtues. — St. 
Charles Borromeo. Who are we, or what is our strength, 
that we should be able to resist so many temptations? 
God certainly wished, that we, seeing that we are defi- 
cient, and that out of Him there is no assistance for us, 
should, with all humility, have recourse to His mercy. — 
St. Bernard. 

EFFICACY OF PRAYER. 

SK, and it shall be given unto you: seek, and you 
shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. 
— Matt. vii. 7. How much more will your Father, Who 
is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him ? — 
Ibid. vii. 1 1 . For every one that asketh, receiveth ; and he 
that seeketh, flndeth. — Ibid. vii. 8. If you shall ask Me 
anything in My name, that will I do. — John xiv. 14. You 
shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you. 
— John xv. 7. Amen, Amen, I say to you, if you ask 
the Father anything in My name, He will give it you. — 
Ibid. xvi. 23. — I can do all things in Him Who strength- 
eneth me. — Phil. iv. 13. The Lord is nigh unto all them 
that call upon Him; to all that call upon Him in truth. 
He will do the will of them that fear Him, and He will 
hear their prayer and save them. — Ps. cxliv. 18, 19. By 
prayer is obtained the possession of every good, and de- 
liverance from every evil. — St. Bonaventure. 




CONDITIONS OF PRAYER. 



HE most necessary conditions of prayer, are humility, 
confidence, and perseverance. — St. Liguori. He 
hath regard to the prayer of the humble. — Ps. ci. 18. 



44 



Prayer. 



God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 
— St. James iv. 6. The prayer of him that humbleth 
himself shall pierce the clouds; . . . and he will not 
depart till the Most High behold. — Ecclus. xxxv. 21. 
A contrite and humble heart, O God, Thou wilt not de- 
spise. — Ps. 1. 19. Thou Who savest them that trust in 
Thee. — Ibid. xvi. 7. Because he hath hoped in Me, ... I 
will deliver him and I will glorify him. — Ibid. xc. 14, 15. 
But they that hope in the Lord, shall renew their strength. 
— Isaias xl. 31. No one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath 
been confounded. — Ecclus. ii. 11. They that trust in 
the Lord, shall be as Mount Sion. — Ps. cxxiv. 1. Let 
Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, as we have hoped in 
Thee. — Ps. xxxii. 22. He that wavereth is like a wave of 
the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind. 
Therefore, let not that man think that he shall receive 
anything of the Lord. — St. James i. 6, 7. Go; and as 
thou hast believed, so be it done to thee. — Matt. viii. 13. 
All things whatsoever you ask, when ye pray, believe that 
you shall receive; and they shall come unto you. — 
Mark xi. 24. God protects and saves all who confide in 
Him. — St. Liguori. They that hope in the Lord shall 
lay aside their weakness, and put on the strength of God ; 
they shall not faint, nor even be fatigued, in treading the 
rugged ways of salvation. — Ibid. Thou, O Lord, dost 
not pour the oil of mercy, unless into vessels of confi- 
dence. — St. Bernard. The prayer of the just man is the 
key of heaven; his petition ascends, and God's mercy 
descends. — St. Augustine. Trusting in the divine prom- 
ises, let us ever pray with confidence, not wavering, 
but strong and firm. — St. Liguori. To obtain final 
perseverance, we must continue to pray to the end of 
our lives. If, by our negligence, we break the chain of 
our prayers, the chain of graces, on which our salvation 
depends, will also be broken. — Ibid. Oh, how the con- 
stant application to God by prayer, and the confident 
expectation of receiving from Him the graces we stand 



For What and for Whom We Should Pray. 45 

in need of, enkindle in us the fire of divine love, and 
unite us to the divinity! — Ibid. We must continue to 
pray until we receive the sentence of eternal salvation. — 
Ibid. 

All our petitions should be made through Our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Ask in the name of Jesus Christ, through 
His merits, and in virtue of His divine promises. 

jfor Mbat an& for mbom We Sboulfc 

C^T. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI insists repeatedly that 
•^-^ in all our devotions, at Mass, at holy communion, 
in all our visits to the Blessed Sacrament, we should 
pray for these four graces for ourselves, viz.: the for- 
giveness of our sins, the love of God, the love of prayer, 
and final perseverance. When these graces are secured, 
our salvation is assured. 

Furthermore, Religious should, in all their prayers 
and good works, unite themselves intimately with our 
holy Mother the Church, in her three intentions: 

1. To glorify God; to venerate the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, the angels and the saints; the Church trium- 
phant. 

2. To provide for the spiritual and temporal necessi- 
ties of the children of the Church militant. 

3. To procure the deliverance of the holy souls in pur- 
gatory, that is, to aid the Church suffering. 

The Morning Offering of the Apostleship of Prayer is 
very efficacious. 

" O my God, I offer Thee my prayers, works, and suffer- 
ings this day in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for 
the intentions for which He pleads and offers Himself in 
holy Mass, in thanksgiving for Thy favors, in reparation 
for our offences, and for the petitions of all our Associ- 
ates." 



46 For What and for Whom We Should Pray. 

Religious should say the beads, hear Mass, and offer 
holy communion frequently for our holy Mother the 
Church, for our holy Father the Pope, for bishops, 
priests, and superiors, for the needs of our country, 
for universal peace, for the conversion of sinners, and 
all those who do not belong to the one fold of Christ ; 
and last, but not least, for the holy, suffering souls in 
purgatory. 

Father Girardev, dwelling on the subject of prayer, 

writes: 

u In praying for temporal favors for ourselves, we can 
claim unconditionally only the necessaries of life, for in 
the Our Father 'our daily bread' is equivalent to the 
necessaries of life, but does not include its superfluities 
or luxuries ; and the words ' deliver us from evil ' do not 
necessarily include, as we have seen, deliverance from 
physical evils, for the evil here meant is sin and all that 
leads to sin. We have no reason to hope that God will 
hear our prayers for those temporal favors that may prove 
hurtful to our salvation, or that He will exempt us from 
certain corporal pains and trials, if such an exemption 
would lead us to sin or endanger our salvation. The 
granting of such prayers would be, not a favor, but a 
terrible punishment. We should, then, ask for temporal 
favors conditionally — that is, under the condition that 
they may promote our salvation, or at least not hinder it. 
We ought never to lose sight of this saying of our loving 
Redeemer: 'What doth it profit a man, if he gain the 
whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul ? ! (Matt, 
xvi. 26.) 

"Let us not be so solicitous for temporal favors, which, 
after all, may, as we have seen, prove hurtful to our soul, 
but let us rather pray for what is conducive to our eternal 
welfare. When we pray for temporals, and God, in His 
mercy, refuses them to us, it is because they would prove 
hurtful to us. 'But,' says St. Gregory of Nazianzen, 'he 
who asks God for a real favor (that is, for a favor that is 



For What and for Whom We Should Pray. 47 

necessary or useful for his salvation), obtains it, for God 
is bountiful and generous, and readily bestows His gifts.' 
' When you pray/ says St. Ambrose, 'ask for great things; 
ask not for what is transitory, but for what is eternal.' 
'We should pray,' says St. Augustine, ' in the name and 
through the merits of Jesus Christ. When, however, 
we pray for what is injurious to our soul, we do not pray 
in the name of Our Redeemer. In praying for temporals 
we should be moderate and timid, asking God to give 
them to us provided they are really beneficial, and to 
withhold them if they should prove hurtful. Many, 
when they pray, invoke God, but not as God, for the 
object of their prayer is opposed to His glory and favor- 
able to their passions. They seem to consider God as a 
mere servant of themselves and of their passions, such as 
pride, covetousness, and lust. Let us pray, not for tem- 
porals, but for heavenly glory and the means of attaining 
it. The most precious and excellent of temporal things 
are but insignificant trifles in comparison to what is 
eternal.' 

"Rohrbacher relates in his 1 Church History' that, 
among the pilgrims who flocked to the tomb of St. 
Thomas of Canterbury to seek favors through the saint's 
intercession, there was a blind man who prayed so fer- 
vently for the recovery of his lost sight that he was per- 
fectly cured. After returning home, however, he began 
to reflect that the restoration of his sight might, perhaps, 
prove an obstacle to his salvation. He accordingly re- 
turned to the tomb of the saint, and, after fervently 
praying that were his sight ever to be injurious to his 
soul he should again lose it, he became totally blind once 
more. He acted most wisely, for it was much better for 
him to be blind than run the risk of losing his soul. Un- 
guarded looks are often the cause of grievous sin, as is 
shown by the example of David and of many others. 

"When our prayers for temporal favors, either for 
ourselves or in behalf of others, are not granted, we should 



48 For What and for Whom We Should Pray. 

consider God's refusal a real benefit rather than a mis- 
fortune. In beseeching God for temporals we should be 
indifferent as to the result of our prayers, being equally- 
ready to accept a refusal or a favorable hearing from 
Him. If such should be our dispositions, God, when 
refusing our request, will not fail to compensate us by 
bestowing on us more excellent favors which we do not 
think of asking. 'In vain does a child cry for a sword 
or a live coal,' remarks St. John Chrysostom; ' his parents 
justly refuse him what may prove very hurtful to him. 
In like manner, God justly and kindly refuses us what is 
injurious to us; but, in His goodness, He will give us 
something better instead.' Let us in all our prayers aim 
principally at the salvation of our soul, and we shall ob- 
tain also temporal favors from God, according to this 
saving of our loving Redeemer: 'Seek ye therefore first 
the kingdom of God, and His justice: and all these 
things shall be added unto you' (Matt. vi. 33). 

"For whom should we pray? We should, first of all, 
pray for ourselves, because our salvation is our first and 
most important duty. Although, by the law of charity, 
we are bound to pray for all men, there are, nevertheless, 
some for whom we have a special obligation or special 
reasons to pray. Children should daily pray for their 
parents, parents for their children, members of the same 
family and household or community for one another, 
inferiors for their superiors, both ecclesiastical and civil, 
and superiors for their inferiors. It is also incumbent 
on us to pray for our benefactors, both spiritual and 
temporal, for our relatives, for those who ask our prayers 
and who pray for us, for our friends, and for our enemies 
also, whosoever they may be or whatever evil they may 
have done or may wish us. We ought, likewise, to pray 
for the perseverance of the just and for the conversion of 
sinners, of heretics, schismatics, Jews, and unbelievers. 
It is a most praiseworthy custom to pray for the sick, 
for those who are in their agony, for all who are in danger 



A Talk about Prayer, 



49 



of death, or in danger of losing their innocence, and for 
all who are in distress, pain, trouble, or sorrow. 

"It behooves us daily to remember in our prayers the 
souls in purgatory, particularly the souls toward whom 
we have some special obligation, e.g., the souls of our 
parents, of our benefactors, of those who are suffering 
on our account. We should endeavor to gain many 
indulgences for their benefit. If, during our life, we 
pray for them, God will, after our death, inspire com- 
passionate souls to pray for us when we are in purga- 
tory, for, says our divine Saviour, 'with what measure 
you mete, it shall be measured to you again' (Matt. vii. 

2)." 

H TTalfe about prater** 

IN the first place, we will speak of the ways of making 
vocal prayer. Besides the ordinary way we have of 
reciting our vocal prayers, i.e., a simple repetition oj the 
words, with a general attention to God and to the inten- 
tion for which we are reciting them — there are two other 
ways, highly recommended by the saints. 

One is to recite the words of the prayer, say, of the 
Our Father, very slowly and thoughtfully, attending to 
the sense of the words, and pausing an instant after each 
sentence or clause, in order to make the meaning of the 
prayer our own. It is well to get into the habit, in fact, 
w T hen we are alone and have enough leisure, of saying 
our prayers slowly and thoughtfully, and with great 
exterior and interior reverence, even though at times we 
may find no devotion in considering the meaning of 
every sentence, but only have in our souls a sense of the 
presence of God. In that case it will be better simply 
to recite the prayer slowly, and with quiet recollection 
of the divine presence. 

* From Spencer's ''The Little Grain of Wheat." 



A Talk about Prayer. 



The other way of reciting vocal prayers, particularly 
the Our Father and the Hail Mary, is, in fact, a method 
of turning vocal into mental prayer. It consists in not 
merely reciting the prayer slowly, but resting at each 
sentence or petition, and meditating upon what is there 
said, or asked of God. It is the method St. Teresa 
taught her nuns, and is a most profitable as well as an 
easy way of meditating. Some people find it verv diffi- 
cult to make use of mental prayer by the ordinary 
methods. They will not, perhaps, find this method so 
difficult. We will give a rapid sketch of the manner of 
meditating on the Our Father, and of some of the sub- 
jects of meditation to be found in it. Those who are not- 
able to meditate by reasoning upon points, may find in 
this method great help and encouragement. 

Upon the very first words of this divine prayer of Our 
Lord the soul may rest and find nourishment. It is not 
necessary, having begun the first words of the prayer, to 
go on and finish it; but if, during the whole time of 
prayer, the soul rests upon these or any other words, 
there let her stay as long as she is inclined. Afterwards, 
if there is any more time, let her go on to the next sen- 
tence or petition. 

On the words, "Our Father," the soul may consider 
what a great thing it is to be the son or daughter of such 
a great Lord and Sovereign, and what it is to have such 
a Father, Who is almighty, all-loving, all-good, able and 
desirous to help and benefit His child to the uttermost. 
Again, having such a Father in God, His only-begotten 
Son is become our brother, in Whom we are all brethren, 
coheirs with Him, and brethren and fellow-citizens with 
the saints and angels in heaven. And having such a 
Father and such brethren, we should have very great 
confidence that, if we are faithful children, all things will 
cooperate together for our good, and heaven will be ours 
hereafter; and any other such like thoughts that may 
present themselves to our minds. Then we can raise 



A Talk about Prayer. 



our souls to God in acts of love, thanksgiving, filial fear, 
confidence, and joy, and spend thus as long a time as we 
desire before going on. And all this and much more on 
the first simple words, "Our Father." 

Next come the words "Who art in heaven." Our 
Father is in heaven — therefore heaven is our country; 
and the devout soul may make acts of desire and long- 
ing for her heavenly home. Again, wherever God is, by 
His grace and love, there is heaven. His presence makes 
heaven. Now we know by divine faith that God is every- 
where, and intimately present in all things and in all 
places; therefore, He is present in our own souls; and 
in a special manner, as He is more particularly present 
to spiritual substances than to other things. He is 
present there really and actually, at every moment, by 
His essence and His power, and, let us humbly and con- 
fidently trust, also by His grace and love. Therefore, 
heaven is in our souls. Every time we say : ' ' Our Father, 
Who art in heaven," we can look at God continually 
abiding in the very centre and essence of our souls, so 
that He is not far off from us, nor must we go to the 
heavens above to find Him, as St. Teresa says, but He 
is very near to us, as near as our own souls to our own 
bodies. And this all the time, at any and every moment; 
and with the Father we have the Son and the Holy Ghost. 
So there are the Three Persons of the Trinity, enacting 
their wonderful relations one with another, working 
Their mighty works, upholding the entire universe, all 
within our own soul — wondrous thought'. And since 
Jesus Christ our Lord is God the Son, then Jesus our 
Lord is present in our souls, making heaven there ; and, 
by a sort of spiritual concomitance, we can represent to 
ourselves His sacred humanity as present also, and His 
blessed Mother, too, who is not separated from Him, and 
the saints and angels who constitute His court ; these also 
we can represent to ourselves as present, though in a 
spiritual sense and not with the same actuality that the 



5 2 



A Talk about Prayer. 



Divinity is present. Since God then, and heaven, are 
present in our souls, at all times and in all places, we 
surely should have but little trouble in finding Him or in 
speaking with Him in our thoughts, or in making Him 
hear us; and this makes it very easy for us in time of 
prayer to form acts of love, etc., and to converse with 
Him. And not only in time of prayer, but at all times, 
all we have to do is to look within, and God is really 
and actually present. This should help us greatly to be 
recollected everywhere, and we should endeavor, little 
by little, to learn to keep up a continual conversation in 
our souls with God, Who is so much nearer to us than 
our dearest friend can ever be. In this way we would 
always be on our guard against offending one who in- 
habits our very soul, and we would be habitually filled 
with a holy filial fear and love. The heaven that is 
within our souls by this divine presence will begin to 
project itself upon our surroundings, and we will be 
almost living in heaven, the world about us and our 
lives becoming tinged with its light. Behold all there 
is in the Our Father in this manner of prayer, before we 
come to the first petition. And many other holy thoughts 
with accompanying requests and acts of the will and 
aspirations will present themselves to your minds, as 
God the Holy Ghost within you may direct. 

" Hallowed be Thy name." In this first petition we 
address God as our Father and Lord ; and as His children 
.we pray, and ought greatly to desire, that our lives may 
be sanctified, in order that we may live up to our holy 
vocation as children of such a Father. Let us, then, 
while meditating on this petition, greatly desire to be- 
come holy, to become saints, as children of God ought 
to be. Then we should make acts of self-contempt and 
indignation against ourselves, because we are so unwor- 
thy of such a high dignity, and are so full of sin and 
ingratitude to so good a Father ; and make acts of con- 
trition for our sins, by which we have offended Him, and 



A Talk about Prayer. 



53 



do continually offend Him. We should not be content 
with this, but should grieve over all the sins, crimes, 
sacrileges, and other evils that are continually being 
committed by sinners, since by them God's name is not 
hallowed, but dishonored and outraged. We should 
offer up the most precious blood in satisfaction for all 
these evils, together with the merits of the most blessed 
Mother of God and of all the saints. Then we should 
beg that God, for the honor of His holy name and for the 
salvation of souls, would raise up great saints on the earth, 
who are so much needed in these times of spiritual dark- 
ness, these last days of the world, as very likely they are. 

St. Teresa says, that the petition "Thy kingdom come" 
follows very naturally from the preceding one, since a 
father's kingdom belongs to his children. "Say, then," 
she continues, "to your heavenly Father: 1 Since the 
world, the devil, and the flesh reign upon earth, do Thou 
reign over us as our King, and destroy in our souls these 
kingdoms of avarice, pride, and sensuality.'" In this 
petition we address Him as our King, and beg Him to 
reign over us, and set up His kingdom in our souls. How 
many aspirations may we not make to that effect, and 
how much time may we not spend upon this petition! 
But this is not all; for we beg and pray Him in this peti- 
tion to establish His kingdom in other souls also, that 
all men may love Him. And we also pray that the king- 
doms of the world may recognize the principles of religion 
and truth and justice, and the nations become truly 
Christian. Also that God's kingdom, which is the 
Catholic Church, may be triumphant in the world, the 
Vicar of Christ delivered from his enemies, and all people 
recognize the Catholic religion as the one true faith. 
Thus we may make this petition a prayer of intercession 
for the whole world. Again we pray in this place that 
God would give us His kingdom, that is, the kingdom of 
heaven — thus praying for our everlasting salvation, and 
that of our neighbor. And finally we pray for His second 



54 



A Talk about Prayer. 



coming, when "The kingdoms of the world shall become 
the kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ, and He shall 
reign forever and ever; " when all wrongs shall be righted, 
and all justice done, and the proud shall be cast down, 
and the meek shall inherit the kingdom, and Satan and 
his ministers shall be chained in everlasting darkness; 
"when God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes; 
and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crving, 
nor any more sorrow, for the former things are passed 
away." (Apoc. xxi. 4.) Behold all the matter of praver 
contained in this one petition. Well might we spend 
upon it the whole time of our prayer. 

Next follows the petition, "Thy will be done on earth, 
as it is in heaven." And here we speak to Our Lord as 
to a spouse : for while respect and veneration are owed 
to the name of Father, and between a king and his sub- 
jects there is the interchange of commands and obedi- 
ence, so, between two who are so closely united as two 
spouses, there is an interchange of wills, each being 
desirous to do the will of the other. For all that one 
has is the other's, and their affairs are in common. So 
Our Lord makes all He has ours — and all He desires is 
that we should make all that is ours His; and when there 
are common interests, there should be one will. He 
desires us to give Him our will ; and when we have done 
so, and sincerely desire and do His will, He, in return, 
does our will, and all that we ask of Him He grants us; 
so that, as St. Teresa says, Our Lord is pleased that thus 
He and the faithful soul should command by turns, as it 
were — the soul doing His will, and He doing hers. In 
His kingdom in heaven His will is perfectly done; so it 
is no more than right, if we desire His kingdom to be on 
earth (as we have asked in the former petition), that His 
will should be done in this kingdom as in the other. 
Here, then, you can earnestly pray for this perfect con- 
formity of your will with His will; in this conformity 
consists all perfection. 



A Talk about Prayer. 



55 



In the next petition we ask Him to " Give us this day 
our daily bread." Those who have given themselves up 
to God in an interior life, and have cast themselves upon 
His providence, have no need to importune their divine 
Master to give them their earthly bread for their bodily 
support, for as they have forsaken the love of the world 
for Him, He will provide for them, as He is in a manner 
bound to do. So, in this petition, we beg for our spir- 
itual necessities. 

Pray here for all the graces you need, for strength to 
support you in temptation, for light to know the will of 
Our Lord, since we can not do His will, as we have asked 
that it might be done, without the assistance and light 
of the Holy Ghost. Also, when you are overburdened 
with grief, or temptations, or other trials, it is right you 
should pray for relief, as far as relief is needful for you; 
and in times of long-continued dryness, it is not wrong 
for you humbly to ask a little of the bread of consolation, 
if it be Our Lord's will. But this petition may, in a 
special manner, be applied to the Blessed Sacrament, in 
which Our Lord Himself becomes our daily or super- 
substantial bread; and we can turn this clause into a 
contemplation upon the real presence, and holy com- 
munion. 

As to the rest of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer, 
what has already been said of the first four is sufficient 
to show how the devout soul may occupy her time with 
each of the others. It is enough to say that in the peti- 
tion, " Forgive us our trespasses," special consideration 
should be given to the second clause — "As we forgive 
those who trespass against us." For here we can make 
acts of patience under annoyances, of ready forgiveness 
of all injuries, offer ourselves to be ill-treated, humiliated, 
and insulted, and pray for the spirit of meekness. Here, 
also, in this connection, we can bring in the sacred Pas- 
sion of Our Lord, and consider the meekness and patient 
love with which He endured so many outrages; and so, 



56 



A Talk about Prayer, 



thinking upon this petition can set us to meditating on 
the Passion of Christ. The next petition, "Lead us not 
into temptation/' refers especially to the temptations, 
wiles, and machinations of the devil; and the last peti- 
tion refers, not only to temporal and spiritual evils, from 
which we ask to be delivered, but also to this life of exile, 
from which the devout soul may beg to be set free, if it 
be God's will, in order to enter upon the possession of 
her heavenly kingdom, which is the kingdom of her 
Spouse. 

This method of prayer may be applied to the Hail 
Mary, and, indeed, to any other prayer, though no prayer 
will be found to contain so much as this divine prayer of 
Our Lord. The Lord's Prayer, used in this manner, 
may also be applied to any subject that you may take 
up for meditation ; as, if the meditation is on any particu- 
lar virtue, this prayer may be made to refer to that virtue ; 
if on the nativity, our Father, King, and Spouse may be 
represented as present in our souls as an infant, while we 
use the different petitions, as above pointed out. If the 
subject be the Passion, then we may represent Our Lord 
present to our souls as suffering and abandoned by all, 
and so on. 

A few words about the ordinary method of medita- 
tion. Though it is best for those who are accustomed 
to meditate according to the usual formal method to 
stick to the subject they have chosen, yet great latitude 
should be allowed one's self as to the way of developing 
the points, and full liberty also to stop upon any point, 
or to dwell upon any affection that may arise, as long as 
the soul is drawn to do so, or finds any satisfaction in it, 
so that, if, during the whole time of meditation you do 
not advance beyond the first point, the object of the medi- 
tation will be gained; for the consideration of the sub- 
ject and the reasoning over the points are designed to 
rouse affections and movements of the will towards God, 
and when that happens, it would be a mistake to smother 



A Talk about Prayer, 



57 



these ascensions of the heart and will toward God, in 
order to go on and begin to reason upon another point. 
Indeed, if the soul is thus roused at the commencement, 
when the picture of the mystery is proposed to the imag- 
ination, she should stop there, until her affections begin 
to flag, when she can go on further. You need have no 
fear of being unfaithful by following this rule. 

Another thing. Sometimes it so happens that both 
the imagination and reason seem to be paralyzed, so 
that after faithfully trying to begin and go on with the 
meditation for a little while, the soul finds itself so stupid 
and dull, as to be able to imagine or reason upon noth- 
ing. Let her not be discouraged. Let her make simple 
acts of the will, however hard and dry they may seem to 
be. Let her spend the time saying to God such things 
as, "O my God, I love you. O my God, I offer my 
mind and body to you; take me. O my God, I give my 
will up to your will — I submit to this dryness and dulness " 
— and other such simple, dry acts. There may be no 
sensible fervor in them, they may seem to the soul per- 
fectly stupid: yet such acts of the will, done, at the same 
time, with great calmness and interior stillness, without 
hurry or anxiety, will be of the greatest value to the soul 
in the eyes of God. You will make more progress dur- 
ing that hour, than in many others when the reason was 
bright and the affections came gushing forth like a foun- 
tain. But perhaps the heart may be so dull that even 
these simple acts can not be made without turmoil and 
disturbance of mind. In that case, remain quietly before 
God in perfect calmness, submitting yourself to His will 
in this. Occupy yourself simply in keeping peace. 

Another thing is, to make all your spiritual exercises, 
daily or otherwise, whatever manner of prayer you may 
be using, with the greatest peace, calmness, and still- 
ness of heart. There is nothing worse in prayer than 
anxiety, fear, fretfulness, hurry, over-eagerness to do it 
right, or any overstraining of the soul. All should be 



5 3 



Vocal P 7' aver. 



done with the greatest calmness, stillness, peace, and 
tranquillity possible. The loss of that interior calmness 
disturbs recollection, distracts the attention, and hinders 
the workings of the Holy Spirit. So that, if your tran- 
quillity is disturbed, you must endeavor by all means to 
restore it before you go further, even though the whole 
time of your prayer be occupied in doing this. 

Another way of practising interior prayer is to take 
some devout book, read a little in it, and then reflect upon 
what has been read, and make acts of the will and affec- 
tions upon it. When the mind grows a little weary, 
take the book up again, and read a little more, and so on. 
The same can be done with any vocal prayer, as explained 
above. In this way we turn vocal prayer into mental. 

When the time for ending the meditation is come, it 
should not be prolonged because the soul is dissatisfied 
with its success. That would bring on weariness and 
scruples. When something happens that the prayer 
must be curtailed or even omitted, let it be done with 
liberty and without scruple; only not out of a spirit of 
sloth or disgust. For the rest of your time, endeavor to 
keep quietly and gently recollected in God. 



OCAL prayer is prayer recited with the lips, and 



* usually according to some certain formula. Al- 
though in itself vocal prayer is not so excellent as mental 
prayer, we should, nevertheless, beware of underrating 
its usefulness or necessity. All true Christians fre- 
quently recite vocal prayers, such as the Our Father, 
the Hail Mary, the Apostles' Creed, the acts of faith, 
hope, charity, and contrition. The Church prescribes 
vocal prayer very strictly to her priests and her Religious, 



* From Father Girardey's " Instructions on Prayer.' ' 



Docal prater.* 




Vocal Prayer, 



59 



in the Mass, in the liturgy, and in the divine office. She 
has enriched many vocal prayers with numerous indul- 
gences, and has approved of many prayer-books filled 
with prayers suited to every want and devotion. Vocal 
prayer, then, is both useful and necessary for all men 
without exception — even for those who are soaring in 
the heights of contemplation. In reciting vocal prayers, 
we should strive to attend to the meaning of the words, 
appropriating it to ourselves with all possible fervor and 
earnestness. A few short vocal prayers w T ell said are far 
more acceptable to God than a great many long ones 
recited without attention or fervor. 

One of the best forms of vocal prayer is the frequent 
recitation during the day of some favorite aspiration or 
ejaculatory prayer, especially if we do so in time of trial 
and temptaticn. This commendable practice gradually 
imparts a habit of recollection, and renders all other 
prayers comparatively easy and free from distraction. 
We should, as far as practicable, prefer reciting those 
vocal prayers which the Church has enriched with indul- 
gences, for we thereby gain a twofold advantage — the 
benefit of the beautiful and devout prayers themselves, 
and the indulgences, which help us to acquit ourselves 
of the great temporal debt which we have contracted 
towards the divine justice on account of our numerous 
sins. Or we may also apply said indulgences, when so 
applicable, to the souls in purgatory, who will be relieved 
thereby and will not fail to intercede for us in our wants. 

It would be well to join, to a certain extent, mental 
prayer with our vocal prayers, for the merit of the latter 
would be thereby greatly increased. We may do so in 
this wise. During the recitation of our vocal prayers 
we pause at short intervals to reflect either on their mean- 
ing or on some supernatural truth; or, without at all 
pausing, we reflect thereon while actually pronouncing 
the prayers with our lips. The rosary is the most com- 
mon and readily understood example of this manner of 



6o 



Menial Prayer. 



praying. While we are reciting the Our Father and the 
Hail Marys of each decade of the rosary, we meditate 
or reflect on some mystery connected with the life of 
Jesus Christ or of His blessed Mother. 

It is also useful, in using the prayers of our prayer- 
book, to read them slowly and deliberately, making in 
the meantime practical reflections on their contents, or 
pausing from time to time to meditate a little and apply 
the words of the prayers to our own wants. If we accus- 
tom ourselves to recite our vocal prayers in this way, we 
shall not only make them our own and pray well, but 
we shall also gradually acquire the habit of making 
mental prayer, which tends to unite us more closely to 
God, and, through the practical imitation of our divine 
Saviour's virtues, to render us conformable to Him. 



/IDental praper, 

RAYER is called by St. Gregory Nazianzen a 
conference, or conversation with God. St. John 
Chrysostom speaks of prayer as a discourse with the 
divine majesty. According to St. Augustine it is the 
raising up of the soul to God. St. Francis de Sales de- 
scribes it as a conversation of the soul with God, by which 
we aspire to Him and breathe in Him, and He, in return, 
inspires us and breathes on us. 

Father Bertrand Wilberforce, in his tract on "Mental 
Prayer, " writes: 

All prayer is the speaking of the soul to God. This 
may be done in three ways. For the prayer may be either 
in thought only, unexpressed in any external way, or on 
the other hand the secret thoughts and feelings of the soul 
may be clothed in words; and these words, again, may 
either be confined to a set form, or they may be words 
of our own, unfettered by any form, and express ng the 
emotions of our soul at the moment. In the first case 




Mental Prayer. 



61 



our prayer will be purely mental; in the second, in which 
we employ a set form of words, it will be vocal prayer ; in 
the third case, where the prayer is chiefly in thought, 
but these thoughts are allowed to break forth into words 
in any way that at the moment seem best to express the 
feelings of the soul, it is a mixture of mental and vocal 
prayer, but as the words are spontaneous and not in any 
prescribed form, it may justly be considered as mental 
prayer. 

In an audience with the Pope, we might read a written 
address to his Holiness, or we might trust to the words 
that might occur at the moment, to express what we de- 
sired to convey to his mind. But if God were to enable 
the Pope to read the thoughts ot our mind, we might 
then simply stand silent in his presence, and he would 
see all that we wanted to express. The formal address 
would be vocal prayer, the silent standing before his 
throne would be purely mental prayer, the conversa- 
tion with unprepared words would be a mixture of the 
two, and might be called mental prayer in a more gen- 
eral and extended sense. God knows our secret thoughts 
more clearly than we can express them, more certainly 
than we ourselves can know them, and words therefore 
are not necessary in our intercourse with Him, though 
often a considerable help to us. 

A set form of words spoken, or read, can not be called 
prayer at all, unless the mind intends it as prayer, and 
gives some kind of spiritual attention, either to the actual 
sense of the words themselves, or to God Himself while 
they are being uttered. Shakespeare spoke as a theo- 
logian when, in Hamlet, he put into the mouth of the king, 
who asked for pardon without repentance: 

My words go up, my thoughts remain below, 
Words without thoughts never to heaven go. 

God condemned the merely material homage of the 
Jews by declaring, "This people honoreth Me with their 



62 



jMental P?'ajer. 



lips, but their heart is far from Me." All prayer, there- 
fore, of whatever kind, must be "in spirit and in truth" 
(John iv. 23), but vocal prayer is confined to a prescribed 
form of words, whereas mental prayer is the spontaneous 
utterance of the soul either w T ith or without words. When 
St. Francis said an Our Father, or recited his office, he 
used vocal prayer; when he knelt before God without a 
word his prayer was purely mental; when he spent the 
whole night in saying "My God and my all," his mental 
prayer was mingled with words which expressed the burn- 
ing love of his seraphic soul. 

St. Alphonsus says, "He who neglects meditation (a 
part of mental prayer), and is distracted by the affairs of 
the world, will not know his spiritual wants, the dangers 
to which his salvation is exposed, the means he ought to 
take to conquer temptations, and will forget the necessity 
of the prayer of petition for all men; thus he will not ask 
for what is necessary, and by not asking God's grace, he 
will certainly lose his soul." 

In the same way St. Teresa asks: "How can charity 
last, unless God gives perseverance ? How will the Lord 
gives us perseverance if we neglect to ask Him for it? 
And how shall we ask it without mental prayer ? With- 
out mental prayer there is not the communication with 
God, which is necessary for the preservation of virtue." 
The holy Doctors agree that those who persevere in 
mental prayer will live in God's grace. The following 
words are the deliberate sentence of the holy Doctor St. 
Alphonsus, the conclusion gathered from his vast learn- 
ing and experience: "Many say the Rosary, the Office 
of Our Lady, and perform other acts of devotion, but 
they still continue in sin. But it is impossible for him 
who perseveres in mental prayer to continue in sin; he will 
either give up mental prayer, or renounce sin. Mental 
prayer and sin can not exist together. And this we see 
by experience; they who make mental prayer, rarely fall 
into mortal sin; and should they have the misery of fall- 



Is Mental Prayer Easy? 63 



ing into sin, by persevering in mental prayer, they see 
their misery, and return to God. Let a soul, says St. 
Teresa, be ever so negligent, if she perseveres in mental 
prayer, the Lord will bring her back to the haven of sal- 
vation." 

If this were merely the opinion of St. Alphonsus him- 
self it would be of immense weight, considering his re- 
splendent sanctity, his vast spiritual learning, and the 
varied experience of his long and active life, but besides 
this the holy Doctor is here only summing up, in one sen- 
tence, the teaching and experience of all the doctors, 
saints, writers, preachers, and confessors of the whole 
Church since the beginning. What stronger argument 
could be used to prove the importance and necessity of 
mental prayer? 

ITs /iDental prater i£as£? 

NY one who has a real desire to be saved, and who 
believes that the opinion of St. Alphonsus, and 
all other spiritual teachers, that mortal sin and mental 
prayer can not live together, but are mutually destruc- 
tive, is really true, must feel a desire to adopt so certain 
a means of salvation. But many are faint-hearted, and 
dread the little difficulty they feel in beginning a new 
exercise, and many more lack the courage and self-denial 
necessary to continue in it after the novelty has worn 
away, and the yoke of perseverance begins to gall. Blessed 
are they who courageously persevere, for their salvation 
is secure! 

Those who find it difficult to begin, or are tempted to 
abandon this powerful means of salvation, must pluck 
up heart, and encourage themselves by remembering 
that mental prayer requires no learning, no special power 
of mind, no extraordinary grace, but only a resolute will 
and a desire to please God. In fact the hard matter is 




64 



Is Mental Prayer Easy P 



to convince people how easy and simple a matter mental 
prayer really is, and how the difficulty is far more imag- 
inary than real. This difficulty often rises from not hav- 
ing grasped the true idea of what is meant by mental 
prayer, and the false idea of the exercise once formed, is 
often never corrected, the consequence being that the 
practice is either abandoned in disgust, or persevered in 
with extreme repugnance, and little fruit. 

One common cause of misunderstanding, perhaps the 
most common of all, is the custom of calling the whole 
exercise by the name of one subordinate and not most 
important part, that is meditation. From this, the idea 
arises that it is a prolonged spiritual study, drawn out at 
length with many divisions and much complicated process, 
and this notion frightens many good souls, and makes 
them fall back on vocal prayer alone. They imagine 
that the soul must preach a discourse to itself, and they 
feel no talent for preaching. [Many, if they spoke their 
minds clearly, would say, "I can not meditate, but if I 
might be allowed to pray during that time instead, I 
could do very Weill" This is no imaginary case, as any 
one who has had any experience will testify, and this 
miserable misunderstanding that so often holds souls 
back for years, is partly brought about by defective teach- 
ing, but partly also by the name meditation being used, 
instead of the more comprehensive one of mental prayer. 

Mental prayer properly understood, will be found to 
be easy and within the power of all who desire salvation. 
Of course there are many degrees of prayer, and to pray 
perfectly is no doubt a matter of great difficulty, but to 
pray well and in a way very pleasing to God, and very 
profitable to the soul, is an easy and simple matter. If 
we remember how many thousands have excelled in 
mental prayer though not even able to read, we shall see 
that this holy exercise can not require any special power 
of mind or any degree of culture. St. Isidore, a farm 
laborer, is an example of a man utterly devoid of human 



Is Mental Prayer Easy P 



65 



learning, but rising, by God's grace, to the sublimest 
prayer. 

In order to pray with fruit and without distraction, it 
is very useful and in most cases necessary, to spend some 
time in meditation or pious thought on some definite 
subject, and from this fact, as before stated, the whole 
exercise is often called meditation, instead of mental 
prayer. This often misleads people into imagining that 
meditation, that is, the use of the intellect in thinking on 
a holy subject, is the main end to be aimed at, whereas in 
fact it is only a means to the end, which is prayer or con- 
versation with God. Meditation furnishes us with the 
matter for conversation, but it is not itself prayer at all. 
When thinking and reflecting the soul speaks to itself, 
reasons with itself; in prayer it speaks to God. 

Meditation in its wide sense is any kind of attentive 
and repeated thought upon any subject and with any 
intention, but in the more restricted sense in which it is 
understood as a part of mental prayer, it is, as St. Francis 
de Sales puts it, "an attentive thought, voluntarily re- 
peated or entertained in the mind, to excite the will to 
holy and salutary reflections and resolutions." It differs 
from mere study in its object: we study to improve our 
minds and to store up information, we meditate to move 
the will to pray and to embrace good. We study that we 
may know, we meditate that we may pray. 

We must then use the mind in thus thinking or ponder- 
ing on a sacred subject for a few minutes, and in order to 
help the mind in this exercise, we must have some defi- 
nite subject of thought upon which it is well to read either 
a text of Holy Scripture or a few lines out of some other 
holy book. St. Teresa tells us that she thus helped her- 
self with a book for seventeen years. By this short read- 
ing, the mind is rendered attentive and is set on a train 
of thought. Further to help the mind you can ask your- 
self some such questions as the following: What does 
this mean ? W T hat lesson does it teach me ? What have 



66 



Is Mental Prayer Easy ? 



I done about this in the past ? What shall I now do, and 

how ? 

Two remarks are here most important. The first is, 
that care must be taken not to read too much, but to stop 
when any thought strikes the mind. If the reading is 
prolonged, if, for example, in a short prayer of half an 
hour you were to read for ten minutes, the exercise would 
be changed into spiritual reading. The second remark 
is, that you must not be distressed if you find the mind 
torpid, and if only one or two very simple thoughts pre- 
sent themselves. It is by no means necessary to have 
many thoughts, or to indulge in deep and well arranged 
reflections. The object of mental prayer is not to preach 
a well prepared and eloquent sermon to yourself: the 
object is to pray. If one simple thought makes you pray, 
why distress yourself because you have not other and 
more elaborate thoughts? If you w r anted to reach the 
top of a roof you would not trouble yourself because your 
ladder was a short one, provided it was long enough to 
land you safely on the roof. The end is gained. If one 
simple reflection enables you to pray, you would, in 
reality, be merely distracting yourself from prayer in 
order to occupy yourself with your own thoughts, if you 
w r ere to go on developing a lengthy train of thought. 
This would be to mistake the means for the end, and 
it is a very common mistake and the cause of great 
discouragement. This mistake will be evident if you 
remember that while you are following out a line of 
thought, for instance, w T hen you are answering the ques- 
tions suggested above, you are conversing with your- 
self. 

It is plain therefore that as your object is to converse 
with God, you should not remain too long in talking to 
yourself, and that, therefore, if you feel a difficulty in 
doing this, you need not be distressed. "The progress 
of a soul," says the enlightened St. Teresa, "does not 
consist in thinking much of God, but in loving Him 



Is Mental Prayer Easy ? 



67 



ardently; and this love is gained by resolving to do a 
great deal for Him." 

I have said that misunderstanding this point is the 
most fruitful source of discouragement, and one of the 
commonest, reasons for abandoning mental prayer in 
disgust, and the reason is, because very few people are 
accustomed to prolonged or deep thought on any subject. 
Few indeed are capable of it. If, therefore, they imagine 
that prolonged, if not deep thought, is necessary for 
mental prayer, they are in constant trouble and discour- 
agement, which ends in their abandoning the whole exer- 
cise in despair. "If I might only be allowed to pray," 
they will sigh to themselves, "how much easier it would 
be!" 

Let such persons then clearly understand, that many 
thoughts are not necessary, that their reflections need 
not be deep and ought not, especially in a prayer of half 
an hour, to be long, lest prayer should be neglected and 
the exercise be changed into a study. "Meditation," 
says St. Alphonsus, "is the needle, which only passes 
through that it may draw after it the golden thread, which 
is composed of affections, petitions, and resolutions." 
The needle is only used in order to draw the thread after 
it. If then you were to meditate for an hoar, and think 
out a subject in all its details, but without constant acts 
and petitions, you would be working hard with an un- 
threaded needle. 

Men's minds differ as much as their features, and some 
men, especially those employed in very distracting duties, 
need more thought before they can pray than others, but 
many, especially women, will find that the effort, after 
prolonged reflections, will generally defeat itself and end 
in distraction. 

As soon, therefore, as you feel an impulse to pray, give 
way to it at once in the best way you can by acts and 
petitions, in other words, begin your conversation with 
God on the subject about which you have been think- 



68 



Is Mental Prayer Easy P 



ing. Do not imagine, moreover, that it is necessary to 
wait for a great fire to burn up in your soul, but cherish 
the little spark that you have got. Above all, never give 
way to the mistaken notion that you must restrain your- 
self from prayer in order to go through all the thoughts 
suggested by your book, or because your prayer does 
not appear to have a close connection with the subject 
of your meditation. This would simply be to turn from 
God to your own thoughts or to those of some other man. 

To meditate means in general nothing else than to 
reflect seriously on some subject. Meditation, as men- 
tal prayer, is a serious reflection on some religious truth 
or event, united with reference and application to our- 
selves, in order thereby to excite in us certain pious sen- 
timents — such as contrition, humility, faith, hope, charity, 
etc. — and to move our will to form good resolutions con- 
formable to these pious sentiments. Such an exercise 
has naturally a beneficial influence on our soul and greatly 
conduces to enlighten our mind and to move our will to 
practise virtue. 

" Meditation," writes Madame Cecilia, in her admir- 
able work " At the Feet of Jesus," " consists in occupying 
ourselves mentally and prayerfully with some mystery of 
the faith. We call to mind the chief facts, ponder over 
them, and then stir up our will to regulate our conduct 
in consequence. Hence, meditation is an exercise of 
the faculties of our soul — memory, understanding, and 
will. Some persons are also aided by the imagination; 
to others it is a hindrance. Do you complain that you 
can not meditate? Well, let me ask you: Have you 
ever received an affront that cut you to the quick ? Then, 
perhaps, you did meditate; you thought over it for an 
hour or more. Memory recalled the facts, imagination 
supplied extra details and coloring, the intelligence dis- 
cussed the motives, such as ingratitude, jealousy, pride; 
it considered the baseness and the unexpectedness of the 
insult; finally, the will took a firm resolution to avoid 



Method of Meditation Accof ding to St. Ignatius. 69 

that person. Now, what was all this but a meditation 
in which you employed all the powers of your soul? 
Moreover, it was probably' made without a single dis- 
traction, which is of very rare occurrence when we medi- 
tate on a mystery of our holy faith. 

" Unfortunately , the subject was not weli chosen, but 
at least it may help you to understand that you are ca- 
pable of making a meditation. Suppose that, instead of 
reflecting on a personal affront, you had chosen for sub- 
ject the insults received by Our Lord at the court of 
Herod. You pictured out the scene, recalled the facts, 
pondered them over, weighed the motives, and then 
stirred up yourself to imitate your divine model. This 
would have been an excellent meditation. Now it is 
true that the Holy Ghost is the great Master Who 
teaches us how to pray, but this does not dispense us 
from means which He has placed at our disposal, for 
'God helps those who help themselves/ in this as in 
temporal enterprises. The masters of the spiritual life 
have traced out methods of mental prayer for their dis- 
ciples. The one laid down by St. Ignatius, in his ? Spir- 
itual Exercises/ is perhaps the best known.' ' 

It consists of three parts: (1) preparation, (2) medi- 
tation proper, (3) exercise of the affections. Each of 
these parts is subdivided, and a few words on them 
may be useful to the reader. 



ZlDetboD of flDe&ttatton Hccorfctng to St 
fonatiua, 

I. Preparation. 

EAD over the subject of the meditation carefully. 
r"As This can be done the previous evening. Place 
yourself in the presence of God ; stand (if convenient) 
and reflect on the truth that God sees into your inmost 



70 Method of Meditation According to St. Ignatius. 

soul; kneel and make an act of faith and an act of adora- 
tion with all the intensity of your inmost being. 

As to the remote preparation: Having read the sub- 
ject of the meditation over night, reflect what fruit you 
may gather from it, considering the actual need of your 
soul. When in bed, dwell on no thought which might 
distract you from the subject of the meditation. 

When you awake in the morning, after some appro- 
priate ejaculatory prayers, and after offering to God your 
heart and your actions, banish every other thought; re- 
flect before Whom you are about to appear, and try to 
excite in yourself some affection, analogous to the fruit 
which you desire to gather from the meditation. 

The acts of faith and adoration need not occupy much 
time. They have for object to prepare you by devout 
recollection to commune with God. They form the 
immediate preparation, together with the- preludes. 

ist Prelude. — This is an exercise of the imagination 
which you can omit if you do not find it helpful. Pic- 
ture to yourself some scene connected with the mystery 
which forms the subject of your meditation, i.e., form 
your composition of place. 

2d Prelude. — Ask for a grace in keeping with the 
mystery on which you intend to meditate. Thus, if you 
have chosen the Passion of Our Lord, pray for a deep 
hatred of sin or perfect contrition. 

II. The Meditation Proper. 

Having called to mind yery vividly, by acts of faith 
and adoration, that you are in the presence of God; 
having made your preparatory prayer; having formed 
your composition of place, if desirable, by means of the 
imagination, and having finished your preludes, you pro- 
ceed to the meditation proper, namely, to the second 
part. 

Here we consider the subject carefully and devoutly. 
If vou have for subject some maxim of Our Lord, think 



Method of Meditation According to St. Ignatius. 71 

when, where, and why He uttered it. See what lesson 
you can learn from it, and how T far your conduct is at 
variance with the precept. Take a practical resolution 
to amend. Determine some definite act of virtue in 
question. A vague purpose of amendment is useless. 

In this part of the meditation, avoid spending all the 
time in reflections, since they are a means, not an end. 
Their great object is to stir up your will to do some good 
action, and to serve as solid foundation for your reso- 
lutions. The most important part of meditation is the 
exercise of the affections, and all the preceding steps 
should lead up to this essential point. 

As Father Chaignon, S.J., says in his " Sacerdotal 
Meditations;" " Prayer is a gift of the Spirit of God ; it is 
a science of which this Holy Spirit is the first, or rather 
the only, veritable Master. Let us earnestly pray to Him 
to grant us this gift, which shall be for us the channel of 
the most precious graces. Let us learn of Him this 
science, which is so important a part of the science of the 
saints." 

Domine, doce nos orare. (Luke i. 11.) He teaches it, 
says St. Bernard, in acting upon our memory, our in- 
tellect, and our will. Monet, et docet, et movet; monet 
memoriam, docet rationem, movet voluntatem : sngge- 
rendo, instrnendo, afficiendo. (St. Bernard, Serm. de 
Pent.). One could not have more clearly designated 
the exercises of the three faculties, in which the method of 
St. Ignatius precisely consists. 

A. The Memory : Propose to yourself the whole sub- 
ject of the meditation; place before yourself the whole 
of the truth or mystery under consideration, as if you 
were relating or describing it to another person very 
clearly and briefly. An act of faith will help you. 

B. The Intellect or Understanding : It first considers 
the truth and then makes the application. 

1. Consider what you have to believe, or do, with re- 
spect to the truth which you have proposed to yourself ; 



72 Method of Meditation According to St. Ignatius. 

what lesson for the amendment of your life you will find 
in this truth, or in this mystery. Search for it, and as 
soon as you have arrested it, you will pass on to the con- 
sideration of some motives, which may move your heart 
and engage you to put it in practice. 

2. Examine also very carefully how much you esteem 
a truth so important for your salvation as that which 
engages your attention; whether you are in the habit of 
regulating your conduct by what it inculcates, or whether 
you are negligent with regard to it. Admit your negli- 
gence; acknowledge your faults. What is the cause of 
your errors? What means will you employ to avoid 
them? 

C. The Will : 

1. Pious affections are aroused. These affections 
differ as the subject varies, or in accordance with the 
dispositions of the soul and the motions of the Holy Spirit 
— confusion, shame, and contrition; distrust oj ourselves; 
confidence in God; thanksgiving; offering of ourselves; 
sacrifice oj whatever obstructs or retards perfection; resig- 
nation; abandonment to the will of God. 

2. The will makes strong resolutions, with regard to 
a certain virtue, for instance, humility, or, with regard 
to certain occasions and certain means, tending to greater 
perfection. 

3. You will make some colloquies, especially toward 
the end of the meditation. 

III. Colloquy. 

This is a direct prayer; so make acts of faith, hope, 
charitv, etc., as they are suggested by the subject of your 
meditation. This part of the meditation should occupy 
perhaps one-fifth of the whole time ailoted to the exercise. 

The colloquy may also be called a familiar and re- 
spectful address to God, in which we praise Him, thank 
Him, beg His pardon, ask Him for some grace, some- 



Method of Meditation According to St. Ignatius. 73 

times as His child, sometimes as His servant or spouse. 
In the colloquies we may also address ourselves to Jesus 
Christ, the Blessed Virgin, or the saints. 



Resolutions and Spiritual Bouquet after 
Meditation. 

Finish with the offering of resolutions. You can use 
a set form, or your own words. Then, as a reminder of 
your meditation, choose a " spiritual bouquet,'' that is, 
some thought which bears on the subject and which 
you can recall when tempted to break your resolution. 

Finally, recite some vocal prayer, such as the Our 
Father, Hail Mary, or the Anima Christi. This is a 
brief exposition of the Ignatian method. 

Remember that there are times of spiritual desolation, 
when mental prayer or meditation is very difficult. This 
is not a reason for neglecting or curtailing your medita- 
tion. Try to fix your attention and say some vocal 
prayers to obtain the grace you desire; humble yourself 
before God ; do not be discouraged. God asks for your 
efforts; the success does not depend entirely on you. 

When you find sufficient food for reflection and affec- 
tions in one point, do not be in a hurry to pass on to the 
next. 

Do not adhere slavishly to the thoughts suggested in 
the colloquies ; those that come to you naturally are far 
more helpful. Speak to God with respectful familiarity. 

In choosing your resolution, base it on some well 
grounded motive; endeavor to foresee when and how 
you can put it into practice.* 



* Those who desire further information on this subject can 
consult the " Method of Meditation" by Pere Roothan, S.J., or 
any other similar work. 



74 Outlines of the Sulpician Method of Meditation. 

©utlmes of tbe Sulpician /IDetbofc of 
/IDetutatton, 

Part I. — The Preparation. 

1. Remote Preparation : 

Detachment from sin. 

Mortification of the passions. 

Control of the interior and exterior senses. 

2. Proximate Preparation : 

On the preceding evening and in the morning to 
think over the subject of meditation, and, in particu- 
lar: 

(a) What we should consider in Our Lord; 

(b) The motives proper to convince us; 

(c) The resolutions we should take. 

To keep strict silence from the evening till the next 
morning after prayer. 

To go to prayer with gladness and humility. 

3 . Immediate Preparation : 

To put one's self in the presence of God by acts of 
faith and adoration. 

To acknowledge one's self unworthy to appear 
before God and to be suffered in His presence, mak- 
ing acts of humility, contrition, and union with Our 
Lord. 

To acknowledge one's self incapable of praying, 
on account of blindness of intellect and perverseness 
of the will. 

To invoke the Holy Ghost. 

Part II. — The Body of the Prayer. 

First Point: Adoration. 

To consider in Our Lord the subject proposed for 
meditation — His sentiments, His words, His actions. 

To discharge toward Him our duties of adoration, 
admiration, praise, thanksgiving, love, and joy or 
compassion. 



Outlines of the Sulpician Method of Meditation. 75 



Second Point : Communion. 

Consideration of the motives leading to virtue and 
withdrawing from vice; consideration of the circum- 
stances of the mysteries. 

Reflection on one's self, with sentiments of contri- 
tion for the past, confusion for the present, and desire 
for the future. 

Petition, with humility, confidence, and persever- 
ance. 

Third Point: Cooperation. 

To take resolutions — definite, present, efficacious. 
To have great distrust in one's self. 
To put entire confidence in Our Lord. 

Part III. — The Conclusion. 

To thank God for having suffered us in His presence 
and for the graces He gave us during prayer. 

To beg His pardon for the faults we may have com- 
mitted during prayer. 

To beg His blessing on our resolutions, the present day, 
our life, and our death. 

To place ourselves and the fruit of our prayer under the 
protection of the Blessed Virgin. 

To make the spiritual nosegay — "Sub tuum presi- 
dium." "O Jesu, vivens in Maria." 

Prayer: Sub Tuum Presidium. 

Sub tuum presidium con- We fly to thy patronage, 

fugimus, sancta Dei Genitrix; O holy Mother of God! de- 

nostras deprecationes ne de- spise not our petitions in our 

spicias in necessitatibus no- necessities, and deliver us 

stris; sed a periculis cunctis from all dangers, O ever glori- 

libera nos, semper virgo glori- ous and blessed Virgin, 
osa et benedicta. 

V. Dignare me laudare te, V. Make me worthy to 

virgo sacrata. praise thee, holy Virgin. 

R. Da mihi virtutem con- R. Give me strength against 

tra hostes tuos. thine enemies. 



76 The Sulpician Method of Menial Prayer. 



V. Benedictus Deus in V. Blessed be God in His 
Sanctis suis. saints. 
R. Amen. R. Amen. 

Prayer: O Jesu, vivens in Maria. 

O Jesu, vivens in Maria, O Jesus, living in Mary! 
veni et vive in famulis tuis, in come and live in Thy servants, 
spiritu sanctitatis tuae, in pleni- in the spirit of Thy holiness, in 
tudine virtutis tuae in veri- the' fulness of Thy might, in 
tate virtutum tuarum, in per- the truth of Thy virtues, in 
fectione viarum tuarum, in the perfection of Thy ways, in 
communione mysteriorum tuo- the communion of Thy mys- 
rum, dominare omni ad versae teries; subdue every hostile 
potestati, in spiritu tuo ad power, in Thy spirit, for the 
gloriam Patris. Amen. glory of the Father. Amen. 

An indulgence of three hundred days, once a day. — Pius IX., 
Oct. 14, 1859. 

Explanation of tbe Sulptcian /iDetbob of 
jflDental prater* 

^HE Very Rev. A. Magnien, S.S., D.D., former 
Superior of the Theological Seminary of St. Sul- 
pice, Baltimore, in his introduction to Father Ha- 
mon's u Meditations," writes: 

This work is based upon the Method of Mental 
Prayer, which is followed in all Sulpician seminaries 
and in many other religious communities throughout the 
world. This method is extremely logical and as simple 
as it is logical. 

Many, however, have been trained in the Ignatian 
method, and do not readily take to any other. 

The Sulpician method of meditation consists essen- 
tially of three parts, the first of w T hich is called the Prep- 
aration, the second the Body of the Prayer, and the third 
the Conclusion. We shall devote a few words to the 
explanation of each. All spiritual writers presuppose 
in those who practise meditation a preparation known as 
remote. By the very nature of the case, the lives of those 



The Sulpician Method of Menial Prayer. 77 



who aim at perfection should be characterized by detach- 
ment from worldly things as such, and by the spirit of 
mortification. The method proper, then, opens with 
the proximate preparation. This should be made on 
the preceding evening and in the morning, continuing 
until the moment we are ready to begin our prayer. In 
its main outlines it is a summary of the whole Meditation, 
and is so styled in Father Hamon's work. After dwell- 
ing upon the goodness of God as evidenced in each par- 
ticular subject, we consider what we ought to do for Him 
in return, and what means it were best to adopt in view 
of the desired end. The resolutions flow naturally from 
these considerations, and are determined in their char- 
acter by them. 

We have now to deal with the Body of the Prayer, 
which in Father Hamon's work falls under the title 
Meditation for the Morning. In the first part, called 
Adoration, we study the subject in our blessed Lord, 
calling to mind His words, His actions, and the spirit of 
His life. The mystery or virtue as seen in Him will in- 
duce us to render to Him our duties of adoration, admi- 
ration, praise, thanksgiving, love, joy, or compassion, 
according to circumstances.- » The second part (including 
points 1 and 2) supplies us with motives and means of 
practising virtue, and suggests, in each case, that we 
reflect upon our conduct in order to see whether, and to 
what extent, we possess the particular virtue recommended. 
Our neglect and consequent failure will inspire us w r ith 
sorrow for the past, confusion for the present, and desire 
for the future. Recognizing that God only can give 
effect to our desires, we earnestly implore Him to grant 
us the virtue upon which we have been meditating. 
That nothing may be wanting to success, we in the third 
.part of the Body of the Prayer make definite resolutions 
for the present day, thus insuring our own cooperation. 

What we have termed the Conclusion is made up of 
acts in which we thank God for the graces which He has 



78 Bishop Beliord's Summary of a Method of Meditation. 

bestowed upon us during prayer, and beg His pardon 
for any faults of which we may have been guilty whilst 
holding commune with Him. 

The Spiritual Nosegay is a text taken from the Sacred 
Scriptures, or from the Fathers, or from the Office of 
the Church, which both summarizes and suggests the 
considerations and resolutions of the morning. Those 
who desire more intimate acquaintance with this excel- 
lent method will find an admirable exposition of its sev- 
eral parts in Father Faber's treatises: " Growth in Holi- 
ness" in the chapter on Prayer. 

3Bisbop Bellorfc's Summary of a flDetbot) of 
/IDefcitattoru* 

Remote Preparation. 

1. Read the meditation over-night. 

2. Review it at intervals till next morning. 

3. Affections of love and joy up to the meditation. 

Introduction. 

1. Place yourself in the presence of God. 

2. Act of humility: acknowledge your unworthiness. 

3. Confess your incapacity: ask for aid. 

The Meditation. 

/. Adoration. 

1. Contemplate the subject in God the Father, or in 

Jesus Christ, with reference to His (i.) Disposi- 
tions, (ii.) Words, (iii.) Actions. 

2. Offer Him, with respect to the subject, (i.) Adora- 

tion, (ii.) Admiration, (iii.) Praise, (iv.) Love, 
(v.) Joy, (vi.) Gratitude. 
II. Reflection. 

Transfer to yourself what you have contemplated in* 
God, considering: 



* From Rt. Rev. James Bellord's "Outlines of Meditations." 



Bishop Bellord '■$ Summary of a Method of Meditation, 7 9 



1. What example, or warning, or knowledge, is to be 

gathered with a view to your own case? 

2. What are your past negligences, present deficiencies, 

future needs? 

3. What grace do you require from God? 
III. Action. 

1. Petition. 

(i.) Simple petition. 

(ii.) With obsecration (through the merits of Christ, 

the Blessed Virgin, etc.). 
(iii.) W r ith thanksgiving, 
(iv.) With intercession for others. 
N.B. — Your petitions must be (i.) Humble; (ii.) Con- 
fident; (iii.) Persevering. 

2. Resolutions. 

(i.) Let them be practical. 

(ii.) For immediate use. 
(iii.) Adapted to your special case, 
(iv.) Efficacious. 

3. Colloquies. 

With God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Blessed 
Virgin, your Guardian Angel, etc. 

Conclusion. 

1. Thanksgiving. 

(i.) For admission to God's presence, 
(ii.) For ability to pray, 
(iii.) For lights received. 

2. Contrition. 

For faults committed, with a brief examination of 
the meditation, 

3. Oblation. 

Offer the meditation to God by the hands of the 
Blessed Virgin for the supplying of all defects. 

4. Spiritual Bouquet. 

Sum up the meditation in a maxim or ejaculation 
to be recalled during the day. 



So Method of Particular Examination. 



/lDetbot> of particular Bjammatfon m 
Striving after perfection* 

HERE are two kinds of examination (or examen) — 
general and particular. The object of the first is 
to discover all the faults we have committed. 

The second or particular examination has for its 
object one single fault or bad habit, which we have re- 
solved to correct. 

It is made every day in the following manner: 

1. In the morning, on rising, resolve to avoid this sin 
or defect. 

2. Toward noon, ask of God the grace to remember 
how often you have fallen into it, and to avoid it for the 
future. Then examine, thinking over the time passed 
since your rising, ascertaining the number of faults 
committed, and marking them by so many points in 
the first line of a table like the following: 

Days of the Week. 

ist j 

day ( I . 

2d j 

day |. 

3d f . 

day { 

4th ( : 

day 1 . 

sth j ; : 

day ( 

6th j 

day ( , 

7* ( 

day \ , _ 

This done, renew your resolutions for the rest of the day. 



The Subject -matter of the Particular Exam en. 81 

3. In the evening, after supper, or at nightfall, a new 
examination like the first, marking the faults on the 
second line for the day. 

Observations. 

1. At each fault against the resolutions you have taken, 
as soon as you recollect yourself, put your hand on your 
heart and repent of your fall. 

This can be done without being observed by any one. 

2. At night, count the points of the two examinations, 
and see if from the first to the second you have made any 
amendment or progress. 

3. Compare in the same way the day or the week, 
which is ending, with the preceding day or week. The 
lines of the record diminish in length, from the 1st to the 
7th day, because it is reasonable to expect that the num- 
ber of the faults should likewise diminish. 

4. The subject of the particular examen should be 
ordinarily the predominant passion — that is, the one 
which is the source of the greater number of faults that 
you commit, and which consequently is the great obstacle 
to your sanctification. 

5. This examination on the predominant passion 
should be continued, until it is entirely overcome, or, at 
least, notably weakened. 

Zhc Subject-matter of tbe particular 

jBjamem* 

'HAT is the subject-matter of the Particular Ex- 
amination? According to St. Ignatius, it is "the 
particular sin or defect," that is, imperfection of any kind, 
' ' of which one wishes to correct himself ' The same idea 



* From " First Lessons in the Science of the Saints," by R. J. 
Meyer, SJ. 



82 The Subject-maitei' of the Particular Examen. 

is conveyed by the words which the priest says at the 
Offertory of the Mass, when he prays : " Accept, O holy 
Father, almighty and everlasting God, this immaculate 
victim which I, Thy unworthy servant, offer Thee for 
my innumerable sins, and offences, and negligences. " 

Sins, in this connection, are faults properly so called- 
in thought, word, deed, and omission— and into which we 
frequently and deliberately fall. Offences are faults less 
properly so called, which we are wont to commit through 
human frailty and inadvertence, just as a traveller walk- 
ing upon slippery ground is apt to fall, when he is ever 
so little off his guard. Negligences are shortcomings 
which can not properly be classed with sins of omission, 
and which do not wholly vitiate our actions, but which 
dim their lustre and mar their perfection. Such, for 
example, are all those shortcomings, which result from 
a lack of fervor, of a pure intention, of full correspond- 
ence with the lights and graces vouchsafed us, and of 
other qualities which ought to shine forth in our actions 
and in our whole lives. 

The Particular Examination, therefore, should be 
directed: first, towards avoiding all deliberate sins; 
secondly, towards diminishing the number of our lesser 
offences, and, as far as possible, avoiding them ; thirdly, 
towards diminishing the number of our negligences, and, 
as far as possible, avoiding them. In all these cases, there 
is question of amending some fault, whether it be a sin 
strictly so called, or a want of perfect fidelity and cor- 
respondence on our part. Hence St. Ignatius very 
properly mentions only sins and defects, as the subject- 
matter of the Particular Examination of Conscience, 
yet it is obvious, that we can not avoid those shortcom- 
ings called negligences, except by the practice of the 
missing virtue or perfection. For instance, if the negli- 
gence consists in the lack of a pure intention in our 
actions, the only way to correct it is to be careful in 
future to have such an intention, and this implies posi- 



The Subject -matter of the Particular Examen. 83 

tive acts of virtue. In general, sins or evil habits may 
be overcome, either directly by repressing them, or indi- 
rectly by practising the contrary virtues. The former is 
called the negative, and the latter the positive method. 
Both methods are indicated by the author of the Imi- 
tation, when he writes: "Two things particularly con- 
duce to a great amendment; these are, forcibly to with- 
draw one's self from that to which nature is viciously 
inclined, and earnestly to labor for the good which one 
wants the most." 

But, whether we pursue the negative or the positive 
method, it is essential to full success that the sub- 
ject-matter be sharply defined. Not only must we aim 
at the correction of our vice, or the acquisition of 
one virtue at a time, but often we must subdivide the 
matter into several parts, corresponding to the different 
ways in which either the vice or the virtue shows itself. 
For example, if we wish to apply our Particular Exam- 
ination to rooting out pride and implanting humility 
in our hearts, it is not sufficient to propose to ourselves, 
in general, not to take pride in anything and to humble 
ourselves in everything. Thus proposed, the subject- 
matter is altogether too comprehensive. For pride may 
betray itself in ambitious thoughts, in boastful words, in 
haughty deeds; humility, on the other hand, may mani- 
fest itself in lowliness of spirit, in meekness of speech, in 
modesty of demeanor. And each one of these subdi- 
visions furnishes ample matter for the Particular Exam- 
ination of Conscience. 

So much being presupposed, we may ask: What 
should we take as the subject of our Particular Exam- 
ination? To this question no general answer can be 
given. It is a matter which the advice of a prudent con- 
fessor or director, aided by the self-knowledge derived 
from prayer and especially from the General Examina- 
tion, must determine for each one of us, according to 
circumstances. However, as a guide for the confessor or 



84 The Subject-matter of the Particular Exam en. 

director, as well as for the penitent, spiritual writers lay 
down the following rules: 

1. Strive to subdue y our vice before you apply your- 
self to trie acquisition of virtue. "The husbandman 
frees his field from briars, nettles, and noxious weeds, 
before he scatters the good seed over it. In like manner, 
he that tills the soil of his heart, should begin by rooting 
up his vices, and then devote himself to cultivating the 
virtues which will bear fruits of holiness, while at the 
same time they will check the undergrowth of vice." 
The first subject, therefore, of the Particular Examina- 
tion should be deliberate sins. Until they have been 
cleared away, we look in vain for a healthy growth of 
virtues. 

2. Correct your external faults before others which are 
purely internal. The latter easily escape the scrutiny 
of one who has little experience in the spiritual life. They 
may not be voluntary, because not all our internal actions 
are under the control of the will; and so it often happens, 
that the beginner is unable to tell how far, if at all, he is 
to blame. Begin, therefore, with external actions, which 
are more easily governed, and more readily recognized 
as culpable, when they deviate from the laws of God and 
of right reason. By thus regulating your external ac- 
tions, you will gradually weaken the vices in which they 
have their origin. For instance, if the high opinion 
which you have of yourself, shows itself in haughty or 
boastful words, the effort to check them will make itself 
felt in your heart, and will deaden the sentiment of ego- 
tism which finds expression in them. 

3. If you are subject to a variety of external faults, 
try to free yourself first from such as are more likely to 
give scandal or to detract from the esteem which a life 
of virtue ought to inspire in others. For example, if 
you are accustomed to speak hastily, thoughtlessly, 
sharply, and thereby perhaps wound the feelings or in- 
jure the reputation of your neighbor, reason and charity 



The Subject-matter of the Particular Examen. 85 

require you to correct these defects before others which, 
in themselves, may be far more serious. 

4. Again, amend your deeds before your words; be- 
cause, as St. Ignatius teaches in the General Examina- 
tion 0] Conscience, sins of deed are more serious than 
others, for a threefold reason: namely, "on account 
of. the greater length of time, the greater intensity of 
the act, and the greater number scandalized or in- 
jured." 

5. Beware, however, of being so intent on the correc- 
tion of external faults, as to pass your whole life therein. 
After all, it is not external propriety, but internal purity, 
that we. must propose to ourselves as our ultimate aim. 
We are engaged in a' conflict with vice, and vice is rooted 
in the heart. 

Find out, therefore, by means of the General Examina- 
tion, what is the vice that has the upper hand in you ; in 
other words, find out what is the chief disorder intro- 
duced into the soul by your predominant passion. There 
is your danger, there is the spot which your enemy will 
attack, there is the traitor, ready to take sides with him 
and to deliver you into his hands, there is the Goliath, 
w T hose head you must cut off in order to free yourself 
from the hands of the Philistines. 

If several vices or disorderly passions of different kinds 
hold sway in your soul, see of what nature they are. 
Some vices may be spiritual, because they seem, as it 
were, to spring up from the soul itself. Such a vice is 
pride, with all its varieties of vainglory, ambition, haughti- 
ness, disdain, and the like. Other vices, on the contrary, 
are wholly carnal, because they proceed more directly 
from the sinful appetites of the body. Such a vice is 
sensuality under all its forms of impurity, gluttony, 
sloth, and so forth. These carnal vices, if not restrained, 
are a source of great and imminent danger; and, there- 
fore, a person who is molested by them should subdue 
them before he undertakes the combat against spiritual 



86 The Subject-matter of the Particular Examen. 

vices, which may indeed inflict many slight wounds upon 
the soul, but which do not easily kill it. 

6. In case you are not troubled by any vice in par- 
ticular, or have so far subdued them that your faults are 
few and light, it is well for you to change from the nega- 
tive method to the positive, and to take, as the subject 
of your Particular Examination, the virtue which you 
desire especially to acquire. For though, as already 
stated, the immediate object of the Particular Examina- 
tion is the correction of your faults, it is not well to spend 
your whole time in this alone. He that is engaged in 
weeding a garden, is well employed ; but it does not fol- 
low therefrom that he must never do anything else. On 
the contrary, the object he should have in view in pulling 
up the weeds, is to plant flowers in their place. In like 
manner, when you spend your Particular Examination 
in rooting up the vicious inclinations of your soul, you 
should propose to yourself to plant the sweet-scented 
flowers of virtue in their stead. 

What should move you, above all, to adopt the positive 
method, when your passions rarely rise in open or vio- 
lent revolt against reason, is that otherwise you will 
derive little or no profit from your Particular Examina- 
tion. In fact, the occasions of combat being rare, you 
are apt to forget the subject altogether and to imagine 
that your enemies have surrendered when they have 
only withdrawn into their stronghold. You fancy, for- 
sooth, that you have subdued the passion of anger, be- 
cause nothing has occurred to ruffle your temper. But 
you are greatly deceived. It is not astonishing that the 
sea is smooth when there is not a breath of air to dis- 
turb the calm. Neither is it astonishing that you are 
quiet, when there is not a living soul to arouse your 
wrath. Your passions seem to be dead; but, in reality, 
they are only asleep. Unless you strengthen and arm 
yourself then, while they leave you a little respite, they 
will assault you all the more violently, when they awake. 



The Subject-matter of the Particular Examen. 87 

Instead, therefore, of laboring to correct a defect 
which you seldom commit, aim at acquiring the oppo- 
site perfection. Do you wish to guard against ever 
treating others with naughtiness or contempt? Learn 
to look upon yourself as the least of all ; and take, as the 
subject of your Particular Examination, the practice of 
humiliation. Do you wish to make sure of not repining 
when adversity will come to try you? Endeavor to see 
the hand of God in all the occurrences of life ; and take, 
as the subject of your Particular Examination, the prac- 
tice of perfect conformity to the divine will. Whatever 
virtue you select, let it be genuine, solid, supernatural, 
capable of bearing the stress of trying circumstances 
and of being carried to the highest degree of perfection. 
Let it be the virtue which is most opposed to your pre- 
dominant passion, the virtue which you need most in 
your present state and condition of life, or the virtue 
which will unite you most closely to God, the source and 
centre of all holiness and perfection. 

Having thus determined the subject-matter, we per- 
form the Particular Examination, together with the 
General Examination, as an adjunct and auxiliary to it. 
That w T e may do so with the best possible results, St. 
Ignatius, who was the first to reduce the Particular 
Examination to a systematic form and to promote its 
practice throughout the w T orld, gives us some valuable 
directions. "The daily Particular Examination," he 
writes, "embraces three times and two siftings. The 
first time is straightway in the morning on rising, when a 
person resolves to guard diligently against the particular 
sin or defect, which he desires to correct. The second 
time is in the middle of the day, when, after begging 
light to know how often he has offended Almighty God, 
he begins the scrutiny of his conscience, as explained in 
the General Examination, by first demanding an account 
of his soul concerning the particular fault in question . . . 
from the hour at which he rose down to the present. 



88 The Subject-matter of the Particular Examen. 

Then he marks in a book prepared for the purpose, how 
many times he has fallen; and, when he makes the 
act of contrition and purpose of amendment for his sins, 
he includes, in an especial manner, the particular fault 
in question. 

"The third time is in the evening, when he makes a 
second sifting in like manner ; and, after marking in his 
book, how many times he has fallen, he again says an 
act of contrition and resolves to be more on his guard in 
future, especially against the particular fault in question." 

These practices, and especially that of marking the 
number of one's falls, will perhaps be looked upon by 
some as childish minutiae, calculated only to hamper the 
spirit. But they are not so regarded by those who are 
experienced in the spiritual life. As a proof, it may 
be allowed to refer, in passing, to two eminent ecclesi- 
astics, now departed, who were well known to some 
readers of these lines, and who were highly esteemed by 
all that knew them for their sound, practical judgment, 
no less than for their manly virtue. One of these spoke 
of the little book of the Particular Examination, as the 
pass-book, in which we daily note our current account 
with heaven, and which, if faithfully kept to the last, 
we may present with confidence at the judgment-seat of 
God. The other, a much-beloved prelate, who had 
resigned the dignity of office for the lowliness of a relig- 
ious life, on perceiving that the hour for the usual exam- 
ination of conscience had come, took leave of the friends 
with whoir. he was conversing, and, drawing forth from 
his pocket the booklet of his Particular Examination, 
shook it playfully in their faces, with the remark: "For 
me this is very necessary." These words, said with an 
air and tone of earnest conviction, are quite as appli- 
cable to all of us as to the speaker. Not that the success 
of the Particular Examination depends essentially upon 
recording, even to the last unit, the exact number of our 
daily failings; but that neglect in marking with becom- 



The Subject-matter of the Particular Examen. 89 

ing diligence the result of the Examination, gradually 
leads to forgetfulness, if not to complete disuse, of this 
important exercise in a fervent Christian's life. 

The object of this marking of our faults is to fix the 
attention, and to prevent us from relaxing our efforts 
during the course of the day. The same is true also of 
other practices recommended by St. Ignatius, under 
the head of "Four useful additions, for the easier and 
quicker extirpation of any particular sin or defect.' ' 
" The first is, that each time a person falls into that par- 
ticular sin or defect, he lay his hand on his breast, and 
grieve for his fault. This he can do even in the presence 
of others, without their perceiving it." 

"The second is, that at night, after making the second 
scrutiny of his conscience, he compare it with the first, 
and observe if any amendment has taken place.' ' 

"The third is, that he compare the examination of the 
first and second day, ancl see if there has been any im- 
provement." 

"The fourth is, that he compare one week with an- 
other, and note if, in the present week, he has improved 
on the preceding." Made in accordance with these 
directions, the Particular Examination can not fail to 
produce the happiest results. "It owes its great effi- 
cacy," writes an experienced director of souls, " to these 
three things: first, it divides our enemies, and brings all 
our forces to bear upon one of them at a time; secondly, 
it attacks our disorders and sinful habits at the root; 
thirdly, it keeps us at work all day and calls for the exer- 
cise of every power of the soul." And thus it becomes 
the specific for inveterate and radical defects, which 
resist all other means of self -reform. 

Deep-seated and chronic evils, it is true, are not cured 
speedily, nor by the ordinary remedies; but it is also 
true, that no spiritual evils, however obstinate, can 
resist the persevering efforts of a resolute will aided by 
the grace of God. "Let no one then despair," says 



90 The Subject-matter of the Particular Examen. 

St. Basil, " because of his sinful inclination; rather, let 
him bear in mind that, as skilful culture can change 
the qualities of trees and shrubs, so zeal and industry in 
the pursuit of virtue can check and correct all the vicious 
affections of the soul." 

In a similar manner, one of the ancient fathers of the 
desert counselled and encouraged an anchoret, who had 
grown so remiss in the discharge of all his spiritual duties, 
that lukewarmness seemed to have become his normal 
condition; so much so that though moved to lead a life 
more worthy of his calling, he thought his case too des- 
perate to begin the work of self-reform. The venerable 
patriarch, desiring to give additional force to his advice, 
put it in the form of a parable, somewhat as follows: "A 
certain man, having a field all overrun with thorns, 
briars, and tares, told his son to stub and clear it. The 
youth, therefore, set out one day to do the work assigned 
him; but immediately upon beholding it, he lost heart, 
threw himself upon the ground, and spent his time in sleep. 
The next day he went out again, and did likewise. 
Questioned at night how he was progressing, he frankly 
confessed that he had not the courage to undertake what 
appeared to him a hopeless task. Whereupon his good 
father reproved him, saying: 'You do wrong, my son, 
to look upon your work in the gross, as if you had 
to do it all at once. Mark out for yourself, in the 
morning, as much as you can easily do in a day, and 
address yourself with a will to your appointed task. 
Before long you will find that it is not so hopeless as you 
now fancy to yourself.' The son followed his father's 
advice, and full soon the whole field was cleared." 

Let us all apply this parable to ourselves, and mark 
out, every morning, a definite amount of work to do in 
the field which our heavenly Father has given us to 
cultivate. Let us daily clear away some of the thorns, 
briars, and tares which overrun it and hinder the growth 
of the good grain. In other words, let us make strenu- 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 91 



ous and persevering efforts to free our souls from the sins, 
offences, and negligences into which we are wont to fall, 
and which we recognize as -the greatest impediment in 
the way of a Christian life. 

With this object in view, let us diligently perform the 
Particular Examination of Conscience. It is a most 
efficacious means of self-amendment and spiritual prog- 
ress. For it is a combat carried on against our faults, 
until the vices from which they spring have been sub- 
dued and replaced by the opposite virtues; and, as the 
pious author of the Imitation assures us, "if every year 
we rooted out one vice, we should soon be perfect men." 



TZhc Spiritual JEjerctses of St* Ignatius 
arranged in prapers* 

Contents. 

1. Soul of Christ, sanctify me. 

2. A Prayer of St. Ignatius to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

3. Preparatory Prayer. 

4. Prayer to obtain the grace of understanding the 

true end of man. 

5. Prayer to excite one's self to Repentance. 

6. The Triple Colloquy. 

7. Colloquy on God's Mercy. 

8. Prayer to Jesus Christ that we may obey His call. 

9. Prayer for aid in contemplating the scenes of the 

Gospel. 

10. Prayer to attain the three degrees of Humility. 

11. Prayer on the Three Classes. 

12. Prayer that we may be received under the Standard 

of cur divine King. 

13. Prayer before Election. 

14. Prayer in Desolation. 

15. Prayer to unite ourselves with Christ's Sufferings. 



9 2 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 



1 6. Prayer to Our Lord risen from the Dead. 

17. Prayer to excite love for God. 



PRAYER OF ST. IGNATIUS. 

OUL of Christ, sanctify me; 
Body of Christ, save me; 
Blood of Christ, inebriate me; 
Water from the side of Christ, wash me; 
Passion of Christ, strengthen me; 
O good Jesus, hear me; 
Within Thy wounds hide me; 
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; 
From the evil enemy defend me; 
In the hour of my death call me, 
And bid me come untc Thee, 
That with all Thy saints I may praise Thee 
For all eternity. Amen. 

2. 

A PRAYER OF ST. IGNATIUS TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

C\ BELOVED Word of God, teach me to be generous, 
to serve Thee with that perfection which Thy 
majesty claims, to give without calculation, to fight with- 
out heeding wounds, to labor without repose, to expend 
myself in Thy service without thought of other reward 
than that of knowing that I do Thy most holy will. Amen. 

3- 

PREPARATORY PRAYER. 

/~\ LORD, it is for the purpose of conquering myself 
that by Thy grace I have undertaken these holy 
exercises. It is my rebel will that I desire to vanquish and 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 



overcome, my unruly and disordered affections which I 
desire to put in order, so that my soul may be attentive 
simply to the seeking and finding of Thy will, and to the 
following of it alone, in the ordering and disposing of my 
life. 

Give me a generous heart, a heart truly liberal, which, 
giving itself to Thee, may abandon itself without any 
reservation to Thee, its Lord and Redeemer. 

Lord, so great to all Thy servants, dispose of my life, 
of my liberty, of all that surrounds me. O my Creator, 
speak to Thy creature. Behold my soul before Thee: 
my will is as a scale in a state of perfectly equal balance, 
which shall only waver to one side or the other when 
Thou placest in it the weight of Thy will or wish. I 
ignore all natural inclination; my will is suspended and 
in a state of perfect indifference. I have but one will 
and desire, to obey and please Thee. I promise Thee 
fidelity to my exercises of piety, and to the full time of 
meditation. I foresee the furious assaults of the devil, 
but I am firmly resolved to yield nothing on this point to 
his importunities. 

1 promise Thee to exert my earnest efforts. It is for 
me to exercise myself, and to labor, even at the cost of 
suffering if necessary; to examine my soul and to rec- 
tify its ways; to call on Thee, to listen to Thee, to obey 
Thee. 

I promise Thee to preserve silence ; not only shall my 
lips remain silent, but my mind shall be drawn off from 
the cares of life, from the agitations of the world, and 
from all vanities. I know that this interior and exterior 
solitude possesses great merit in Thy sight. But above 
all it leaves me in greater liberty to find that which I so 
ardently desire; it enables me to approach closely to 
Thee, to lose none of Thy words, to be better disposed 
for the receiving of the gifts of Thy divine and supreme 
goodness. 



94 The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 



4- 

PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE GRACE OF UNDERSTANDING THE 
TRUE END OF MAN. 

AN was created for this end — to praise, reverence, 
and serve the Lord his God, and by this means 
to arrive at eternal salvation. All other beings or objects 
placed around man on earth have been created for him, 
to serve as means to assist him in the pursuit of the end 
for which he was created. 

We must, then, above all things, endeavor to establish 
in ourselves a complete indifference with regard to all 
created things, even those of which the use is not for- 
bidden us; not preferring, as far as depends on us, health 
to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to humiliation, a 
long life to a short one; since good order requires that 
we wish for and choose, in everything, what will lead us 
most surely to the end for which we were created. 

(Text of St. Ignatius.) 

For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world 
and suffer the loss of his soul ? Or what shall a man give 
in exchange for his soul? 

(Mark yin. 36, 37.) 

Jesus said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy 
whole mind. This is the greatest and the first com- 
mandment. " 

(Matt. xxii. 37, 38.) 

Jesus said: "The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and 
Him only shalt thou serve." 

(Matt. iv. 10.) 

Lord, Thou hast created me, Thou hast created me for 
Thyself — -to praise Thee, to reverence Thee, to serve Thee. 
It is by applying myself to Thy service that I shall save 
my soul. x\ll other things placed around me in this world 
are there as so many means whereby I may be conducted 




The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 95 



to the great final end of my creation, which is twofold yet 
one: to serve Thee and save myself. 

Teach me, O Lord, to do my duty, my only duty in 
this world, which is for the fulfilling of Thy intentions 
and designs, to discern amongst Thy creatures — 1st, those 
which may aid me, so as to use them so long as they may 
be of service to me: 2d, those which may be harmful to 
me, so as to reject them inasmuch as they may be injuri- 
ous to me. If I accept some and reject the others, may 
it be solely with the view of glorifying Thee, and of being 
always within the order of Thy will. 

But since my courage may give way, since my heart 
may be fascinated by these extraneous creatures, defend 
it, O my God, and assure to it safety and freedom from 
the seductions of the world. Grant that, indifferent to 
all that is not commanded by Thee, indifferent to all those 
creatures the use of which Thou hast not even forbidden, 
my heart may neither desire nor seek amongst the mul- 
tiplicity of creatures and the vicissitudes of life aught but 
what is needful for the fulfilling of Thy will. 

May health or sickness, riches or poverty, honors or 
contempt and humiliations, leave my soul, if not insen- 
sible, at least in that state of holy indifference to which I 
desire to attain for Thy greater honor and glory; for 
this I pray. I will and desire that it should be thus with 
me, and I firmly resolve continually to restore my will to 
this necessary equilibrium, so that it may always be 
inclined solely by the motive-power of Thy holy will. 

5- 

PRAYER TO EXCITE ONE'S SELF TO REPENTANCE. 

I BESEECH Thee, O Lord, to grant me the grace which 
I need, and which I earnestly desire to obtain. I ask 
it with confidence, since I know I ought to have a deep 
contrition and abiding and sincere sentiments of sorrow 
for my sins. I ask of Thee that feeling of shame which 



g6 The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 



should make me blush for myself. Many souls have 
been lost by a single mortal sin. How many times have 
I not merited this judgment for my many and great sins! 

I ask of Thee an intense sorrow for having committed 
them, tears to weep over them, a broken and contrite 
heart at the memory of them. 

What a sight for me, a sinner, to behold Jesus Christ 
living and in agony on the tree of the cross! O my 
Creator and Redeemer, how great was Thy love when 
Thou didst will to exchange heaven for earth, the glory 
of Thy heavenly life for this life of pain, and to suffer a 
death of infamy for me — for my sins. 

Look, O my soul ; look at and consider thy past life — 
what hast thou done for Jesus Christ in the past — at this 
present time what art thou doing for Jesus Christ — in 
the future what wilt thou do for Jesus Christ ? Speak, 
O my soul, with Jesus crucified; tell Him thy thoughts, 
tell them to Him with all simplicity; tell them to Him 
just as thou thinkest them. 

Pour out thyself, O my heart, to thy God. Let thy 
thoughts turn from Him to thyself ; thy prayer is always 
good and fervent when it is true and sincere, when it 
speaks as a friend speaks to his friend, as a subject 
speaks to his king, as a slave speaks to his master. 
Accuse thyself, O my soul, of the evil thou hast done, 
declare all thy wounds, thy weakness, thy doubts, thy 
waverings, thy most secret thoughts. 

May the Lord, my Creator, cure me and shelter me 
beneath His pardoning grace. 

6. 

THE TRIPLE COLLOQUY. 

i. £\ MOTHER of my Saviour, my blessed Lady, 
my Queen, vouchsafe to intercede for me 
with thy divine Son, thy Lord, and obtain for me 
these three graces : 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 97 



The grace to know with a full knowledge, to feel pro- 
foundly, to deplore and to detest my sins; 

The grace to feel and realize the disorder of my life, to 
hold it in horror, to reduce it to rule, and amend it, and 
to correct myself; 

The grace to know and detest the world, to put away 
from my soul, and keep out of it, all worldly and vain 
thoughts, and to renounce for ever the world and all its 
vanities. 

Hail Mary. 

2. f~\ LORD Jesus Christ, for the sake of Thy 

blessed Mother, obtain for me from the 
eternal Father these three graces: 

The grace to know with a full knowledge, to feel pro- 
foundly, to deplore and to detest my sins; 

The grace to feel and realize the disorder of my life, to 
hold it in horror, to reduce it to rule, and amend it, and 
to correct myself; 

The grace to know and detest the world, to put away 
from my soul, and keep out of it, all worldly and vain 
thoughts, and to renounce for ever the world and all its 
vanities. 

Anima Christi. 

3. £2fTERNAL God, Father Almighty, in the Name 
^4 of the Word made flesh, I beseech Thee to 

grant me these three graces I implore of Thee: 

The grace to know with a full knowledge, to feel pro- 
foundly, to deplore and to detest my sins; 

The grace to feel and realize the disorder of my life, to 
hold it in horror, to reduce it to rule, and amend it, and 
to correct myself; 

The grace to know and detest the world, to put away 
from my soul, and keep out of it, all worldly and vain 
thoughts, and to renounce for ever the world and all its 
vanities. 

Our Father. 



9o l^he Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, 

COLLOQUY ON GOD'S MERCY AND COMPASSION. 

Thanksgiving of the Sinner. 

OLORD God, Thou art infinitely wise, I adore Thee 
Who hast borne with my ignorance; — Thou art 
infinitely just, I adore Thee Who hast not chastised my 
iniquity; — Thou art infinitely powerful, I adore Thee Who 
hast deigned to spare my weakness ; — Thou art infinitely 
good, I adore Thee Who hast pardoned me all my malice 
and sins. 

I thank Thee that the angels, who are the avenging 
swords of Thy justice, have not slain me. I thank Thee 
because the saints, who are Thy friends, have prayed 
and made intercession for me who was Thine enemy. I 
thank Thee that Thy heavens, Thy stars, Thy sun have 
not refused to shine on me. I thank Thee for having 
placed the whole of creation at my service; I have caused 
it to groan beneath the burden of my sin, and yet it has 
not risen up against me. I thank Thee that the very 
earth has not opened beneath my feet to precipitate me 
into the lowest depths of hell, where I indeed deserve 
to be eternally. 

I behold before me, O my God, the mystery of the 
infinite abyss of Thy mercy. I return Thee thanks for 
having preserved my life until this day, for having granted 
to me repentance for my sins; how great has been and 
how incomprehensible remains Thy pity for me! 

Pardon, O perfections of my God, for having pre- 
ferred imperfect and vile creatures to Thee! Pardon, O 
justice of my God, for having outraged Thee by my 
crimes! Pardon, O holiness of my God, pardon for 
having so long stained the purity of Thy sight by my 
sins! Pardon, O mercy of my God, for having so long 
despised Thy merciful voice! In deep sorrow and con- 
trition I cast myself at Thy feet — have mercy on me! 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. oo 

"Show mercy to a poor penitent, whom Thou hast so 
long spared in his impenitence.' ' 

(St. Bernard.) 

8. 

PRAYER TO JESUS CHRIST OUR KING THAT WE MAY OBEY 
HIS CALL. 

(T)Y Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast said to me: "My 
will is to subject the infidel world to My empire. 
If any one desires to follow Me, he must be content to 
abide beneath My tent, to eat at My table, to drink from 
the same cup with Me ; he must also be willing to labor 
as I labor and with Me; he shall share with Me the 
fruits of the victory in proportion to the manner in which 
he shall have shared with Me the fatigues of the conflict. " 

I have reflected upon this Thy call; I have asked of 
Thee, O Jesus Christ, and I still ask of Thee, the grace 
not to be deaf to Thy call, but to answer it joyfully, and 
to give all that Thy most holy will awaits from me. 

Now, after mature consideration, this is what I freely 
offer Thee with my whole heart, protesting it to be my 
firm inward resolution, my determined will, which is 
fixed and will be, I trust, unalterable and steady, and 
which I shall never repent or regret. 

I have understood that the infidel lands to be con- 
quered are my soul, my heart, the world, and the devil: 
that the enemies to Thy domain are my sensuality, my 
pride, the spirit of the world ever living and working 
within me ; these are the enemies that I must fight against. 
I have taken the resolution of doing this, and I desire to 
distinguish myself in Thy service. 

I ardently desire to join Thee in this great enterprise 
in which Thou, my Lord Jesus Christ, art leader, and the 
apostles, martyrs, penitents — in a word, all the saints, 
are my illustrious companions. 

O eternal King, O Christ, Our Lord and Ruler; under 
Thy protection, by Thy grace, with the memory of Thy 



L tf C. 



i oo The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 

infinite mercy, at Thy feet, in the presence of Thy glori- 
ous Mother and of all the saints who adorn Thy heavenly 
court — I offer and consecrate myself to Thee and to Thy 
service alone; I give myself to Thee without any reserve. 
I am resolved to imitate Thee, I am resolved to follow 
Thee, and to distinguish myself as a follower of Thee, to 
be there where Thou art, if Thy divine Majesty will but 
deign to choose me and to receive me as one of Thy faith- 
ful and devoted followers. 

Acknowledging my utter unworthiness, I humbly beg 
of Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, to be graciously pleased 
to accept my whole self as a full and entire oblation. 
Grant that I may live and die at the post where the inter- 
ests of Thy glory and my salvation and Thy divine call 
may have placed me. 

9; 

PRAYER FOR ASSISTANCE IN CONTEMPLATING THE SCENES 
OF THE GOSPEL. 

I BEG of Thee, O God, the grace which I desire to ob- 
tain: an intimate knowledge of Our Lord Jesus 
Christ, so that, knowing Him more clearly, I may love 
Him more dearly; that loving Him more dearly, I may 
follow him more nearly; and that following Him more 
nearly, I may attain to a high degree of perfection by 
imitating Him in all things. 

Open, O my God, the eyes of my soul; grant me to 
contemplate — in the silence of respect, of prayer, and of 
adoration — the eternal Word made flesh (John i. 14), 
placed in the manger (Luke ii. 7), adored by Mary and 
Joseph, the shepherds, the Magi, and the angels (Matt, 
ii. 11). Permit me to contemplate and consider the de- 
meanor of Jesus; His actions — His divine perfection in 
the smallest actions, His voluntary obedience, His toil: 
His bearing — its dignity, what modesty in all His 
gestures, His movements, His steps: His looks — their 
serenity and sweetness. Let me consider Him in His 



The Spiritual Exercises of Si. Ignatius, 101 



sleep. In His prayer — -what fervor, what recollected- 
ness. When He works — what admirable resignation 
and humility. When seated at the humble table of 
Joseph. Let me follow Him when, with the blessing of 
His Mother, He departs to receive baptism by St. John 
— when He retires into the desert — calls together His 
disciples — teaches the multitude. 

Grant, O Lord Jesus, that I may be attentive to Thy 
thoughts, to Thy teachings, to Thy holy will. If Thou 
speakest, may I never lose a single word from Thy lips; 
if Thy lips are silent, grant to me to know and understand 
the workings of Thy Sacred Heart; may I be attentive 
alike to what Thou sayest and to what Thou mightest 
say. May Thy voice vibrate through my soul, may it 
enter my heart and be as a salutary food to nourish, vivify, 
and invigorate it. 

Above all, grant that I may love, that I may feel, that 
I may taste, that I may breathe forth to some extent 
the infinite sweetness and gentleness of holiness, the 
exquisite fragrance of virtue; and that I may follow the 
example which Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us by 
His life and teachings. 

Holy cave of Bethlehem, blessed walls of Nazareth, 
where my Jesus lived, let my lips kiss in spirit these wit- 
nesses of the virtues of Christ! Would that I could press 
my lips to all the traces of Thy steps, the earth, the walls 
sanctified by Thy presence, O Jesus! If Thou wilt per- 
mit me to approach yet nearer to Thyself, I would fain, 
in the purity and ardor of my love, kiss, as did the 
stricken woman of the Gospels, the hem of Thy garment. 

10. 

PRAYER TO ATTAIN THE THREE DEGREES OF HUMILITY. 

i. CT\ Y Lord, I beseech of Thee to grant me a grace 
r • absolutely necessary for the eternal salva- 
tion of my soul. It is that I may always have sufficient 
humility, dependence, and submission to obey in all 



102 The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 

things Thy holy law, and that I may never hesitate before 
an order, or break any command of Thine, or of those 
appointed by Thee to command me, which obliges me, 
under pain of mortal sin, not even if by so doing I might 
preserve my life or obtain possession of the whole world. 
May I sacrifice my life, or renounce the empire of the 
entire world, before I willingly transgress any of Thy 
precepts. 

2. Lord, I ask of Thee a greater grace than that of 
never offending Thee by mortal sin: may I always have 
sufficient humility and submission never to give way to 
the temptation of committing a single deliberate venial 
sin, even if by so doing I might save my life or acquire 
possession of the whole world. My heart will falter, it 
will often hesitate before the thought of venial sin, if it 
is not indifferent between riches and poverty, between 
honor and shame, between life and death. Grant me, 
O God, this perfect indifference of soul. 

3. O Lord, I ask of Thee a still greater grace than that 
of never offending Thee by venial sin. May my soul be 
so humble, so entirely submissive, that it may no longer 
have aught but one desire: to imitate Thee and to follow 
Thee, its Lord and its God. 

Even if the interests of the glory of God are not in- 
volved or affected, in order to resemble more closely Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, I will and desire to be poor with Jesus 
Christ in His poverty rather than to be rich, since Jesus 
Christ was not rich. I will and desire to be covered with 
isrnominv rather than to be honored bv the world, since 
Jesus Christ was not honored by it. I will and desire 
to be looked upon as a being useless to all, of little inter- 
est, of little repute, of little influence, of little learning 
and wisdom, since such was the estimation in which the 
world held Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Grant me, O Lord, to arrive at this third and highest 
degree of perfection, and the grace of a perfect renuncia- 
tion of myself after Thine example. 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 103 
11. 

PRAYER ON THE THREE CLASSES. 

OLORD, I beg of Thee the grace not to belong to that 
class of Christians, who, convinced of the truth of 
religion, are not converted or sanctified, because they will 
not make use of the means by which sanctity may be 
acquired and their conversion assured. Grant that I 
may not be with those who give Thee desires only, and 
who put off, from day to day, the means necessary for 
holiness and salvation, and who do nothing until the day 
of their death. 

Lord, I ask of Thee the grace not to belong to that 
class of men who indeed desire holiness, but who at the 
same time will not make the sacrifice at all, who can not 
bring themselves to renounce certain passions, who will 
onlv give to Thee certain works, who would have Thee 
and at the same time retain possession of certain worldly 
advantages, w T ho will not choose the most certain means 
of holiness. They are very willing that Thou shouldst 
come to them, but they can not persuade themselves to 
go to Thee ; and yet what a happy lot would be theirs if 
they had but the courage to give themselves unreservedly 
to Thee! With what superabundant graces dost Thou 
reward the sacrifices of generous souls, O my God! 

Lord, I ask of Thee to grant me the grace of being in 
the class of those whose will is in a state of such perfect 
equilibrium, that it neither accepts nor rejects anything 
except as Thou inspirest it to accept or reject it. 

I desire nothing, O my God, unless Thou first wiliest 
it; I wish for nothing except to serve Thee, my Creator 
and my Saviour; and if the voice of nature asks anything 
different of me, it is my will and desire to go against this 
voice of nature, this natural repugnance. And I pray 
and beseech Thee to grant and vouchsafe to me, though 
in opposition to my natural inclination, and notwithstand- 
ing the reluctance of nature, that I may have the grace 



104 The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 

accorded me of always acting solely for the greater honor 
and glory of Thy infinite Majesty, the grace of always 
choosing what is for Thy greater glory; and to this end 
I beseech of Thee the grace of perfect and effective 
detachment. 

12. 

PRAYER THAT WE MAY BE RECEIVED UNDER THE STAND- 
ARD OF OUR DIVINE KING. 

LORD, behold me a suppliant praying before Thee. 
I come to implore of Thee a grace which is repug- 
nant to my nature and which I dread to obtain. Alas, my 
heart is not indifferent: on the contrary, it rebels at the 
thought of voluntary poverty, and the contempt of men. 
It is to master my natural inclinations, to vanquish self, 
and to conquer my heart, to extinguish in it every spark 
of that self-love which is not in accordance with the rule 
these exercises place before me, that I entreat Thee to 
receive me under Thy standard. 

May Thy divine Majesty deign to shelter me beneath 
the folds of this Thy holy standard, to give me the spirit 
of poverty and detachment, and to call me even to the 
practice of actual and perfect poverty, if such is Thy 
good pleasure. Lord Jesus, in order that I may re- 
semble Thee more closely, grant me a share, I beseech 
Thee, in Thy humiliations, and in the injustices that 
Thou didst meet with, provided that I can bear them 
without committing any sin, without ever displeasing, 
in any way, Thy divine Majesty. 

O Blessed Virgin, Mother of my God, obtain for me 
from Thy divine Son the grace to be received and to 
march under His standard. 

Hail Mary. 

O Eternal Word, for the love Thou bearest Our Lady, 
Thy blessed Mother, obtain for me from the Father the 
grace to be received and to march under Thy standard. 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 105 

Anima Christi. 

O Father, for the love Thou bearest the most holy 
Virgin Mary, for the sake of Thy Son, Our Lord, I be- 
seech Thee to grant me the grace to be received and to 
march under the standard of Jesus Christ. 

Our Father. 

PRAYER BEFORE ELECTION. 

RANT, O Lord, to the eyes of mine understanding 
the light of a pure, upright, and single intention; 
may I always be mindful of the end for which Thou hast 
created me — Thy glory and my eternal salvation. Help 
me, O God, to keep this end in view, enlighten my spirit, 
and incline my will toward the calling I should choose. 

Before proceeding to my decision, I will with Thy 
help behold present to me in heaven the throne of the 
most Holy Trinity, of my Redeemer and Saviour, the 
most blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, the saints, and all 
the elect of God. 

May my resolution have their approval and assent! 
Above all, O my Creator and my God, I beseech Thee 
to communicate Thyself to my soul, and to bind it by 
ever closer ties to Thee and to Thy holy service. 

Grant me the grace to come to my decision and to act — 
as I should act if I were now at the hour of my death — as 
I should counsel another, a stranger, or a friend, to act 
under similar circumstances to mine — to decide as at the 
day of judgment, before Thy tribunal, I should then 
wish I had now decided. 

Before all, O my God, impress well upon my mind 
this important maxim, that the measure of my progress 
in spiritual things will be that of my abnegation of self, 
and that so much the more as I shall go out of myself, as 
I shall trample on my self-love, my self-will, my natural 
disposition, as I shall ignore and leave behind me that 




106 The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 

self, so much the more closely shall I approach to Thee, 
be united to and resemble Thee. 

O Lord, if Thou hast approved of my decision, if it is 
agreeable to Thee, accept and bless it, confirm me in it, 
and grant to me steadfastly to persevere in it, in peace of 
mind, without regrets or doubts, to Thy greater honor 
and glory. Amen. 

14. 

PRAYER IN DESOLATION. 

Y Lord and my God, I am tempted and in desola- 
tion; my soul is sad and languishes within me; 
my spirit droops; I am as if separated from Thee, with- 
out hope, without love. I am anxious, agitated, and 
uneasy; my heart is troubled. I am tormented, I falter, 
I am languid, overwhelmed, and weary with the conflict. 
Inferior and terrestrial things are enticing me, they charm 
and draw me to them. • 

O my God, help! come to my assistance, give me 
courage, give me strength, allow me not to be overcome 
by the assaults of the evil one ; discover to me his snares 
and artifices. 

If Thou hast left me, it is because I have been tepid 
and negligent in my exercises of piety. My faults have 
deprived me of Thy consolations. 

Perhaps also it is that Thou wiliest to show me how 
little I can do when left to myself — how little I can do 
alone, for Thy service, for Thy glory — how weak and 
powerless I am when deprived of Thy aid. Or Thou 
art proving me; Thou wiliest to see how I employ my- 
self for Thy service and glory when Thou dost not be- 
stow on me every day the rewards of Thy Spirit in gifts 
and sensible graces. Thou desirest to prove what I am, 
and if I se^ve Thee for Thyself, or only for the reward 
of Thy divine consolations. Or perhaps Thou wiliest 
to detach my heart from a certain self-confidence, and 
thus to hold it back from the pitfall of pride and self- 




The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 107 



love, so dangerous to our salvation; to forbid it to seek 
elsewhere than in Thyself its repose, its security, and its 
peace. 

But what I do know is, that with Thy grace, which 
Thou wilt never refuse me, and of which Thou wilt never 
deprive me although I may not always be sensible or 
conscious of its presence, I shall be able to resist and 
overcome all my enemies; therefore, establishing my 
confidence on Thy divine strength, I will not lose courage. 

It only remains for me to humble myself, to abase 
myself to the very dust at the sight of my nothingness, 
and to persevere in my former resolutions made in the 
day of consolation, awaiting in patience and calm for, 
and looking with hope and confidence to, Thy next visit; 
for I know that the day of desolation will pass, and that 
consolation will not be long in coming. 

Give me patience and hope, give me the courage to 
remain fixed in my resolutions, to attack and fight with 
the enemy without making any change in my former 
decisions; but, in order to dissipate this desolation, let 
me change myself, by being more recollected, more atten- 
tive, more silent, more mortified ; above all, by applying 
myself more fervently to prayer and meditation. 



IS- 

PRAYER THAT WE MAY UNITE OURSELVES WITH THE 
SUFFERINGS OF OUR LORD. 

*Z3f T the foot of the cross I ask of Thee, O my God, 
the grace which I should first of all seek to obtain 
in considering the Passion of Our Lord. I ask an in- 
tense sorrow with Jesus Christ overwhelmed by sorrows; 
I ask for a broken heart in union with the Sacred Heart 
of Jesus Christ in its agony. I beg of Thee tears to weep 
over the grief of Jesus Christ, a deep and sincere sympa- 
thy and compassion for the sufferings of Jesus Christ, 



io8 The Spiritual Exercises of St, Ignatius. 

and a lasting remembrance of all the profound sorrows 
and pains He endured for me. 

I beg of Thee, O God, a lively contrition for my sins, 
and for the agony and sufferings they have caused Our 
Lord, and a tender love for Jesus Christ suffering — for 
me. 

Ah, it is for my sins, my Lord Jesus Christ, that Thou 
dost advance to meet these torments. I have looked 
upon Thy bruised and wounded body, I have listened to 
Thy words in Thy affliction and distress, so full of tender- 
ness and love, so full of sorrow and of pain; I have fol- 
lowed Thee along all the paths of Jerusalem: — from the 
room of the Last Supper to the Garden of Gethsemane, 
from the Garden of Gethsemane to the house of Caiphas, 
the high priest, from the high priest to Pilate, from Pilate 
to Herod, from Herod back to the Roman governor, 
from the governor's hall to Calvary, and there I have 
gazed on Thee nailed to the cross! 

Behold what Thou hast suffered, O my God ! and Thou 
wouldst suffer it all again and still more for me were it 
necessary! So great is Thy love that it is, as it were, 
more insatiable and cruel to Thyself than even the hate 
of Thy executioners! 

May my eyes pour forth tears at this sad sight! O my 
soul, let the waters of tribulation overwhelm thee; — 
make every effort, strive with thyself, if necessary, to 
keep alone before thy sight thy crucified Saviour, to 
compassionate Him, to mourn, to sorrow, to lament and 
bewail with Jesus crucified. 

Where, O where is Thy Divinity hidden, O my Jesus? 
why does not it arise to scatter and annihilate all Thy 
enemies ? Why does it permit Thy most holy Humanity 
to suffer such indignities, such excruciating torments, 
torments beyond all bound and measure? 

O God, I realize it! All these terrible sufferings are 
necessary for the effacing of my sins! Behold to what a 
state they have reduced Thee! Behold what Thy love 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 109 

has found needful to suffer for me! What does it now 
behoove me to suffer for Thee? 

Consider, my soul, what- gifts thou wilt offer at the 
foot of the cross: what wilt thou do and suffer for Thy 
God. 

How can I refuse aught to Thee, my Lord and my 
Creator, Who hast done and suffered so much for my 
sake; Thou hast given all Thou hast to me; Thou hast 
given Thy labor, Thy toil, Thy thoughts, Thy love, 
Thy life, the very last drop of Thy Heart's blood for me. 
Ah ! let me give Thee all I have — all my affections, all 
my love, all my desires, my whole heart, my work, my 
efforts, my sorrows, my joys, my life, my whole self. 

16. 

PRAYER TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST RISEN FROM THE 

DEAD. 

RANT me, O Jesus, the grace I seek in this medi- 
tation on Thy glorious Resurrection; it is that I 
may rejoice with Thee, that I may exult over, and par- 
ticipate in, Thy joy and Thy glory. 

How beautiful art Thou, O my well-beloved! How 
beautiful and radiant are the wounds in Thy hands and 
Thy feet! And still more beautiful and still more radiant 
is the wound in Thy Sacred Heart! What ineffable sweet- 
ness, what light in Thy words! Happy Peter, happy 
Magdalen! still happier thou, O blessed Mother of Our 
Lord, united to Him in the glory of His triumph ! 

Let me contemplate, O my Jesus, the splendor of 
Thy Divinity. It seemed to hide itself during Thy 
Passion, but now that Thou art risen, how clearly does 
it shine, how evident it is to me as I recognize and con- 
fess it, and the truth and holiness of Thy presence, and 
of Thy apparitions which brought such peace and con- 
solation with them! 




no The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 

What so overjoys and fills me with gratitude in con- 
templating Thee, O Lord Jesus, is the loving care Thou 
hast to bring consolation to Thy servants. This tender 
care and loving thought for those who are Thine fills 
me with a great joy, and deep love and gratitude. O 
Jesus Christ, the Consoler, Thou Who so well knowest 
how to fulfil this office, this royal ministry of Thy love; 
how immense is the difference, how great the contrast 
between what friends can say to console their friends, 
and what Thou sayest and dost to console Thy disciples ! 

divine Consoler, be Thou my consoler! Give to me 
that true consolation, that consolation which is the in- 
crease of faith, of hope, and of charity. 

1 congratulate thee, O most holy Virgin Mother, on 
thy happiness, and I participate in thy joy. 

Regina Cceli. 

I adore Thee, O Jesus, in the glory of Thy Resurrec- 
tion, in the immutability of Thy beatitude, and I con- 
secrate myself to Thee anew, my Saviour and my King. 
Glory be to the Father. 

17. 

PRAYER TO EXCITE LOVE FOR GOD. 

f~\ LORD, I ask of Thee the grace to realize intimately 
the greatness and excellence of Thy blessed bene- 
fits which Thou hast so lavishly poured forth on me ; I 
beg of Thee that I may realize the full extent of Thy 
generosity, the prodigality of Thy Heart, so that measur- 
ing my gratitude by Thy marvellous generosity, it may 
make that return which justice and love require by serv- 
ing Thee in and by Thy gifts, and consecrating myself to 
Thy love and service. 

It is from Thee that I have received the benefits of 
creation, and all those special gifts of grace which never 
fail me in my dangers and my difficulties. How good 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 1 1 1 

hast Thou been to me in particular — above so many 
others, who are more worthy than I am. 

Let me reflect upon the past! Thy love, never sat- 
isfied with giving, would always give more. Ah, my 
God, I am confident, I know that in Thy love Thou wilt 
never be satisfied, until Thou hast given me Thyselj 
entirely and for ever in heaven. 

And now in my turn, what can I do for Thee ? What 
is meet, just, and right that I should offer to Thy 
divine Majesty? I have nothing of myself, I hold all 
from God; what else, then, can I do but offer Thee all 
that I have, all that I am? 

Suscipe, Domine : Take, O Lord, and receive my 
entire liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my 
whole will. All that I am, all that I have, Thou hast 
given me, and I restore it all to Thee, to be dis- 
posed of according to Thy good pleasure. Give me 
only Thy love and Thy grace; with these I am rich 
enough, and I desire nothing more. 

But Thou art present, Thou dwellest in all these Thy 
benefits, in all creatures, in myself. It is Thou who 
didst create and dost give existence to the elements; 
Thou who causest them to be — Thou who dost give 
life to the plants, and causest them to grow. Thou who 
hast given to animals sensation. Thou who hast given 
man intelligence, the power of thought, an immortal soul. 
Thus Thou hast united all Thy gifts and given them all 
to me, life, sensation, reason. I have been created in 
Thy likeness, and am as an image of Thy divine Majesty. 
In the most noble and excellent manner Thou dwellest 
in me, Thou dost dwell in me as in Thy temple, as in a 
sanctuary, seeing in me Thine own image, and finding 
in me an intelligence, capable of knowing and loving 
Thee. What then can I do to honor in His gifts Him 
Who presents them to me and Who maintains them by 
His power? What can I do except treat them with an 
infinite respect, and walk always in the presence of God, 



ii2 The Spiritual Exercises of St, Ignatius. 

thinking and acting in His presence which surrounds 
and penetrates even within me. 

Thou, my Benefactor, art always with me; Thou art 
more intimately united to me than is my soul to my 
body; help me then, O my God, help me to keep myself 
before Thee as a child in the presence of a tenderly-loved 
father, studying the slightest sign of Thy will and Thy 
wish. 

O my God, not only dost Thou dwell in the whole of 
creation, not only art Thou present in the entire uni- 
verse, but Thou dost act continually in all Thy creatures, 
and dost work in them for ever, for my service. 

Yes! divine Artificer, Thine infinite power, occupy- 
ing itself in the heavens, the elements, the fruits of the 
earth, becomes as it were the servant of my needs; Thou 
dost light my path, enlighten me with the light of day; 
Thou dost nourish me with the productions of the earth, 
and serve me by each one of the creatures I use! Thy 
bounty, wisdom, and power, are placed at my service, 
and exercised for my wants and pleasures. 

Help me, O my God, to serve Thee, acting always 
solely for Thee, and in Thy presence, uniting w r ork with 
recollection, calm contemplation of Thee with activity 
in Thy service; let me think always of Thee, but with- 
out ceasing to act, and let me act, but in such a manner 
as not to be distracted and without ceasing to think of 
Thee. That I may attain to this perfection in all that 
I do, grant that I may seek but one end in the diversity 
of my occupations — Thy good pleasure and holy will, 
O my God. 

So Thou art in all these gifts which I receive from 
Thee; it is in them and by them that Thou dost serve 
me. 

Behind the veil of these creatures I discern Thy fa- 
therly hand which presents them to me, and fashions them 
to my service. If then, they come from Thee to me, it 
is but just that from me they should return to Thee. It is 



The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 1 1 3 

with this intent that I have offered all to Thee; for the 
future I will to see in creatures only the good and useful 
means they may offer of serving and praising Thee, and 
to use them only so long as, and inasmuch as, they shall 
serve to this end. I will to be detached from creatures 
and myself; this double detachment will give me true 
liberty of spirit, which consists in being no longer bound 
either to creatures or myself, and in reposing perfectly 
and solely on Thy love. 

I will to be detached from creatures because they have 
only very limited perfections; the mo'st perfect being 
but as a weak and rude image of Thy perfections. What 
they have of the good and beautiful is but an emanation 
of Thy Divinity, which rests on them as the rays of the 
sun rest on the moon and glorify it; but as the moon is 
pale in the presence of the sun, shining as it does with 
but a borrowed light, so creatures have but a very faint 
reflection of Thy perfections. 

I will to be detached from myself, because all my being 
and happiness depend not on myself but on Thee; if I 
leave myself I shall find Thee, and in Thee I find as in 
their source and in an infinite degree all perfections. In 
'Thee and in Thee alone shall I find my happiness and 
my being. "Thou hast made us, O Lord, for Thyself, 
and our hearts can not rest until they rest in Thee" (St. 
Augustine). Thou hast said, O Lord: "He that loveth 
his life shall lose it: and he that hateth his life in this 
world, keepeth it unto life eternal" (John xii. 25). 

O give me then, my Lord, this perfect detachment, 
since in that state my soul will be absolutely indifferent 
to all that is not Thee. I shall then have but one thought 
— to please Thee in all my actions ; but one desire — soon 
to quit this world, in order fully to possess Thee, my God, 
in heaven. 

The little that I am flows from a Being so infinitely 
elevated above me ; from Thee, O eternal Source, descend 
justice, comfort, sweetness, piety, gentleness, goodness. 



ii4 The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 

pour down into my soul Thy gifts, inundate me with 
Thy perfections, and grant me such entire conformity 
to Thy will that I may attain to perfect repose in Thee. 

O living Light, O heavenly Sun, the source from 
whence proceed all those beams of light which illuminate 
the souls of the saints, flooding them with an effulgence 
of celestial radiance, let me be engulfed and lose myself 
in Thee! May I forget myself, and leave myself; may 

1 strip myself of all love of creatures to love Thee alone, 
my Creator and my God. May I leave both creatures 
and myself in order to attach myself only to Thee, my 
Lord and my God. May I see Thee alone in the whole 
of creation, serving Thee and Thee only, reposing and 
rejoicing for ever in Thy most holy will. Amen. 

PETITIONS FOR GRACES. 

O Father, O Son, O Holy Ghost! 

O Most Holy Trinity! O Jesus! O Mary! 

Ye blessed angels, and all ye saints of paradise, obtain 
for me these graces, which I ask through the merits of 
the most precious blood of Jesus Christ. 

1. Always to do the will of God. 

2. To be always in union with God. 

3. To think only of God. 

4. To love God alone. 

5. To do everything for God. 

6. To seek only the glory of God. 

7. To make myself a saint for God's sake alone. 

8. To know my own nothingness. 

9. To know more clearly the will of God. 
10. {Insert what you specially desire?) 

O most holy Mary, offer to the eternal Father the 
most precious blood of Jesus Christ for my soul, for 
the holy souls in purgatory, for the needs of holy Church, 
for the conversion of sinners, and for the whole world. 



"5 



Spiritual Exercises in tbe flDornincj* 



I. Aspirations and Invocations. 
II, Mental Prayer. 
III. Vocal Prayer. 

©n Bwafung anD Bttstng* 

Aspirations. 

In the name of the Father ^ , and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

THE ANGELIC TRISAGION. 

ANCTUS, Sanctus, hp^ OLY, holy, holy, Lord 
Sanctus, Dominus Deus God of hosts: the earth 

exercituum: Plena est terra is full of Thy glory. Glory be 

gloria tua: Gloria Patri, to the Father, glory be to the 

gloria Filio, gloria Spiritui Son, glory be to the Holy 

Sancto. Ghost. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Clement XIV., June 6, 
1769. 

Omnia ad major em Dei gloriam! 

prater wbtle Wvee&lng. 

OLOTHE me, my Lord, with the robe of innocence; 
invest me, O most loving Jesus, true Spouse of 
my soul, with the wedding-garment of charity. Per- 
mit not that I appear stripped of good works before Thy 
face. Let me ever be loyal to Thee, and faithful to my 
promises. 

117 




n8 Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



Or, the following may be said: 

aLOTHE me, my Lord, with the robe of innocence, 
and adorn my heart, O divine Spouse of my soul, 
with all the virtues that are pleasing to Thee ; especially 
with humility, obedience, purity, charity, and an exact 
fidelity to my holy rules and vows. 

putting on tbc Ibafnt, 

f\ GOOD Jesus, divine Spouse of my soul, I thank 
v ^ Thee for this cherished token of my allegiance 
to Thee; and I beseech Thee, that, with Thy grace, I 
may preserve unsullied the wedding-garment with which 
Thou didst invest my soul on the blessed day of my con- 
secration to Thee. 

In. spirit cast yourself into the Sacred Heart of Jesus and say- 
some ejaculatory prayer. 

prater of St. ©ertru&e on Bwafcing* 

Our divine Lord said to St. Mechtilde: When you awake in 
the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer 
Me your own. 

I ADORE, praise, and salute Thee, O most sweet Heart 
of Jesus Christ, fresh and gladdening as the breath 
of spring, from which, as from a fountain of graces, 
sweeter than the honeycomb floweth evermore all good 
and all delight. I thank Thee with all the powers of my 
heart for having preserved me throughout this night, 
and for having rendered to God the Father praises and 
thanksgivings on my behalf. And now, O my sweet 
Love, I offer Thee my wretched and worthless heart as 
a morning sacrifice ; I place it in Thy most tender Heart, 
and entrust it to Thy keeping; beseeching Thee that 
Thou wouldst deign to pour into it Thy divine inspira- 
tions, and to enkindle it with Thy holy love. Amen. 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 119 



Iprager of Messed /Ifcar^aret /IfcarE* 

I BELIEVE that my Redeemer liveth, and that I shall 
rise again on the last day. Grant, O my God, that 
my resurrection be a glorious one. This hope rests 
in my heart. Replenish it, O God, so copiously with 
Thyself, that space be no longer found therein for crea- 
tures, for myself, or for earthly things. Permit me not, O 
Jesus, to fall from bodily into spiritual sleep, but awaken 
my heart, my spirit, and my will unto Thy love, in which 
I desire to persevere, like the angels, without interrup- 
tion. O my divine Spouse, unite me so intimately with 
Thee that nothing shall be able to sever me from Thee. 
Thou art my life, my treasure, and my sole consolation. 
Let external occupations withdraw me not a moment 
from Thy holy presence, but let them rather be the means 
of a closer union with Thee. 

r\ SACRED Heart of Jesus! O Heart of love! Wilt 
Thou have my poor heart ? Take it, and plunge 
it into Thy Heart, that burning furnace of divine love, 
that it may be inflamed with charity. 

MOST amiable Heart! I love Thee because Thou 
art goodness itself. I offer Thee my heart and 
my whole being, in order to honor and glorify Thee now 
and for ever. Let me never displease Thee; help me ever 
to do what is most pleasing to Thee. 

EJACULATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

AY the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sac- 
rament be praised, adored, and loved with grate- 
ful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of 
the world, even to the end of time. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Feb. 29, 1868. 




120 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



/IBorning Invocations anfc Salutations. 

ORDINARY. 

V. Venite, adoremus Do- V. Come, let us adore the 
mmum, qui fecit nos. Lord, Who made us. 

R. Venite, adoremus. R. Come, let us adore 

Him. 

EXTRAORDINARY. 

On Christmas Day. 

V. Christus natus est no- V. Christ is born to us; 
bis; venite, adoremus. come, let us adore Him. 

R. Venite, adoremus. R. Come, let us adore Him. 

On Maundy Thursday. 

Christus factus est pro no- Christ became obedient for 
bis obediens usque ad mor- us unto death, 
tern. 

On Good Friday and Holy Saturday. 

Christus factus est pro Christ became obedient for 
nobis obediens usque ad mor- us unto death; even the death 
tern; mortem autem crucis. of the cross. 

On Easter Day. 

V. Surrexit Dominus vere, V. The Lord is risen in- 
Alleluia. deed, Alleluia. 

R. Alleluia, Alleluia. R. Alleluia, Alleluia. 

On Ascension Djy. 

V. Alleluia; Christum Do- V. Alleluia; come, let us 

minum ascendentem in cce- adore Christ, our Lord, as- 

lum; venite, adoremus, Alle- cending into heaven, Alleluia, 
luia. 

R. Venite, adoremus, Alle- R. Come, let us adore 

luia. Him, Alleluia. 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



121 



On Pentecost. 

V. Alleluia, Spiritus Do-- V. Alleluia, the Spirit of 
mini replevit orbem terrarum; the Lord hath rilled the whole 
venite, adoremus, Alleluia. earth; come, let us adore 

Him, Alleluia. 

R. Venite, adoremus, Alle- R. Come, let us adore Him, 
luia. Alleluia. 

©racers before /HbeDltatlom 

(For your selection.) 

/~\ MY God, I firmly believe that Thou art here pres- 
ent. Thou dost penetrate my heart, and dwell 
therein as in Thy living temple. I offer Thee my pro- 
found adoration and beseech Thee to give me the grace 
of perfect union with Thee now and for ever. Amen. 

My Lord, I can do nothing of myself; I can not even 
have a good thought; therefore I beseech Thee, in this 
meditation, to direct all the powers of my soul to Thy 
service and glory, and to my sanctification. Amen. 

ANOTHER PREPARATORY PRAYER. 

Y God, I firmly believe Thou art everywhere pres- 
ent, and seest ail things. Thou seest me in 
all my actions; Thou seest me in this, my meditation. 
I bow down before Thee and worship Thy divine majesty 
with my whole being. Cleanse my heart from all vain, 
wicked, and distracting thoughts. Enlighten my under- 
standing and inflame my will, that I may pray with 
reverence, attention, and devotion. 

My Lord and my Creator! look graciously on Thy 
child, the work of Thy hands, and mercifully grant me 
the help of Thy grace, that all my intentions and acts 
during this meditation may be directed purely to the 
service and praise of Thy divine majesty; through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 




122 Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



ANOTHER FORM OF PRAYER BEFORE MEDITATION. 

Pater and Ave. 

f\ MY God, I believe that Thou art here truly present ; 

that Thy divine eyes penetrate the secrets of my 
heart. Thou seest all its miseries. 

/ adore Thee in union with holy Mary, all the angels 
and saints, and all holy souls upon earth. 

/ deeply grieve for all my sins, especially for those 
which wound Thy Sacred Heart, and render my heart 
most unlike Thine. 

/ offer Thee, O Lord, all I possess: my soul with all 
its faculties, my body with all its senses. Miserable as 
this offering is, my God, it is all I have; and in return I 
ask the light of the Holy Spirit, that I may know Thy 
will — and Thy grace, that I may do it. 

/ beseech Thee, grant that I may draw fruit from this 
prayer. Holy Mary, blessed Mother of Jesus, refuge of 
poor sinners, and my dear Mother, pray for me. 

St. Joseph, St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. 

A SHORT PREPARATORY PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART. 

f~\ MY Jesus, I desire to enter into Thy Sacred Heart, 
and to make my prayer there, that I may pray 
with Thee and through Thee, and adore the Father in 
spirit and in truth. I desire to unite myself as closely 
as possible to this source of all graces and blessings, 
that my heart may be inflamed, my mind enlightened, 
and all my deficiencies supplied. Amen. 

PRAYER TO THE HOLY GHOST BEFORE MEDITATION. 

aOME, O Holy Spirit! fill the hearts of Thy faith- 
ful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. 
V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created. 
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 123 
Let us pray. 

/~\ GOD, Who has taught the hearts of the faithful 
by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that by the 
gift of the same Spirit we may be always truly wise, and 
ever rejoice in His consolation through Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

ETERNAL Father! shed upon us, we beseech 
Thee, the plenitude of Thy divine Spirit, and 
grant us an entire and perfect submission to the inspi- 
rations of Thy grace. We renounce every thought and 
affection which may withdraw us from Thy adorable 
presence, and we most earnestly implore, through the 
merits and sufferings of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as also 
through the intercession of His immaculate Mother 
Mary, of our guardian angels, and of our patron saints, 
that this meditation may be conducive to Thy greater 
glory, and to our eternal salvation. 

praters after Aefcitation* 

(For your selection.} 

OFFERING OF THE RESOLUTIONS. 

Y God, I offer Thee these resolutions : that I may 
be faithful to them, I must have Thy blessing. 
From Thy goodness, then, I hope to obtain this blessing, 
which I ask of Thee in the name and through the merits 
of Jesus, my divine Saviour. 

Holy Virgin, Mother of my God, who art also my 
Mother, my guardian angel, and my holy patron saints, 
obtain for me the grace to keep these resolutions with 
perfect fidelity. 

THANKSGIVING AFTER MEDITATION. 

f~\ MY God, I most humbly thank Thee for having 
permitted me to be so long in Thy holy presence, 
although so unworthy. I thank Thee for the lights 




124 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



and good affections which I have received from Thy 
Holy Spirit. I beg Thy pardon for the distractions 
which I have had during this meditation. I consecrate 
anew to Thee my whole being, my thoughts, my words, 
and my actions. 

O holy Virgin Mary, my dear Mother and my good 
Patroness, obtain for me from Jesus, thy Son, the grace 
to put my good resolutions into practice. O my good 
angel, my holy patrons, and all ye saints, pray for me, 
that I may preserve in my heart the truths upon which 
I have meditated, and that I may regulate my life in 
accordance with them. Amen. 

ANOTHER FORM OF PRAYER AFTER MEDITATION. 

C\ MY God, I give Thee heartfelt thanks for all the 
graces and for all the light Thou hast conferred 
on me during this meditation. Pardon me, I beseech 
Thee, all the negligence and all the distractions of which 
I have been guilty. Give me strength to carry out the 
resolutions that I have made. Fortify me, that from 
henceforth I may diligently practise this virtue . . . 
avoid this fault . . . perform this action ... to Thy 
honor. Help me to do this, O sweet Virgin Mary; and 
do thou, my good angel, recall these good resolutions 
to my memory, if I should ever forget or neglect them. 
Omnia ad majorem Dei gloriam ! 

Anima Christi. 

ASPIRATIONS. 



NIMA Christi, sancti- 
fica me. 
Corpus Christi, salva me. 
Sanguis Christi, inebria me. 
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me. 




OUL of Christ, sanctify 
me. 



Body of Christ, save me. 
Blood of Christ, inebriate me. 
Water from the side of Christ, 
wash me. 




Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



I2 5 



Passio Christi, conforta me. 

O bone Jesu, exaudi me. 
Intra tua vulnera absconde 
me. 

Ne permittas me separari a 
te. 

Ab hoste maligno defende 
me. 

In hora mortis meae voca me, 

Et jube me venire ad te, 
Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem 
te. 

In saecula saeculorum. Amen. 
Indulgence of 300 days, every 



Passion of Christ, strengthen 
me. 

O good Jesus, hear me. 
Within Thy* wounds hide me. 

Permit me not to be separated 

from Thee. 
From the malignant enemy 

defend me. 
In the hour of my death call 

me, 

And bid me come to Thee, 
That, with Thy saints, I may 

praise Thee 
For ever and ever. Amen. 

time. — Pius IX., Jan. 9, 1854. 



Suscipe of 5 

SUSCIPE, Domine, uni- 
versam meam liberta- 
tem. Accipe memoriam, in- 
tellectum atque voluntatem 
omnem. Quidquid habeo vel 
possideo, mihi largitus es; id 
tibi totum restituo ac tuae 
prorsus voluntati trado guber- 
nandum. Amorem tui solum 
cum gratia tua mihi dones et 
dives sum satis, nec aliud quid- 
quam ultra posco. 



i Ignatius. 

AKE, O Lord, and re- 
ceive all my liberty, 
my memory, my understand- 
ing, and my whole will. Thou 
hast given me all that I am 
and all that I possess; I sur- 
render it all to Thee, that 
Thou mayest dispose of it 
according to Thy will. Give 
me only Thy love and Thy 
grace; with these I will be 
rich enough, and will have 
no more to desire. 



Indulgence of 300 davs, once a day. — Leo XIII., May 26, 

1883. 



126 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



/Iftotnlng ©racers* 

In the name of the Father ^, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Place Yourself in the Presence oj God, and adore His 
holy Name. 

OST holy and adorable Trinity, one God in three 
Persons, I believe that Thou art here present; I 
adore Thee with the deepest humility, and render to Thee, 
with my whole heart, the homage which is due to Thy 
sovereign majesty. Blessed be the holy and undivided 
Trinity, now and for ever. Amen. 

AN ACT OF FAITH. 

r\ MY God, I firmly believe that Thou art one God 
in three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost; I believe that Thy divine Son became man, 
and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the 
living and the dead. I believe these, and all the truths 
which the holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou 
hast revealed them, Who canst neither deceive nor be 
deceived. 

AN ACT OF HOPE. 

^\ MY God, relying on Thy infinite power, goodness, 
and promises, I hope to obtain the pardon of my 
sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through 
the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. 

AN ACT OF LOVE. 

S~\ MY God, I love Thee above all things, and with 
my whole heart, because Thou art all-good and 
worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself 
for the love of Thee. 




Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 127 



AN ACT OF CONTRITION. 

S~\ MY God, for the love of Thee, I heartily detest 
my sins. I am truly sorry for having offended 
Thee, because Thou art infinitely good. I firmly re- 
solve never to offend Thee again, and by the help of 
Thy grace to amend my life. 

Thank God jor all Favors and Offer Yourself to Him. 
Y God, Thou hast made me out of nothing, 
Thou hast redeemed me by the death of Thy 
Son, Thou hast sanctified me by the grace of Thy Holy 
Spirit, Thou hast favored me by a call to the religious 
life, Thou has sent me so many blessings through the 
Holy Eucharist, Thou hast preserved me and brought 
me happily to the beginning of another day: I thank 
Thee, my Lord, most humbly and earnestly for these 
benefits and for all the graces which Thou hast bestowed 
upon me. I offer and consecrate to Thee my whole 
being, and in particular all my thoughts, words, actions, 
and sufferings this day, beseeching Thee that through 
the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, my Saviour, they may 
all be pleasing and acceptable in Thy sight. May Thy 
divine love animate them, and may they all tend to 
Thy greater glory. 

Resolve to Avoid Sin and to Practise Virtue. 
DORABLE Jesus, my Saviour and Master, model 
of all perfection, I resolve and will endeavor this 
day to imitate Thy example, to be, like Thee, mild, hum- 
ble, chaste, obedient, charitable, and resigned. I will 
redouble my efforts that I may not fall this day into any of 
those sins which I have heretofore committed {here name 
any besetting sin), and which I sincerely desire to forsake. 

Ask God for the Necessary Graces. 
/~\ MY God, Thou knowest my poverty and weakness, 
and that I am unable to do anything good with- 
out Thee; deny me not, O God, the help of Thy grace; 





128 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



proportion it to my necessities; give me strength to 
avoid anything evil which Thou forbiddest, and to prac- 
tise the good which Thou hast commanded; and enable 
me to bear patiently all the trials which it may please 
Thee to send me. 

Let us pray for the Holy Church. 

f~\ GOD, hear our prayers in behalf of our holy 
Father, Pope. . . ., our bishops, our clergy, and for 
all that are in authority over us. Bless all Religious; 
bless the whole Catholic Church; convert all heretics 
and unbelievers; have mercy upon our country. Pour 
down Thy blessings, O Lord, upon all our friends, rela- 
tives, and benefactors. Help the poor and sick, and 
those who are in their last agony. O God of mercy 
and goodness, have compassion on the souls of the 
faithful in purgatory; put an end to their sufferings; 
and grant to all those for whom we are particularly 
bound to pray, eternal light, rest, and happiness. 

V. Requiem asternam dona eis, Domine; 

R. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. 
Amen. 

THE LORD'S PRAYER. 

ATER noster, qui es in /^|UR Father, Who art in 

ccelis, sanctificetur no- heaven, hallowed be 

men tuum: adveniat regnum Thy name: Thy kingdom 

tuum: fiat voluntas tua, sicut come: Thy will be done on 

in coelo, et in terra. Panem earth, as it is in heaven. Give 

nostrum quotidianum da no- us this day our daily bread: 

bis hodie: et dimitte nobis and forgive us our trespasses, 

debita nostra, sicut et nos di- as we forgive those who tres- 

mittimus debitoribus nostris. pass against us. And lead 

Et ne nos inducas in tenta- us not into temptation: but 

tionem: sed libera nos a malo. deliver us from evil. Amen. 
Amen. 




Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



129 



THE HAIL MARY. 

VE, Maria, gratia plena; *~p^ AIL, Mary, full of grace; 
Dominus tecum; bene- the Lord is with thee; 

dicta tu in mulieribus, et be- blessed art thou among 

nedictus fructus ventris tui, women, and blessed is the 

Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 

Dei, ora pro nobis peccatori- Holy Mary, Mother of God, 

bus, nunc et in hora mortis pray for us sinners, now and 

nostrae. Amen. at the hour of our death. 

•Amen. 




THE APOSTLES CREED. 

a REDO in Deum, Pa- Y BELIEVE in God, the 
trem omnipotentem, c-"-» Father Almighty, Creator 
Creatorem cceli et terrae; et of heaven and earth; and in 
in Jesum Christum, Filium Jesus Christ, His only Son, 
ejus unicum, Dominum no- our Lord : Who was conceived 
strum: qui conceptus est de by the Holy Ghost, born of 
Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Ma- the Virgin Mary, suffered 
ria Virgine, passus sub Pon- under Pontius Pilate, was em- 
tio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, cined, died, and was buried, 
et sepultus. Descendit ad in- He descended into hell; the 
feros; tertia die resurrexit a third day He rose again from 
mortuis; ascendit ad ccelos, the dead; He ascended into 
sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris heaven, sitteth at the right 
omnipotentis; inde venturus hand of God, the Father 
est judicare vivos et mortuos. Almighty; from thence He 
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, shall come to judge the living 
Sanctam Ecclesiam Catholi- and the dead. I believe in 
cam, sanctorum communio- the Holy Ghost, the holy 
nem, remissionem peccato- Catholic Church, the com- 
rum, carnis resurrectionem, munion of saints, the forgive- 
vitam seternam. Amen. ness of sins, the resurrection 

of the body, and the life ever- 
lasting. Amen. 

Make the intention to gain all the indulgences you can this 
day by your prayers and good works. 



130 Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



Ask the Prayers of the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, your 
Guardian Angel, and your Patron Saint. 

OLY Virgin, Mother of God, my Mother and Pa- 
troness, I place myself under thy protection, I 
throw myself with confidence into the arms of thy com- 
passion. Be to me, O Mother of mercy, my refuge in 
distress, my consolation under suffering, my advocate 
with thy adorable Son, now and at the hour of my death. 

INVOCATION TO ST. JOSEPH. 

ELP us, Joseph, in our earthly strife, 
E'er to lead a pure and blameless life. 

Indulgence of 300 davs, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 18, 
1882. 

NGEL of God, my guardian dear, 
To whom His love commits me here, 
Ever this day be at my side, 
To light and guard, to rule and guide. 

Amen. 

O GREAT saint whose name I bear, protect me, 
pray for me, that like thee I may serve God 
faithfully on earth, and glorify Him eternally with thee 
in heaven. Amen. 






PRAISES TO THE WILL OF GOD. 

BIAT, laudetur, atque in {T\AY the most just, most 

aeternum superexalte- N' -* high, most adorable 

tur justissima, altissima et will of God be in all things 

amabilissima voluntas Dei in done, and praised, and for 

omnibus. ever magnified. 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 1 3 1 



INVOCATIONS. 

77 ESUS, have mercy on us. 

c/ Jesus, have mercy on us. 

Holy Mother of God, pray for us. 

All ye holy angels, pray for us. 

Holy apostles, pray for us. 

Holy martyrs, pray for us. 

Holy confessors, pray for us. 

Holy virgins, pray for us. 

St. Joseph, pray for us. 

St. John Baptist, pray for us. 

St. Benedict, pray for us. 

St. Dominic, pray for us. 

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us. 

St. Ignatius, pray for us. 

St. Vincent of Paul, pray for us. 

St. Francis of Sales, pray for us. 

St. Augustine, pray for us. 

St. Charles, pray for us. 

St. Bernard, pray for us. 

St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us. 

St. Francis Xavier, pray for us. 

St. Patrick, pray for us. 

St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us. 

St. Roch, pray for us. 

St. Teresa, pray for us. 

St. Gertrude, pray for us. 

St. Mechtilde, pray for us. 

St. Ursula and all your holy companions, pray for us. 

St. Hildegard, pray for us. 

St. Catharine, pray for us. 

St. Clara, pray for us. 

St. Angela Merici, pray for us. 

St. Jane Frances de Chantal, pray for us. 

St. Elizabeth. St. Rose, Bl. Margaret Mary, pray for us. 



132 Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 

All the holy founders and great saints of the Religious 

Orders, pray for us. 
May all the saints in heaven intercede with God for us.* 

LET US PRAY FOR OUR REVEREND MOTHER. 

V. f~\ LORD, save N.N., our reverend Mother; 
R. And hear our prayers in her behalf. 

Let ns pray. 

E beseech Thee, almighty and eternal God, grant 
to Thy servant, N.N.-, who, through Thy mercy, 
hath undertaken the government of this Congregation, 
the light of Thy Holy Spirit, and an increase of all 
virtues, that she may perform the works that are pleas- 
ing to Thee, and, being rendered acceptable in Thy 
sight, may come at length to Thee, Who art the way, the 
truth, and the life. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, 
Our Lord. Amen. 

Pater, Ave. 

IRenewal of IDows- 

I WISH, dear Jesus, to follow closely in Thy footsteps 
this day, carrying my cross — the cross of religious 
life — after Thee. I desire to fasten myself to the cross 
by renewing my holy vows of poverty, chastity, and 
obedience, so that I may resemble Thee more closely, 
my crucified Saviour, Who art the sweet Spouse of my 
soul. May all my actions, performed in union with 
Thee, be pleasing to the heavenly Father, as spring- 
ing from the tree of the cross, to which I nailed myself 
on the happy day on which I made these vows. Sweet 
cross! Thou art my joy and my salvation. 

* These Invocations may be either extended or curtailed at 
pleasure. 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning, 



J 33 



Sbort formula ot IRenovatton of IDows, 

LMIGHTY and eternal God, I renew and confirm 
with all my heart the vows of poverty, chastity, 
and obedience which I made at my profession, and I 
implore Thy grace to accomplish them perfectly. Amen. 

kORNING OFFERING OF THE " APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER.' * 

f\ MY God, I offer Thee my prayers, works, and suffer- 
ings this day, in union with the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus, for the intentions for which He pleads and offers 
Himself in holy Mass, in thanksgiving for Thy favors, 
in reparation for our offences, for the petitions of our 

associates, especially this month for 

(Name the General Intention for this month.) 

EJACULATION IX HONOR OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS 
IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

AY the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacra- 
ment be praised, adored, and loved with grate- 
ful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of 
the world, even to the end of time. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Feb. 29, 1868. 

A SHORT ACT OF COXSECRATIOX TO THE SACRED HEART 
OF JESUS. 

/T\Y loving Jesus! I, N.N., give Thee my heart, and 
I consecrate myself wholly to Thee, out of the 
grateful love I bear Thee, and as a reparation for all 
my unfaithfulness; and with Thy aid I purpose never 
to sin again. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day, if said before a picture of 
the Sacred Heart. — Pius VII., June 9, 1807. 





134 Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love! 
Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation! 

Instead of the preceding Invocations may be recited the 



iitang of tbe /Hbost 1bol£ mamc of Seaue, 



YRIE eleison. 



Christe eleison. 

Kyrie eleison. 

Jesu, audi nos. 

Jesu, exaudi nos. 

Pater de coelis Deus, 

Fili Redemptor mundi 

Deus. 
Spiritus Sancte Deus, 
Sancta Trinitas, unus 

Deus, 
Jesu, Fili Dei vivi, 

Jesu, splendor Patris, 

Jesu, candor lucis aeternae, 

Jesu, rex gloriae, 

Jesu, sol justitias, 

Jesu, fili Mariae Virginis, 

Jesu amabilis, 

Jesu admirabilis, 

Jesu, Deus fortis, 

Jesu, Pater futuri saeculi, 

Jesu, magni consilii angele, 

Jesu potentissime, 
Jesu patientissime, 
Jesu obedientissime, 
Jesu, mitis et humilis 

corde, 
Jesu, amator castitatis, 



* ■ \ ORD, have mercy on 
r^— * us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Jesus, hear us. 
Jesus, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, 
God the Son, Redeemer of 

the world, 
God the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 

Jesus, Son of the living 
God, 

Jesus, splendor of the Fa- 
ther, 

Jesus, brightness of eter- 
nal light, 
- Jesus, king of glory, 

' Jesus, sun of justice, 

Jesus, son of the Virgin 
Mary, 
, Jesus, most amiable, 
' Jesus, most admirable, 

Jesus, mighty God, 

Jesus, father of the world 
to come, 

Jesus, angel of the great 
council, 

Jesus, most powerful, 

Jesus, most patient, 

Jesus, most obedient, 

Jesus, meek and humble 
of heart, 

Jesus, lover of chastity, 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



135 



Jesu, amator noster, 
Jesu, Deus pacis, 
Jesu, auctor vitae, 
Jesu, exemplar virtutum, 
Jesu, zelator animarum, 
Jesu, Deus noster, 
Jesu, refugium nostrum, 
Jesu, Pater pauperum, 
Jesu, thesaure fidelium, 

Jesu, bone pastor, 
Jesu, lux vera, 
Jesu, sapientia aeterna, 
Jesu, bonitas infinita, 
Jesu, via et vita nostra, 

Jesu, gaudium angelorum, 
Jesu, rex patriarcharum, 
Jesu, magister apostolo- 
rum, 

Jesu, doctor evangelistar- 
um, 

Jesu, fortitudo martyrum, 

Jesu, lumen confessorum, 

Jesu, puritas virginum, 

Jesu, corona sanctorum 
omnium, 

Propitius esto, parce no- 
bis, Jesu. 

Propitius esto, exaudi nos, 
Jesu. _ 

Ab omni malo, 

Ab omni peccato, 

Ab ira tua, 

Ab insidiis diaboli, 



Jesus, lover of us, 
Jesus, God of peace, 
Jesus, author of life, 
Jesus, model of virtues, 
Jesus, zealous for souls, 
Jesus, our God, 
Jesus, our refuge, 
Jesus, father of the poor, 
Jesus, treasure of the faith- 
ful, 

Jesus, good shepherd, 

* Jesus, true light, 
Jesus, eternal wisdom, 
Jesus, infinite goodness, 
Jesus, our way and our 

: life, 

Jesus, joy of angels, 
Jesus, king of patriarchs, 
Jesus, master of apostles, 

Jesus, teacher of evange- 
lists, 

Jesus, strength of martyrs, 
Jesus, light of confessors, 
Jesus, purity of virgins, 
Jesus, crown of all saints, 



A spiritu fornicationis, 

A morte perpetua, 
A neglectu inspirationum 
tuarum, 



Be merciful, spare us> O 
Jesus. 

Be merciful, graciously hear 

us, O Jesus. 
From all evil, 
From all sin, 
£j From Thy wrath, 
I" From the snares of the 
I devil, 

I From the spirit of forni- 
V cation, 

« From everlasting death, 
From the neglect of Thy 
inspirations, 



136 Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



Per mysterium sanctae in- 

carnationis tuae, 
Per nativitatem tuam, 
Per infantiam tuam, 
Per divinissimam vitam 

tuam, 
Per labores tuos, 
Per agoniam et Passionem 

tuam, 

Per crucem et dereliction- 
em tuam, 
Per languores tuos, 



Per mortem et sepulturam 
tuam, 

Per resurrectionem tuam, 
Per ascensionem tuam, 
Per gaudia tua, 
Per gloriam tuam, 
Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- 

cata mundi, parce nobis, 

Jesu. 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- 
cata mundi, exaudi nos, 
Jesu. 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peo 
cata mundi, miserere 
nobis, Jesu. 

Jesu, audi nos. 

Jesu, exaudi nos. 



Through the mystery of 

Thy holy Incarnation, 
Through Thy nativity, 
Through Thine infancy, 
Through Thy most divine 
life, 

Through Thy labors, 
Through Thine agony and 

Passion, 
Through Thy cross and 

dereliction, 
Through Thy faintness 

and weariness, 
Through Thy death and 

burial, 

Through Thy Resurrection, 

Through Thine Ascension. 

Through Thy joys, 

Through Thy glory, 

Lamb of God, Who takest 
away the sins of the world, 
spare us, O Jesus. 

Lamb of God, Who takest 
away the sins of the world, 
graciously hear us, O Jesus. 

Lamb of God, Who takest 
away the sins of the world, 
have mercy on us, O Jesus. 

Jesus, hear us. 

Jesus, graciously hear us. 



Oremus. 
"-pvOMINE Jesu Christe, 
\J qui dixisti: Petite, et 
accipietis; quaerite, et inveni- 
etis; pulsate, et aperietur 
vobis, quaesumus; da nobis 
petentibus divinissimi tui 
amoris affectum, ut te toto 
corde, ore et opere diligamus, 



Let us pray. 

OLORD Jesus Christ, 
Who hast said: Ask, 
and ye shall receive; seek, and 
ye shall find; knock, and it 
shall be opened unto you; 
grant, we beseech Thee, unto 
us who ask, the gift of Thy 
most divine love, that we may 
ever love Thee with all our 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 137 



et a tua nunquam laude cesse- hearts, and in all our words 
mus. and actions, and never cease 

from showing forth Thy 

praise. 

Sancti Nominis tui, Do- Make us, O Lord, to have 
mine, timorem pariter et a perpetual fear and love of 
amorem fac nos habere per- Thy holy name; for Thou 
petuum, quia nunquam tua never failest to govern those 
gubernatione destituis quos whom Thou dost solidly es- 
in soliditate tuse dilectionis tablish in Thy love. Who 
instituis. Qui vivis et reg- livest and reignest, etc. 
nas, etc. Amen. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., Jan. 16, 1886. 
THE ANGELUS DOMINI. 

NGELUS Domini nun- /^HE angel of the Lord de- 
tiavit Mariae, et con- clared unto Mary, and 

cepit de Spiritu Sancto. she conceived of the Holy 

Ghost. 

Ave Maria, etc. Hail Mary, etc. 

Ecce ancilla Domini: fiat Behold the handmaid of 
mihi secundum verbum tuum. the Lord: be it done unto me 

according to thy word. 

Ave Maria, etc. Hail Mary, etc. 

Et verbum caro factum est, And the Word was made 
et habitavit in nobis. flesh, and dwelt among us. 

Ave Maria, etc. Hail Mary, etc. 

Or emus. Let us pray. 

RATIAM tuam, quae- *T£)OUR forth, we beseech 
sumus, Domine, men- A- Thee, O Lord! Thy 
tibus nostris infunde; ut qui, grace i nto our hearts, that we, 
angelo nuntiante, Christi F1I11 unto whom the Incarnation 
tui incarnationem cognovi- Q f Christ, Thy Son, was made 
mus, per Passionem ejus et known by the message of an 
crucem ad resurrectionis glo- ^gel, may , by His Passion 
riam perducamur. • Per eum- an( j cross> t> e brought to the 
dem Christum Dominum nos- g i ory f t h e Resurrection, 
trum. Amen. through the same Christ our 

Lord. Amen. 





138 Spiritual Exercises in the Aforning. 



instead of the An gel us say the Regina Cceli. 
From Easter until Trinity. From Easter until Trinity. 
Regina cceli, laetare, Queen of heaven, rejoice, 

Alleluia. Alleluia. 
Quia quern meruisti portare, For He Whom thou didst de- 
serve to bear, 
Alleluia. Alleluia. 
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, Is risen again as He said, 

Alleluia. Alleluia. 
Ora pro nobis Deum, Pray for us to God, 

Alleluia. Alleluia. 
V, Gaude et laetare, Virgo V. Rejoice and be glad, O 
Maria, Virgin Mary! 

Alleluia. Alleluia. 
R. Quia surrexit Dominus R. Because Our Lord is 
vere, truly risen, 

Alleluia. Alleluia. 
Or emus. Let us pray. 

Deus, qui per resurrec- O God, Who, by the Resur- 
tionem Filii tui, Domini nos- rection of Thy Son, Our Lord 
tri, Jesu Christi, mundum Jesus Christ, hath been 
laetincare dignatus es, praes- pleased to fill the world with 
ta, quaesumus, ut per ejus joy, grant, we beseech Thee, 
genitricem Virginem Mariam that by the Virgin Man', His 
perpetuae capiamus gaudia Mother, we may receive the 
vitae: per eumdem Christum, joys of eternal life: through 
Dominum nostrum. the same Christ our Lord. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 

HYMN AT PRIME OX SUNDAYS AXD WEEK-DAYS THROUGH- 
OUT THE YEAR. 

Jam lucis orto sidere. 
\ OW doth the sun ascend the sky, 
And wake creation with its ray; 
Keep us from sin, O Lord most high! 
Through all the actions of the day. 

Curb Thou for us th' unruly tongue; 

Teach us the way of peace to prize; 
And close our eyes against the throng 
Of earth's absorbing vanities. 



XI' 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 



139 



Oh, may our hearts be pure within! 

No cherish' d madness vex the soul! 
May abstinence the flesh restrain, 

And its rebellious pride control. 

So when the evening stars appear, 
And in their train the darkness bring; 

May we, O Lord, with conscience clear, 
Our praise to Thy pure glory sing. 

To God the Father, glory be, 

And to His sole-begotten Son, 
Glory, O Holy Ghost, to Thee, 

While everlasting ages run. 

21 Sbort jform of /Hbornfna praters for IRelteioua* 

{All the essential points of the preceding Morning Prayers 
will be found condensed in this Short Form.) 

IN the name of the Father, *J« and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, 
and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. 

Most holy and adorable Trinity, one God in three 
Persons, I adore Thee, as Thou art truly present here, 
with the deepest humility, and render to Thee, with my 
whole heart, the worship that is due to Thy sovereign 
majesty. 

my good God, I thank Thee for having preserved 
me during the past night, for all the favors Thou hast 
hitherto granted me, and especially for the grace of my 
vocation to the religious life. 

1 believe in Thee, because Thou art truth itself; 

I hope in Thee, because Thou art all good, all-power- 
ful, and faithful to Thy promises; 

I love Thee above all things, and with my whole heart, 
because Thou art infinitely perfect and worthy of all 
love. I am truly sorry for having offended Thee be- 



140 Spiritual Exercises in the Morning, 



cause Thou art infinitely good, and I heartily detest my 
sins because by them I have displeased Thee. I am 
firmly resolved, with the help of Thy grace, to amend 
my life, and to strive more earnestly than ever after per- 
fection in the following of Christ and in the imitation 
of the saints. Accept, O Lord, my good will; grant me 
Thy blessing, that I may do Thy holy will and please 
Thee this day in all my thoughts, words, actions, and 
sufferings, which I offer and consecrate to Thee, for Thy 
greater glory, in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
and the immaculate Heart of Mary. 

I intend to gain all the indulgences that I can this 
day, and to be present in spirit at all the Masses which 
will be celebrated to-day in the whole world. 

I beseech Thee, O Lord, to accept the dedication of 
my whole being, and of all my good works and prayers 
to Thy divine honor, in union with the offerings of all 
just souls on earth, and of all Religious Congregations. 

I implore Thy grace to enable me to perform all my 
duties in the spirit of our Holy Rule, and to observe 
faithfully my vows, which I now renew. Bless our 
dear Reverend Mother in the government of our holy 
Institute, and direct her in the way of salvation. Teach 
us all to do Thy will, O God, and strengthen us to ful- 
fill it perfectly. 

O Jesus, ever-present in the adorable Sacrament of 
the Altar, may every creature praise and bless Thee. 

O Sacrament most holy; O Sacrament divine; 

All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment 
Thine! 

Lord Jesus, keep me in Thy love ; let me dwell in Thy 
Sacred Heart, let me live in close union with Thee all 
through the day. 

Mary, my dear Mother, I love thee; bless me and 
protect me. 

St. Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart, pray for me. 
My goocl angel, enlighten and guard me, rule and 



Spiritual Exercises in the Morning. 141 



guide me. My holy patron saints, I salute you, and 
beseech you, together with all the angels and saints, to 
pray for me. 

Unto the King of ages, the immortal, invisible, only 
God, be honor and glory for ever and ever ! 

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and 
bring us unto life everlasting. 

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the 
mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. 

/Ifconung Offering to tbc Mee&eb Sacrament 

SWEETEST Jesus, divine Friend, Thou hast been 
watching and waiting patiently and lovingly 
in Thy lonely tabernacle all through the dark night for 
this moment, which finds me once more at Thy blessed 
feet, that I may be consoled and strengthened by Thy 
presence. And now, my dearest Lord, I have come in 
humble adoration before Thee, with a heart full of 
thanks for abiding with us "all days," for having pro- 
tected and preserved me during the past night, and for 
having given me another day to labor for Thy greater 
honor and glory, and for the salvation of my soul. In 
reparation for all the sufferings that Thy Sacred Heart 
endures in the Blessed Sacrament, I offer Thee the 
adoration and praise of all the just on earth, of all the 
angels and saints in heaven, and especially of Thy 
blessed Mother. I offer Thee my heart, my soul., my 
body, and all that I have. My whole being shall be 
consecrated to Thy service. Deign to make me obedi- 
ent, modest, humble, patient, kind, and simple as a little 
child; draw me to Thee in ever closer union with Thy 
loving Sacred Heart; make me resigned to Thy holy 
will, and grant that I may be found worthy one day of 
that reward which Thou hast promised to those who 
love and serve Thee faithfully on earth. Give me Thy 
grace, that I may become a saint. Oh, stay with us, 



142 



Evening Prayers. 



dear Jesus, till the evening of life. Pardon me all my 
past transgressions ; for I love Thee truly with my whole 
heart; and when death comes, say to me: " Enter thou 
into the joy of thy Lord." Amen. 

Evening prapers, 

IN the name of the Father, *j« and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, 
and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. 

Place Yourself in the Presence of God and Humbly Adore 

Him. 

RE AT God! the Lord of heaven and earth! I 
prostrate myself before Thee. With the ador- 
able Heart of Jesus, the immaculate heart of Mary, and 
with all Thy angels and saints, I adore Thee, and ren- 
der to Thee the homage of my being and life. I acknowl- 
edge Thee to be my Creator and sovereign Lord. I 
devote myself to Thy divine service now and for ever. 
Amen. 

AN ACT OF FAITH. 

{Hk MY God! I firmly believe all the sacred truths 
^""^ which Thy Holy Catholic Church believes and 
teaches; because Thou hast revealed them, Who canst 
neither deceive nor be deceived. 

AN ACT OF HOPE. 

/"\ MY God! relying on Thy infinite power, goodness, 
and promises, I hope to obtain the pardon of my 
sins, the assistance of Thy grace, and life everlasting, 
through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Re- 
deemer. 




Evening Prayers, 



143 



AN ACT OF LOVE. 

/~\ MY God! I love Thee above all things, with my 
whole heart and soul, because Thou art infinitely 
amiable, and deserving of all love. I love, also, my 
neighbor as myself, for the love of Thee. I forgive all 
who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I 
have injured. 

Pater Noster, Ave Maria, and Credo. 
Return Thanks to God for all His Mercies. 

I THANK Thee, O my God, for all Thy benefits. How 
can I thank Thee worthily for Thy inestimable 
graces? Thou hast thought of me and loved me from 
all eternity ; Thou hast formed me out of nothing ; Thou 
hast delivered up Thy beloved Son to the ignominious 
death of the cross for my redemption; Thou hast made 
me a member of Thy holy Church; Thou hast even 
called me to the religious life; Thou hast preserved 
me from falling into the abyss of eternal misery, when 
my sins had provoked Thee to punish me; Thou hast 
graciously continued to spare me, even though I have 
not ceased to offend Thee. What return, O my God, 
can I make for Thy innumerable blessings and particu- 
larly for the favors of this day? O all ye saints and 
angels, unite with me in praising the God of mercies, 
Who is so bountiful to so unworthy a creature. 

Ask of God Light to Discover the Sins Committed this Day. 

(~\ MY God, sovereign Judge of men, Who desirest not 
the death of a sinner, but that he should be con- 
verted and saved, enlighten my mind, that I may know 
the sins which I have this day committed in thought, 
word, and deed, and give me the grace of true contrition. 



144 



Evening Prayers. 



Here Examine your Conscience; then Say: 

f*\ MY God, I heartily repent, and am grieved that I 
have offended Thee, because Thou art infinitely 
good and sin is infinitely displeasing to Thee. I humbly 
ask of Thee mercy and pardon, through the infinite 
merits of Jesus Christ. I resolve by the assistance of 
Thy grace, to do penance for my sins, and I will endeavor 
never more to offend Thee. 

THE CONFITEOR. 

aONFITEOR Deo omni- "j* CONFESS to Almighty 
potenti, beatae Marias r*-> God, to blessed Mary, 
semper Virgini, beato Michaeli ever Virgin, to blessed Mi- 
Archangelo, beato Joanni chael the Archangel, to blessed 
Baptistae, Sanctis apostolis Pe- John the Baptist, to the holy 
tro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, apostles Peter and Paul, and 
et tibi, Pater, quia peccavi to all the saints, and to you, 
nimis cogitatione, verbo, et Father, that I have sinned 
opere, mea culpa, mea culpa, exceedingly in thought, word, 
mea maxima culpa. Ideo and deed, through my fault, 
precor beatam Mariam sem- through my fault, through 
per Virginem, beatum Mi- my most grievous fault, 
chaelem Archangelum, beatum Therefore I beseech blessed 
Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Mary ever Virgin, blessed 
apostolos Petrum et Paulum, Michael the Archangel, blessed 
omnes sanctos, et te, Pater, John the Baptist, the holy 
orare pro me ad Dominum apostles Peter and Paul, all 
Deum nostrum. the saints, and you, Father, 

to pray to the Lord our God 
for me. 

Misereatur nostri omnipo- May almighty God have 
tens Deus, et dimissis peccatis mercy upon us, and forgive us 
nostris, perducat nos ad vitam our sins, and bring us unto life 
asternam. Amen. everlasting. Amen. 

Indulgentiam, *h absolutio- May the almighty and mer- 
nem, et remissionem pecca- ciful Lord grant us pardon, 
torum nostrorum, tribuat no- absolution, and remission of 
bis omnipotens et misericors our sins. Amen. 
Dominus. Amen. 



Evening Prayers. 



145 



Pray for the Church of Christ. 

OGOD, hear my prayers in behalf of our holy Father 
Pope N., our bishops, our clergy, and for all that 
are in authority over us. Bless, I beseech Thee, the whole 
Catholic Church, and convert all heretics and unbe- 
lievers. 

Let us pray for our Reverend Mother. (See Morning 
Prayers, page 132), or say the M emorare for her. 

Pray for the Living and for the Faithful Departed. 

OUR down Thy blessings, O Lord, upon all our 
friends, relations and benefactors. Bless our 
Institute. Help the poor and sick, and those who are 
in their last agony. O God of mercy and goodness, 
have compassion on the souls of the faithful in pur- 
gatory; put an end to their sufferings, and grant to 
them eternal light, rest, and happiness. Have pity 
especially upon the souls of our Superiors, and of the 
Sisters who once dwelt in this house, and who have gone 
before us, through the portals of death, into the house 
of eternity. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine; 
R. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. Amen. 

Commend Yourself to God, to the Blessed Virgin, and the 
Saints. 

BLESS, O Lord, the repose I am about to take, 
that, my bodily strength being renewed, I may 
be the better enabled to serve Thee. 

S~\ BLESSED Virgin Mary, Mother of mercy, pray for 
me that I may be preserved this night from all evil, 
whether of body or soul. Dear St. Joseph, all ye saints 
and angels, and especially you, my guardian angel and 




146 



Evening Prayers. 



my chosen patron, watch over me. I commend myself to 
your protection now and always. Amen. 

MEMORARE TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

EMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that 
never was it known that any one who fled to thy 
protection, implored thy help, and sought thy interces- 
sion, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, 
I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To 
thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful, 
O Mother of the Word Incarnate! despise not my peti- 
tions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen. 

Mary, my dearest Mother, pray to Jesus for me ; pray 
for our Reverend Mother. 




OLttang of tbe aBlesaeD Virgin* 



KYRIE eleison. 
Christe eleison 
Kyrie eleison. 
Christe, audi nos. 
Christe, exaudi nos. 
Pater de coelis Deus, miserere 
nobis. 

Fili Redemptor mundi Deus, 
miserere nobis. 

Spiritus Sancte Deus, mis- 
erere nobis. 

Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus, 
miserere nobis. 

Sancta Maria, 

Sancta Dei genitrix, 

Sancta virgo virginum, 

Mater Christi, 

Mater divinae gratiae, 

Mater purissima, 

Mater castissima, 

Mater inviolata, 

Mater intemerata, 



*-|— * ORD, have mercy. 
« J i Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, 

have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the 

world, have mercy on us. 
God the Holy Ghost, have 

mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, have 

mercy on us. 
Holy Mary, 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of virgins, 
Mother of Christ, 
Mother of divine grace, 
Mother most pure, 
Mother most chaste, 
Mother inviolate, 
Mother undented, 



hi* 



Eveni?ig Prayers. 



147 



Mater amabilis. 
Mater admirabilis, 
Mater boni consilii, 
Mater Creatoris, 
Mater Salvatoris, 
Virgo prudentissima, 
Virgo veneranda, 
Virgo prsedicanda, 
Virgo potens, 
Virgo clemens, 
Virgo fidelis, 
Speculum justitiae, 
Sedes sapientiae, 
Causa nostras laetitiae, 
Vas spirit uale, 
Vas honorabile, 
Vas insigne devotionis, 
Rosa mystica, 
Turris Davidica, 
Turris eburnea, 
Domus aurea, 
Foederis area, 
Janua cceli, 
Stella matutina, 
Salus infirmorum, 
Refugium peccatorum, 
Consolatrix afflictorum, 
Auxilium Christianorum, 
Regina angelorum, 
Regina patriarcharum, 
Regina prophetarum, 
Regina apostolorum, 
Regina martyrum, 
Regina confessorum, 
Regina virginum, 
Regina sanctorum om- 
nium, 

Regina sine labe originali 

concepta, 
Regina sacratissimi ro- 

sarii, 



Mother most amiable, 
Mother most admirable, 
Mother of good counsel, 
Mother of our Creator, 
Mother of our Saviour, 
Virgin most prudent, 
Virgin most venerable, 
Virgin most renowned, 
Virgin most powerful, 
Virgin most merciful, 
.yirgin most faithful, 
Mirror of justice, 
Seat of wisdom, 
Cause of our joy, 
Spiritual vessel, 
Vessel of honor, 
Singular vessel of devotion, 
Mystical Rose, 

^ Tower of David, 

£ Tower of ivory, 

2 House of gold, 

I Ark of the covenant, 

\: Gate of heaven, 
Morning star, 
Health of the sick, 
Refuge of sinners, 
Comforter of the afflicted, 
Help of Christians, 
Queen of angels, 
Queen of patriarchs, 
Queen of prophets, 
Queen of apostles, 
Queen of martyrs, 
Queen of confessors, 
Queen of virgins, 
Queen of all saints, 

Queen conceived without 
original sin, 
i Queen of the most holy 
J Rosary, 



Evening Prayers. 



Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata Lamb of God, Who takest 
mundi, parce nobis,Domine. away the sins of the world, 

spare us, O Lord. 
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata Lamb of God, Who takest 
mundi, exaudi nos, Domine. away the sins of the world, 

graciously hear us, O Lord. 
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata Lamb of God, Who takest 
mundi, miserere nobis. away the sins of the world, 

have mercy on us. 
Indulgence of 300 days every time; plenary indulgence under 
usual conditions. — Pius VII., Sept. 30, 181 7. 



SUB TUUM PRESIDIUM. 



UB tuum presidium con- 
fugimus, sancta Dei 
Genitrix; nostras depreca- 
tiones ne despicias in necessi- 
tatibus nostris, sed a periculis 
cunctis libera nos, semper 
virgo gloriosa et benedicta. 

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta 
Dei Genitrix. 

R. Ut digni efficiamur pro- 
missionibus Christi. 



E fly to thy patronage! 
O holy Mother of God, 
despise not our petitions in 
our necessities, and deliver us 
from all dangers, O ever glo- 
rious and blessed Virgin! 

V. Pray for us, O holy 
Mother of God. 

R. That we may be made 
worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 




00c 



Oremus. 

RATIAM tuam quaesu- 
mus, Domine, menti- 
bus nostris infunde: ut qui, 
angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii 
tui incarnationem cognovi- 
mus, per passionem ejus et 
crucem ad resurrectionis glo- 
riam perducamur. Per eum- 
dem Christum Dominum nos- 
trum. Amen. 



Let us pray. 

*T£) OUR forth, we beseech 
JL Thee, O Lord, Thy 
grace into our hearts; that 
we, to whom the Incarnation 
of Christ, Thy Son, was made 
known by the message of an 
angel, may, by His Passion 
and cross, be brought to the 
glory of His Resurrection. 
Through the same Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 




Evening Prayers. 



149 



Or emus. 

*TTX EFENDE, quaesu- 
«-L/ mus, Domine, beata 
Maria semper Virgine inter- 
cedente, istam ab omni adver- 
sitate familiam: et, toto corde 
tibi prostratam, ab hostium 
propitius tuere clementer in- 
sidiis. 

Deus, qui inefFabili provi- 
dentia beatum Joseph Sanc- 
tissimae Genitricis tuae Spon- 
sion eligere dignatus es; 
praesta, quaesumus, ut quern 
protectorem veneramur in 
terris, intercessorem habere 
mereamur in caelis. Qui vivis 
et regnas in saecula saeculorum. 



7?. Amen. 



Let us pray. 

Y^ EF END, O Lord, we 
A*-J beseech Thee, by the 
intercession of blessed Mary 
ever Virgin, this Thy family 
from all adversity; and merci- 
fully protect us, who pros- 
trate ourselves before Thee 
with all our hearts, from the 
snares of the enemy. 

O God, Who by Thy un- 
speakable providence didst 
vouchsafe to choose blessed 
Joseph to be the spouse of 
Thy most holy Mother; grant 
that, while we venerate him 
as our protector on earth, we 
may deserve to be aided by 
his intercession in heaven. 
Who livest and reignest, world 
without end. 

R. Amen. 



V. Vouchsafe, O Lord, this night to keep us without 
sin. 

R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. 
Let us pray. 

VISIT, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this habitation, 
and drive from it all the snares of the enemy. 
Let Thy holy angels dwell herein, to preserve us in peace ; 
and may Thy blessing be upon us forever, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give my heart and my soul 
to you; 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony; 
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul 
in peace with you. 



Evening Prayers. 



Consecration of IReilgtous Communities* 

C\ SACRED Heart of Jesus, whence came those 
words of truly ineffable love: "Come to Me 
all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh 
you." Relying upon this promise of Thine infinite 
tenderness and charity, in the trials and hardships of 
our times, when the universal Church is attacked in her 
chief Pastor and in her religious children, we betake 
ourselves to Thee. We have determined to consecrate 
to Thee for ever, solemnly and anew, this our house, 
ourselves, and all that belongs to us. Do Thou gra- 
ciously look down upon us and accept our vows, that, 
sealed by Thy grace, they may ever remain firm and 
unchangeable. 

Wherefore, dearest Jesus, our sovereign Lord and 
Leader, we, although most unworthy members of this 
(College, Convent, Academy, House, etc., N.N.), yet 
trusting in Thy help and grace, offer, and consecrate 
ourselves and our household entirely to Thy most 
Sacred Heart, and we submit ourselves and all that 
we have to Thy most holy will. 

We call upon our blessed Lady, Thy Virgin Mother, 
our Founder N., and the whole court of heaven to wit- 
ness that this is our intention, our desire, and our firm 
determination to imitate as closely as possible Thy 
most Sacred Heart in practising the virtues belonging 
to our state of life, in order that we may promote Thy 
glory in ourselves, and make some reparation for all 
the grievous insults offered to Thee. 

We, therefore, implore Thee, dearest Jesus, to pro- 
tect our house, to guard us Thy servants for ever in Thy 
most Sacred Heart, and to sanctify our labors, our 
studies, and trials. May we, by Thy grace, advance 
Thy greater glory, the salvation of souls, and devotion 
to Thy most Sacred Heart. Amen. 



Evening Prayers. 



Bet of Consecration for IReltglous, 

Ven. de la Colombiere. 

/~\ MY amiable Redeemer. I give and consecrate 
myself to Thy Sacred Heart without reserve. 

I have in a manner nailed myself to Thy cross by the 
vows of my profession; I renew them in this divine 
Heart in presence of heaven and earth ; and I return Thee 
thanks for having inspired me to make them. 

I own that the yoke of Thy holy service is neither hard 
nor heavy; I do not find myself embarrassed with my 
chains; on the contrary, I would wish to multiply them, 
or rivet them yet closer upon me. 

I embrace, then, the dear cross of my vocation, even 
to my death; it shall be all my pleasure, all my glory, 
and all my delight. 

God forbid that I should glory, that I should ever 
rejoice, save in the cross of Jesus Christ. 

God forbid that I should ever have any other treasure 
than His poverty, any other delight than His sufferings, 
any other love than Himself. 

No, no, my amiable Lord, never will I separate myself 
from Thee ; and I will attach myself to none but Thee ; 
the narrowest paths of the life of perfection to which I 
am called give me no alarm, because Thou art my light 
and my strength. 

I hope, then, O Lord, that Thou wilt render me stead- 
fast under all temptations, victorious against the efforts 
of my enemies, and that Thou wilt stretch out over me 
that beneficent hand, which has bestowed upon me so 
many favors, and make me ever more and more liberal 
toward Thee. 

I entreat this of Thee, O my adorable Jesus, by Thy 
blood, by all Thy wounds, and by Thy Sacred Heart. 

Grant that by the consecration which I make to Thee 
of all that I am, I may become this day entirely renewed 
in Thy love. Amen. 



Evening Prayers, 



% Sbort jform of Evening ©rager* 

IN the name of the Father, ^ and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
Come, Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and 
kindle in them the fire of Thy love. 
Pater Noster, Ave Maria, Credo. 

I ADORE Thee, O my God, and return Thee thanks 
for all the benefits which I have ever received from 
Thee, and particularly this day. Give me light to see 
what sins I have committed during the past day, and 
grant me grace to be truly sorry for them. 
(Here examine your conscience.) 

Offences against God ; against your neighbor; against yourself; 

Where have you been? With whom have you been? 

Commandments of God; poverty, chastity, obedience; the 
Holy Rule; the predominant passion; resolutions; prayers, works, 
and sufferings. Does your conscience reproach you with regard 
to any of these points? 

jT\ MY God, forgive me my offences; I am truly 
sorry for having sinned, because Thou art infi- 
nitely good, and sin displeases Thee. I purpose, with 
the help of Thy grace, never to sin again. I love Thee 
above all things, and with my whole heart, because 
Thou art infinitely amiable and worthy of all love. 

I beseech Thee, Lord, to preserve me this night, and 
to keep me from all sin. I take this sleep to please Thee, 
and I have the intention to love Thee, praise Thee, and 
thank Thee with every breath I draw, in union with the 
angels and saints in heaven. 

MOST amiable Heart of Jesus! let me, my relatives, 
and friends, and all that have commended them- 
selves to my prayer, and for whom I am bound to pray, 
especially our reverend Mother, experience Thy most 
powerful aid. Assist them individually in their necessi- 
ties. O Heart full of mercies! convert all hardened 
hearts, console the souls in purgatory, be the refuge of 



Evening Prayers. 



!53 



the dying, the consolation of all distressed and suffering. 
Above all, be the refuge of my soul at the hour of death, 
and receive it into the bosom of Thy mercy. 
In it I sleep securely and rest in peace. 
. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc.- 

AY the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacra- 
ment be praised, adored, and loved with grateful 
affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the 
world, even to the end of time. Mary, my dear Mother, 
bless me, and keep me under thy protecting mantle. St. 
Joseph, my good angel, and my dear patron saints, pray 
for me. 

AY Our Lord bless us, and preserve us from all 
evil, and bring us to life everlasting. And may 
the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of 
God, rest in peace. Amen. 

A PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH. 

In Connection with the Seven Last Words of Our Lord 
on the Cross. 

YVVINE Jesus! Incarnate Word of God! Who, 
having taken flesh for my salvation, didst vouch- 
safe to be born in a stable, to lead a life of poverty, toil, 
and love, and finally to expire in agony on the cross: 
Say, I beseech Thee, to Thy eternal Father at the moment 
of my death: "Father, forgive her; " say to Thy blessed 
Mother: " Behold thy child; " say to my soul: ? ' To-day 
shalt thou be with Me in paradise.' ' 

My God, my God, forsake me not in that hour! "I 
thirst!" Yea, my soul thirsts, O my God, after Thee; 
Thou art the Fountain of living waters. 

My life is passing away as a tale that is told ; yet a 
little while, and all will be " consummated; " therefore 
my adorable Saviour, even from this moment, for all 
eternity: "Into Thy hands I commend my spirit." My 
Jesus, mercy! 




154 



Evening Prayers. 



IFUgbt ©ffertng to tbe ^lesseD Sacrament. 

f\ DIVINE Jesus 1 lonely to-night in so many taber- 
nacles, without visitor or worshipper, I offer Thee 
my poor, but loving heart. May every pulsation be a 
prayer of love to Thee. Thou art ever watching under 
the sacramental veils; in Thy love Thou never sleepest, 
and Thou art never weary of Thy vigil for sinners. O 
good Jesus, I love Thee. Thou art infinitely good, 
and I have displeased Thee by many sins. Forgive 
me — I am truly sorry for having offended Thee. O 
sweet Jesus! O lonely Jesus! may my heart be a lamp, 
the light of which shall burn henceforth for Thee alone. 
Bless me, Jesus. Come, and refresh me spiritually by 
Thy presence, before I take my repose. Let me never- 
more be separated from Thee by sin. Adorable Heart 
of Jesus, burning furnace of divine love! within Thy 
sacred wound take Thou my soul, in order that my 
heart may be inflamed with the love of Thee. 

O Prisoner of love! divine Jesus! chain my poor heart 
to the foot of Thy altar. Dearest Jesus, Thou hast 
made my heart for Thyself alone, and it will not find 
rest, except in Thee ; hide it within Thy divine Heart in 
the tabernacle. When shall I see Thee face to face, and 
rest for ever in Thy bosom ? Good Lord, my heart is 
weary; suffer me to enter and repose in Thy Sacred Heart. 
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, 
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment 
Thine! 

AKE me, Jesus, wholly Thine; 
Take this wayward heart of mine; 
Guide me through this world so drear — 
Heart of Jesus, hear! 

When I draw my parting breath, 
When my eyes shall close in death, 
Then, sweet Jesus, be Thou near — 
Heart of Jesus, hear! 




Evening Prayers. 155 



XDeeveteSowQ of Out XaDg- 

(Luke I.) 

THE MAGNIFICAT. 



/TV AGNIFICAT : anima 
r^ ' - t mea Dominum. 

£t exultavit spiritus me- 
tis: in Deo salutari meo. 

Quia respexit humilita- 
tem ancillae suae: ecce enim 
ex hoc beatam me dicent 
omnes generationes. 

Quia fecit mihi magna qui 
potens est: et sanctum no- 
men ejus. 

Et misericordia ejus a pro- 
genie in progenies: timenti- 
bus eum. 

Fecit potentiam in brachio 
suo: dispersit superbos mente 
cordis sui. 

Deposuit potentes de sede: 
et exaltavit humiles. 

Esurientes implevit bonis: 
et divites dimisit inanes. 

Suscepit Israel puerum 
suum: recordatus misericor- 
diae suae. 

Sicut locutus est ad patres 
nostros: Abraham, et semini 
ejus in saecula. 

Gloria, etc. 

Oremus. 

aONCEDE nos famulos 
tuos, quaesumus Do- 
mine Deus, perpetua mentis et 



/TvY soul doth magnify 
M-4 the Lord. 

And my spirit hath rejoiced: 
in God my Saviour. 

Because He hath regarded 
the humility of His hand- 
maid: for behold from hence- 
forth all generations shall call 
me blessed. 

Because He that is mighty 
hath done great things unto 
me; and holy is His name. 

And His mercy is from 
generation to generation: unto 
them that fear Him. 

He hath showed might 
with His arm: He hath scat- 
tered the proud in the con- 
ceit of their heart. 

He hath put down the 
mighty from their seat, and 
hath exalted the humble. 

He hath filled the hungry 
with good things: and the 
rich he hath sent empty away. 

He hath helped His ser- 
vant Israel: being mindful of 
His mercy. 

As -He spoke to our 
fathers: to Abraham and his 
seed for ever. 

Glory, etc. 

Let us pray. 
(~i RANT, we beseech Thee, 
W O Lord God, that we, 
Thy servants, may enjoy per- 



Evening Prayers. 



corporis sanitate gaudere; et 
gloriosa beatas Mariae sem- 
per Virginis intercession, a 
praesenti liberari tristitia, et 
aeterna perfrui laetitia. Per 
Dominum nostrum, etc. 

R. Amen. 

Or the 

Or emus. 
^p^vE U S , qui de beatae 
r-LJ Mariae Virginis utero, 
Verbum tuum, angelo nunti- 
ante, carnem suscipere volu- 
isti; praesta supplicibus tuis, 
ut qui vere earn Genitricem 
Dei credimus, ejus apud te 
intercessionibus adjuvemur. 
Per eumdem Dominum no- 
strum. 



R. Amen. 



petual health, both of mind 
and body: and by the glori- 
ous intercession of blessed 
Mary ever Virgin, may be 
delivered from present sor- 
row, and attain unto eternal 
joy. Through Our Lord, etc. 
R. Amen, 
following: 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who wast pleased 
that Thy Word, at the 
message of an angel, should 
take flesh in the womb of the 
blessed Virgin Mary; grant 
to Thy humble servants, that 
we, who believe her to be 
truly the Mother of God, may 
be assisted by her interces- 
sions with Thee. Through 
the same Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 



DE PROFUNDIS. 



For the Holy Souls in Purgatory. 



*T~^\E profundis clamavi ad 
te, Domine: Domine, 
exaudi vocem meam. 

Fiant aures tuae inten- 
dentes, in vocem depreca- 
tionis meae. 

Si iniquitates observaveris, 
Domine: Domine, quis sus- 
tinebit ? 

Quia apud te propitiatio 
est: et propter legem tuam 
sustinui te, Domine. 

Sustinuit anima mea in 
verbo ejus: speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 



OUT of the depths I 
have cried to Thee, O 
Lord! Lord, hear my voice 
Let Thine ears be atten- 
tive to the voice of my sup- 
plication. 

If Thou, O Lord, shalt 
mark our iniquities: O Lord, 
who shall stand it? 

For with Thee there is 
merciful forgiveness: and by 
reason of Thy law I have 
waited for Thee, O Lord. 

My soul hath relied on His 
word: my soul hath hoped in 
the Lord. 



Evening Prayers, 



157 



A custodia matutina usque 
ad noctem, speret Israel in 
Domino. 

Quia apud Dominum mi- 
sericordia, et copiosa apud 
eum redemptio. 

Et ipse redimet Israel ex 
omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. 



From the morning watch 
even unto night, let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord 
there is mercy: and with Him 
plenteous redemption. 

And He shall redeem Israel 
from all his iniquities. 



Or Pater Noster, Ave Maria, and 
V. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine; 
R. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. 

Indulgence of 100 days to all the faithful who, at the sound of 
the bell, at the first hour after nightfall, shall say devoutly on their 
knees the psalm De profundis, or the Our Father, the Hail Mary, 
and the Requiem aeternam. 

Plenary indulgence, once a year, on usual conditions. — Clement 
XII., Aug. 11, 1736. Pius VI., March 18, 1781, granted these 
indulgences to all the faithful who may happen to dwell in a place 
where no bell for the dead is sounded, provided they shall say 
the De profundis, or the Our Father, and the Hail Mary, etc., 
about nightfall. Pius IX., July 18, 1877, declared that these indul- 
gences can be gained on the recital as above of the De profundis, 
or the Our Father, etc., before or after nightfall, provided that the 
bell is sounded at such hour, according to the custom of the church 
or place. Leo XIII., Feb. 3, 1888, granted indulgence of 50 days 
three times a day. 

Compline,* 

The Reader begins. 

V. Jube, domine, benedi- V. Pray, give the blessing, 
cere. 

The Blessing (by the Superior.) 

OCTEM quietam, et /TwAY the Lord almighty 

flnem perfectum con- N*-^ grant us a quiet night, 

cedat nobis Dpminus omnipo- and a perfect end. 
tens. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 



* Compline is the last office of the Church, and is proper to the 
end of the evening before going to bed, reckoned to be about 9 p.m. 
But it may be said any time before midnight. 



Evening Prayers. 



Short Lesson, (i Pet. V. 8.) 



BRATRES, sobriie stote, 
et vigilate : quia adver- 
sarius vester diabolus tam- 
quam leo rugiens circuit, 
quaerens quern devoret: cui 
resistite fortes in fide. Tu 
autem, Domine, miserere no- 
bis. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Adjutorium nostrum in 
nomine Domini. 

R. Qui fecit caelum et ter- 
rain. 

Pater noster. (Dicitur to- 
tum secrete) 



BRETHREN, be sober, 
and watch, because 
your adversary the devil, as a 
roaring lion, goeth about seek- 
ing whom he may devour; 
whom resist ye, strong in faith. 
But do Thou, O Lord, have 
mercy on us. 

R. Thanks be to God. 
V. Our help is in the name 
of the Lord. 

R. Who made heaven and 
earth. • 

Our Father, etc. (All in 
secret.) 



The Priest then says the Confiteor. 
The Choir answers : 



/T)ISEREATUR tui omni- 
\U> potens Deus, et dimis- 
sis peccatis tuis, perducat te 
ad vitam aeternam. 
R. Amen. 



/T\AY almighty God have 
mercy upon thee, for- 
give thee thy sins, and bring 
thee to life everlasting. 
R. Amen. 



Then the Choir re. 




ONFITEOR Deo om- 
nipotenti, beatae 



Mariae semper Virgini, 
beato Michaeli Archangelo, 
beato Joanni Baptistae, Sanc- 
tis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, 
omnibus Sanctis, et tibi, pater: 
quia peccavi nimis cogita- 
tione, verbo, et opere: mea 
culpa, mea culpa, mea maxi- 
ma culpa. Ideo precor bea- 
tam Mariam semper Vir- 
ginem, beatum Michaelem 
Archangelum, beatum Joan- 



>ats the Confession: 

I CONFESS to almighty 
God, to blessed Mary 
ever Virgin, to blessed Mi- 
chael the archangel, to blessed 
John the Baptist, to the holy 
apostles Peter and Paul, to 
all the saints, and to you, 
Father: that J have sinned 
exceedingly in thought, word, 
and deed: through my fault, 
through my fault, through 
my most grievous fault. 
Therefore I beseech the 
blessed Mary ever Virgin, 



Evening Prayers. 



159 



nem Baptistam, sanctos Apo- blessed Michael the arch- 
stolos Petrum et Paulum, angel, blessed John the Bap- 
omnes Sanctos, et te, pater, tist, the holy apostles Peter 
orare pro me ad Dominum and Paul, all the saints, and 
Deum nostrum. you, Father, to pray to the 

Lord our God for me. 

The Priest says: 



/TXISEREATUR vestri 
omnipotens Deus, et 
dimissis peccatis vestris, per- 
ducat vos ad vitam aeter- 
nam. 

R. Amen. 

Indulgentiam, absolutio- 
nem, et remissionem pecca- 
torum nostrorum tribuat no- 
bis omnipotens et miseri- 
cors Dominus. 

R. Amen. 



(TV^Y almighty God have 
mercy upon you, for- 
give you your sins, and bring 
you to life everlasting. 

R. Amen. 

May the almighty and 
merciful Lord grant us pardon, 
absolution, and remission of 
our sins. 

R. Amen. 



Then is said: 



V. Converte nos, Deus 
salutaris noster. 

R. Et averte iram tuam 
a nobis. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et 
Spiritui Sancto. 

Sicut erat in principio, et 
nunc, et semper, et in saecula 
saeculorum. Amen. 

Alleluia, vel Laus tibi, 
Domine, Rex aeternae glorias. 

Ant. Miserere. 

In Paschal time, 



V. Convert us, O God our 
Saviour. 

R. And turn away Thy 
anger from us. 

V. O God, come to my 
assistance. 

R. O Lord, make haste to 
help me. 

Glory be to the Father, and 
to the Son, and to the Holy 
Ghost. 

As it was in the beginning, 
is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Alleluia, or, Praise be to 
Thee, O Lord, King of ever- 
lasting glory. 

Ant. Have mercy. 

Ant. Alleluia. 



i6o 



Eveni?ig Prayers, 



Psalm IV. 0, 

aUM invocarem exaudi- 
vit me Deus justitiae 
meae: in tribulatione dilatasti 
mihi. 

Miserere mei: et exaudi 
orationem meam. 

Filii hominum usquequo 
gravi corde: ut quid diligitis 
vanitatem, et quaeritis men- 
dacium ? 

Et scitote quoniam mirifi- 
cavit Dominus sanctum suum : 
Dominus exaudiet me cum 
clamavero ad eum. 

Irascimini, et nolite pec- 
care: quae dicitis in cordibus 
vestris, in cubilibus vestris 
compungimini. 

Sacrificate sacriflcium jus- 
titiae et sperate in Domino: 
multi dicunt: Quis ostendit 
nobis bona? 

Signatum est super nos lu- 
men vultus tui, Domine: de- 
disti laetitiam in corde meo. 

A fructu frumenti, vini, et 
olei sui: multiplicati sunt. 

In pace in idipsum: dor- 
miam et requiescam. 

Quoniam tu, Domine, sin- 
gulariter in spe: constituisti 
me. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



Invocarem. 

HEN I called upon 
Him, the God of my 
justice heard me: when I was 
in distress, Thou hast enlarged 
me. 

Have mercy on me: and 
hear my prayer. 

O ye sons of men, how long 
will you be dull of heart: why 
do you love vanity, and seek 
after lying? 

Know ye also that the 
Lord hath made His holy One 
wonderful: the Lord will 
hear me when I shall cry unto 
Him. 

Be ye angry and sin not: 
the things you say in your 
hearts, be sorry for them upon 
your beds. 

Offer up the sacrifice of 
justice, and trust in the Lord: 
many say, Who showeth us 
good things? 

The light of Thy counte- 
nance, O Lord, is signed upon 
us: Thou hast given glad- 
ness in my heart. 

By the fruit of their corn, 
their wine and oil: they are 
multiplied. 

In peace in the self same: 
I will sleep and I will rest. 

For Thou, O Lord, singu- 
larly: hast settled me in hope. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 



at 



Evening Prayers, 



161 



Psalm XXX. In '. 

"t'N te, Domine, speravi, 
«-*-* non confundar in aster- 
num: in justitia tua libera 
me. 

Inclina ad me aurem tuam: 
accelera, ut eruas me. 

Esto mini in Deum pro- 
tectorem, et in domum re- 
fugii: ut salvum me facias. 

Quoniam fortitudo mea, 
et refugium meum es tu: et 
propter nomen tuum de- 
duces me, et enutries me. 

Educes me de laqueo hoc, 
quern absconderunt mihi: 
quoniam tu es protector 
meus. 

In manus tuas commendo 
spiritum meum : redemisti 
me, Domine, Deus veritatis. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Psalm XC. 

QUI habitat in adjutorio 
altissimi: in protec- 
tione Dei caeli commorabitur. 

Dicet Domino, susceptor 
meus es tu, et refugium meum : 
Deus meus, sperabo in eum. 

Quoniam ipse liberavit me 
de laqueo venantium: et a 
verbo aspero. 

Scapulis suis obumbrabit 
tibi: et sub pennis ejus spe- 
rabis. 



e, Domine, Speravi. 

IN Thee, O Lord, have I 
hoped, let me never be 
confounded: deliver me in 
Thy justice. 

Bow down Thy ear to me: 
make haste to deliver me. 

Be Thou unto me a God, 
a protector, and a house of 
refuge: to save me. 

For Thou art my strength 
and my refuge: and for Thy 
name's sake, Thou wilt lead 
me and nourish me. 

Thou wilt bring me out of 
this snare, which they have 
hidden for me: for Thou art 
my protector. 

Into Thy hands I commend 
my spirit: Thou hast re- 
deemed me, O Lord, the God 
of truth. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

Qui Habitat. 

E that dwelleth in the 
aid of the Most High: 
shall abide under the protec- 
tion of the God of heaven. 

He shall say to the Lord, 
Thou art my protector, and 
my refuge: my God, in Him 
will I trust. 

For He hath delivered me 
from the snare of the hunters: 
and from the sharp word. 

He will overshadow thee 
with His shoulders: and 
under His wings thou shalt 
trust. 




l62 



Evening Prayers, 



Scuto circumdabit te Veri- 
tas ejus: non timebis a ti- 
more nocturne 

A sagitta volante in die, a 
negotio perambulante in tene- 
bris: ab incursu et daemonic* 
meridiano. 

Cadent a latere tuo mille, 
et decern millia a dextris tuis: 
ad te autem non appropin- 
quabit. 

Verumtamen oculis tuis 
considerabis: et retributio- 
nem peccatorum videbis. 

Quoniam tu es, Domine, 
spesmea: altissimum posuisti 
refugium tuum. 

Non accedet ad te malum: 
et flagellum non appropin- 
quabit tabernaculo tuo. 

Quoniam angelis suis man- 
davit de te: ut custodiant te 
in omnibus viis tuis. 

In manibus portabunt te: 
ne forte offendas ad lapidem 
pedem tuum. 

Super aspidem et basilis- 
cum ambulabis: et concul- 
cabis leonem et draconem. 

Quoniam in me speravit 
liberabo eum: protegam eum 
quoniam cognovit nomen me- 
um. 

Clamabit ad me, et ego ex- 
audiam eum: cum ipso sum 
in tribulatione; eripiam eum, 
et glorificabo eum. 

Longitudine dierum re- 



His truth shall compass 
thee with a shield: thou shalt 
not be afraid of the terror of 
the night. 

Of the arrow that flieth in 
the day, of the business that 
walketh about in the dark: 
of invasion, or of the noon- 
day devil. 

A thousand shall fall at thy 
side, and ten thousand at thy 
right hand: but it shall not 
come nigh thee. 

But thou shalt consider 
with thy eyes: and shalt see 
the reward of the wicked. 

Because Thou, O Lord, 
art my hope : thou hast made 
the Most High thy refuge. 

There shall no evil come to 
thee: nor shall the scourge 
come near thy dwelling. 

For He hath given His 
angels charge over thee: to 
keep thee in all thy ways. 

In their hands they shall 
bear thee up: lest thou dash 
thy foot against a stone. 

Thou shalt walk upon the 
asp and the basilisk: and 
thou shalt trample under 
foot the lion and the dragon. 

Because he hath hoped in 
Me, I will deliver him: I will 
protect him, because he hath 
known My name. 

He shall cry to Me, and I 
will hear him: I am with him 
in his trouble: I will deliver 
him, and I will glorify him. 
I will fill him with length 



Evening Prayers. 



163 



plebo eum: et ostendam illi 
salutare meum. 
Gloria Patri, etc. 



of days: and I will show him 
My salvation. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 



Psalm CXXXIII. Ecce Nunc. 



/^fCCE nunc, benedicite 
Dominum: omnes servi 
Domini. 

Qui statis in domo Domini: 
in atriis domus Dei nostri. 

In noctibus extollite manus 
vestras in sancta: et bene- 
dicite Dominum. 

Benedicat te Dominus ex 
Sion: qui fecit caelum et ter- 
rain. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Miserere mihi, Do- 
mine, et exaudi orationem 
meam. 



BEHOLD now, bless ye 
the Lord: all ye ser- 
vants of the Lord. 

Who stand in the house of 
the Lord in the courts of the 
house of Our God. 

In the nights lift up your 
hands to the holy places: and 
bless ye the Lord. 

May the Lord out of Sion 
bless thee: He that made 
heaven and earth. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 
Ant. Have mercy on me, 
O Lord, and hear my prayer. 



Hymn. 



^£^E lucis ante terminum, OW with the fast-depart- 



ing light, 
Maker of all! we ask of 
Thee, 

Of Thy great mercy, through 
the night 
Our guardian and defence 
to be. 

Far off let idle visions fly; 
No phantom of the night 
molest; 

Hostemque nostrum com- Curb Thou our raging en- 



Rerum Creator poscimus; 

Ut pro tua dementia, 

Sis praesul et custodia. 

Procul recedant somnia, 
Et noctium phantasmata; 



prime, 
Ne po luantur corpora. 

Praesta, Pater piissime, 

Patrique compar, Unice, 



emy, 

That we in chaste repose 
may rest. 
Father of mercies, hear our 
cry; 

Hear us, O sole-begotten 
Son; 



164 



Evening Prayers. 



Cum Spiritu Paraclito 
Regnans per omne saeculum. 



Who, with the Holy Ghost 
most high, 
Reignest while endless ages 
run. 



Little Chapter. (Jer. XIV.) 



autem in nobis es, 
VJ Domine, et nomen 
sanctum tuum invocatum est 
super nos, ne derelinquas nos, 
Domine Deus noster. 
R. Deo gratias. 

Res p. brev. 

In manus tuas, Domine, 
commendo spiritum meum. 

Ckor. In manus tuas, 
Domine, commendo spiritum 
meum. 

V. Redemisti nos, Domine, 
Deus veritatis. 

Chor. Commendo spiritum 
meum. 

V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et 
Spiritui Sancto. 

Chor. In manus tuas, Do- 
mine, commendo spiritum 
meum. 

V. Custodi nos, Domine, 
ut pupillam oculi. 

R. Sub umbra alarum tua- 
rum protege nos. 



/^HOU, O Lord, art 
among us, and Thy 
holy name is invoked upon 
us; forsake us not, O Lord 
our God. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

Short Responsory. 

Into Thy hands, O Lord, I 
commend my spirit. 

Choir. Into Thy hands, O 
Lord, I commend my spirit. 

V. Thou hast redeemed us, 
O Lord, the God of truth. 

Choir. I commend my 
spirit. 

V. Glory be to the Father, 
and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost. 

Choir. Into Thy hands, O 
Lord, I commend my spirit. 

V. Keep us, O Lord, as 
the apple of Thy eye. 

R. Protect us under the 
shadow of Thy wings. 



In Paschal time, the above is said thus: 
In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum. Al- 
leluia, alleluia. 

Chor. In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum. 
Alleluia, alleluia. 

V. Redemisti nos, Domine, Deus veritatis. 

Chor. Alleluia, alleluia. 

V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. 



Evening Prayers. 



Chor. In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum. 
Alleluia, alleluia. 

V. Custodi nos, Domine, ut pupillam oculi. Alleluia. 
R. Sub umbra alarum tuarum protege nos. Alleluia. 



The Nunc Dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon. 



Ant. 



Ant. ^AVE us. 

Now Thou dost 
dismiss Thy servant, O Lord: 
according to Thy word, in 
peace. 

Because my eyes have seen: 
Thy salvation. 

Which Thou hast prepared 
before the face of all peoples. 

A light to the revelation of 
the Gentiles, and the glory of 
Thy people Israel. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 
Ant. Save us, O Lord, 
when we are awake, and keep 
us while we sleep; that we 
may watch with Christ, and 
rest in peace. (In Paschal 
time, Alleluia.) 

The following Prayers are omitted on Doubles, and within 
Octaves: 

Kvrie eleison. 



t. ^ALVA nos. 

Nunc dimittis 
servum tuum, Domine: se- 
cundum verbum tuum, in 
pace. 

Quia viderunt oculi mei 
salutare tuum. 

Quod parasti ante faciem 
omnium populorum. 

Lumen ad revelationem 
gentium, et gloriam plebis 
tuae Israel. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Salva nos, Domine, 
vigilantes, custodi nos dor- 
mientes: ut vigilemus cum 
Christo, et requiescamus in 
pace. (Tempore Paschali, Al- 
leluia.) 



Christe eleison. 

Kyrie eleison. 

Pater noster. (Secreto.) 

V. Et ne nos inducas m 
tentationem. 
R. Sed libera nos a malo. 
Credo in Deum. (Secreto.) 

V, Carnis resurrectionem. 

R. Vitam aeternam. Amen. 



Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Our Father. (In secret.) 

V. And lead us not into 
temptation. 
R. But deliver us from evil. 
I believe in God. (In 
secret.) 

V. The resurrection of the 
body. 

R. And life everlasting. 
Amen. 



i66 



Evening Prayers. 



V. Benedictus es, Domi- 
ne, Deus, patrum nostrorum. 

R. Et laudabilis et glorio- 
sus in saecula. 

V. Benedicamus Patrem et 
Filium cum Sancto Spiritu. 

R. Laudemus, et super- 
exaltemus eum in saecula. 

V. Benedictus es, Domine, 
in firmamento cceli. 

R. Et laudabilis, et glorio- 
sus, et superexaltatus in 
saecula. 

V. Benedicat et custodiat 
nos omnipotens et misericors 
Dominus. 

R. Amen. 

V. Dignare, Domine, nocte 
ista. 

R. Sine peccato nos custo- 
dire. 

V. Miserere nostris Do- 
mine. 

R. Miserere nostri. 

V. Fiat misericordia tua 
Domine, super nos. 

R. Quemadmodum spera- 
vimus in te. 

V. Domine, exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spintu tuo. 

Oremus. 

VISTA, quaesumus,Domi- 
ne, habitationem is- 
tam, et omnes insidias inimici 



V. Blessed art Thou, O 
Lord, the God of our fathers. 

R. And worthy to be 
praised and glorious for ever. 

V. Let us bless the Father 
and the Son with the Holy 
Ghost. 

R. Let us praise and exalt 
Him above all for ever. 

V. Blessed art Thou, O 
Lord, in the firmament of 
heaven. 

R. And worthy to be 
praised, and glorious, and 
exalted above all for ever. 

V. May the almighty and 
merciful Lord bless and pre- 
serve us. 

R. Amen. 

V. Vouchsafe, O Lord, this 
night. 

R. To keep us without sin. 

V. Have mercy on us, O 
Lord. 

R. Have mercy on us. 

V. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, 
be upon us. 

R. As we have hoped in 
Thee. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

VISIT, we beseech Thee, 
O Lord, this habita- 
tion, and drive far from it all 



Evening Prayers, 



ab ea longe repelle : angeli tui 
sancti habitent in ea, qui nos 
in pace custodiant: et bene- 
dictio tua sit super nos sem- 
per. Per Dominum. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

V. Benedicamus Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

The Blessing. 



snares of the enemy; let Thy 
holy angels dwell herein, to 
preserve us in peace; and 
may Thy blessing be always 
upon us. Through Our Lord. 
V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 
V. Let us bless the Lord. 
R. Thanks be to God. 



Benedicat et custodiat nos 
omnipotens et misericors Do- 
minus, Pater, et Filius, *k et 
Spiritus Sanctus. 

R. Amen. 



May the almighty and mer- 
ciful Lord, Father, Son, 
and Holy Ghost, bless and 
preserve us. 

R. Amen. 



Then is said one of the Antiphons of the Blessed Virgin, accord- 
ing to the season. The Antiphon is to be said kneeling, ex- 
cept in Paschal time, when it is to be said standing. 



From Vespers of Saturday before First Sunday in Advent to 
the Purification, inclusive. 



VTLMA Redemptoris Ma- 
fi jA ter, quae pervia cceli, 
Porta manes, et Stella maris, 

succurre cadenti, 
Surgere qui curat, populo: 

tu quae genuisti, 
Natura mirante, tuum sanc- 
tum Genitorem: 
Virgo prius ac posterius, Ga- 

brielis ab ore, 
Sumens illud Ave, peccato- 
rum miserere. 



ax 



ALMA REDEMPTORIS. 

OTHER of Christ! hear 
thou thy people's cry, 
Star of the deep, and portal of 

the sky! 
Mother of Him Who thee 

from nothing made, 
Sinking we strive, and call to 

thee for aid; 
Oh, by that joy which Gabriel 

brought to thee, 
Thou Virgin first and last, let 
us thy mercy see. 



In Advent. 

V. Angelus Domini nun- V. The angel of the Lord 
davit Marias. announced unto Mary. 



i68 



Evening Prayers. 



R. Et concepit de Spiritu 
Sancto. 

Or emus. 

RATIAM tuam qusesu- 
mus, Domine, menti- 
bus nostris infunde; ut qui 
angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii 
tui incarnationem cognovi- 
mus, per passionem ejus et 
crucem ad resurrectionis 
gloriam perducamur. Per 
eumdem Christum Dominum 
nostrum. 

R. Amen. 



R. And she conceived of 
the Holy Ghost. 

Let us pray. 

OUR forth, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, Thy 
grace into our hearts; that we, 
to whom the Incarnation of 
Christ, Thy Son, was made 
known by the message of an 
angel, may, by His Passion 
and cross, be brought to 
the glory of His Resurrection. 
Through the same Christ our 
Lord. 

R. Amen. 





From Christmas -day to the Purification. 



V. Post partum virgo in- 
violata permansisti. 

R. Dei Genitrix, intercede 
pro nobis. 

Or emus. 
*~|^vEUS, qui salutis aeternae, 
beatae Marias virgini- 
tate fcecunda, humano gen- 
eri praemia praestitisti ; tribue, 
quaesumus, ut ipsam pro no- 
bis intercedere sentiamus, per 
quam meruimus auctorem 
ritae suscipere, Dominum nos- 
trum Jesum Christum Filium 
tuum. Qui vivit. 

R. Amen. 

F. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 

Pater noster. (Secreto.) 



V. After child-birth thou 
didst remain a pure virgin. 

R. Intercede for us, O 
Mother of God. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who, by the fruit- 
ful virginity of blessed 
Mary, hast given to mankind 
the rewards of eternal salva- 
tion, grant, we beseech Thee, 
that we may experience her 
intercession for us, through 
whom we have deserved to 
receive the Author of life, Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, 
Who liveth. 
R. Amen. 

V. May the divine assist- 
ance remain always with us. 
R. Amen. 

Our Father. (In secret.) 



Evening Prayers. 



169 



II. 

From Compline on the Feast of the Purification to Maundy 
Thursday exclusively. 



AVE RE GIN A. 

VE, Regina coelorum! 



Ave domina angelorum! 
Salve radix, salve porta, 
Ex qua mundo Lux est orta. 

Gaude, Virgo gloriosa, 
Super omnes speciosa. 

Vale, O valde decora! 

Et pro nobis Christum exora. 

V. Dignare me laudare te, 
Virgo sacrata. 

R. Da mihi virtutem con- 
tra hostes tuos. 

Or emus. 

aONCEDE, misericors 
Deus, fragilitati no- 
stras praesidium; ut qui sanctae 
Dei Genitricis memoriam agi- 
mus, intercessionis ejus aux- 
ilio a nostris iniquitatibus 
resurgamus. Per eumdem 
Christum. 
R. Amen. 

V. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 



AIL, O Queen of heaven 
enthroned! 
Hail, by angels mistress owned! 
Root of Jesse, Gate of morn, 
Whence the world's true light 

was born. 
Glorious Virgin, joy to thee, 
Loveliest whom in heaven they 
see. 

Fairest thou where all are fair! 
Plead with Christ our sins to 
spare. 

V. Vouchsafe that I may 
praise thee, O sacred Virgin. 

R. Give me strength against 
thine enemies. 

Let us pray. 
RANT, O merciful God, 
\S) support to our frailty; 
that we who commemorate 
the holy Mother of God, may, 
by the help of her intercession, 
arise from our iniquities. 
Through the same Christ our 
Lord. 

R. Amen. 

V. May the divine assist- 
ance remain always with us. 
R. Amen. 



III. 

From Compline on Holy Saturday till Trinity Eve. 

REGINA CCELI. 

cceli, lsetare! ^^UEEN of heaven rejoice; 



Alleluia. 



Alleluia. 



Evening Prayers. 



Quia quern meruisti portare; 

Alleluia. 
Resurrexit sicut dixit; Alleluia. 
Ora pro nobis Deum; Alleluia. 

V. Gaude et lsetare, Virgo, 
Maria: Alleluia. 

R. Quia surrexit Dominus 
vere: Alleluia. 

Oremus. 
'T^vEUS, qui per Resurreo 
.r-L' tionem Filii tui Do- 
mini nostri Jesu Christi mun- 
dum laetificare dignatus es; 
praesta, quaesumus, ut per ejus 
Genitricem Virginem Mariam 
perpetuae capiamus gaudia 
vitae. Per eumdem Christum 
Dominum nostrum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 



Because He Whom thou hast 

deserved to bear, Alleluia. 
Has risen as He said; Alleluia. 

Pray God for us; Alleluia. 

V. Rejoice and be glad, O 
Virgin Mary: Alleluia. 

R. Because the Lord hath 
truly risen: Alleluia. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who, through 
the Resurrection of Thy 
Son Jesus Christ our Lord, 
hast deigned to make the 
world rejoice, grant, we be- 
seech Thee, that through His 
Virgin Mother Mary, we may 
receive the joys of perpetual 
life. Through the same 
Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 

V. May the divine assist- 
ance remain always with us. 
R. Amen. 



IV. 

From First Vespers of Trinity Sunday to Advent. 



SALVE 

^^ALVE, Regina, mater 
JS^ misericordiae; 

Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, 
salve, 

Ad te clamamus, exules 
filii Evae; 

Ad te suspiramus, gemen- 
tes et flentes in hac lacry- 
marum valle. 

Eia ergo. Advocata nostra. 

Illos tuos misericordes ocu- 
los ad nos converte; 



REGINA. 

*-p^ AIL, holy Queen, Moth- 
rJ— b er of mercy; 

Our life, our sweetness, and 
our hope, 

To thee do we cry, poor 
banished children of Eve; 

To thee do we send up our 
sighs, mourning and weeping 
in this valley of tears. 

Turn, then, most gracious 
advocate, thine eyes of mercy 
toward us. 



Evening Prayers. 



171 



Et Jesum, benedictum fruc- 
tum ventris tui, 

Nobis post hoc exilium os- 
tende, 

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis 
Virgo Maria. 

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta 
Dei Genitrix. 

R. Ut digni emciamur pro- 
missionibus, Christi. 



Oremus. 

OMNIPOTENT, sempi- 
terne Deus, qui glori- 
osae Virginis Matris Marias 
corpus et animam, ut dig- 
num Filii tui habitaculum 
effici mereretur, Spiritu Sanc- 
to co-operante, prasparasti; 
da ut cujus commemoratione 
laetamur, ejus pia interces- 
sion ab instantibus malis et 
a morte perpetua liberemur. 
Per eumdem Christum Do- 
minum nostrum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 



And after this our exile 
show unto us 

The blessed fruit of thy 
womb, Jesus. 

O clement, O pious, O sweet 
Virgin Alary. 

V. Pray for us, O holy 
Mother of God. 

R. That we may be made 
worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 

*7T LMIGHTY, everlast- 
<*/j-> ing God, Who, by the 
cooperation of the Holy Ghost, 
didst prepare the body and 
soul of Alary, glorious Virgin 
and Mother, to become the 
worthy habitation of Thy Son; 
grant that we may be de- 
livered from present evils and 
from everlasting death by 
her gracious intercession, in 
whose commemoration we 
rejoice. Through the same 
Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 

V. May the divine assist- 
ance remain always with us. 
R. Amen. 



With regard to the hymn at Compline, u Te Lueis" it is to be 
noted that the last verse is sometimes said thus, altered in honor 
of the Incarnation, on feasts of Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin. 

Jesu, the Virgin-born, to Thee 
Eternal praise be given, 



Jesu, tibi sit gloria 

Qui natus es de Virgine, 
Cum Patre et almo Spiritu 



In sempiterna saecula. 
Amen. 



With Father, Spirit, One and 
Three, 
Here, as it is in heaven. 
Amen. 



172 



Evening Prayers. 



In Paschal time, in honor of the Resurrection. 

To God the Father, with the 
Son 

Who from the grave immor- 
tal rose, 
And Thee, O Paraclete, be 
praise, 

While age on endless ages 

flows. 
Amen. 



Deo Patri sit gloria 
Et filio, qui a mortuis, 

Surrexit, ac Paraclito, 
In sempiterna saecula. 



Amen. 

On feasts of Our Lady, the two following verses are sung in 
its place by some Religion.s: 



Maria, Mater gratiae, 
Mater misericordiae, 
Tu nos ab hoste protege ; 

Et hora mortis suscipe. 



Gloria tibi, Domine, 
Qui natus es de Virgine, 
Cum Patre et sancto Spiritu, 
In sempiterna saecula. 
Amen. 



O Mary, Mother of all grace, 
And mercy to our dnful race, 
Protect us from the demon's 
power, 

And take us at life's closing 
hour. 

All glory be to Thee, O Lord, 
A Virgin's Son, o'er all adored, 
And equal praise for ever greet, 
The Father and the Paraclete. 
Amen. 

B formula of tbe Dowe, 

*TT*LMIGHTY and eternal God! I, N.N., in pro- 
«J<-*-» found adoration before the Holy Trinity, and 
in presence of the blessed Virgin Mary, and of all the 
angels and saints, vow and promise to Thy supreme 
Majesty, and, subject to the good pleasure of His Lord- 
ship, the Bishop, to you, reverend Mother, as first holding 
the place of God to me, poverty, chastity, and obedience * 
(for a year in the Company or Congregation N.N.) ; and 
I hope to obtain, through the merits of Jesus Christ, Who 
inspires me to make these vows, and through the interces- 
sion of the saints, the grace to accomplish them. Amen. 

* Some Religious Orders mention obedience first in the formula; 
then poverty and chastity. 



Grace Before and After Meals. 



173 



IRenewal of tbe li)ow6* 

'"TT* LMIGHTY and eternal God! I, Sister N.N., 
ew£-*-» now renew and confirm with my whole heart 
the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, which I 
made at my profession. I implore Thee, O God of 
infinite goodness and mercy, by the precious blood of 
Jesus Christ, and through the intercession of the blessed 
Virgin Mary, to grant me the grace to fulfil these vows 
perfectly. Amen. 

©race Before an£> Hfter /I&eals* 

BEFORE DINNER. 



<g UPERIOR — Benedicite. 

The rest answer — Bene- 
dicite. 

V. Oculi omnium in te 
sperant Domine, et tu das 
escam iilorum in tempore op- 
portune 

R. Aperis tu manum tuam, 
et imples omne animal bene- 
dictione. 

V. Gloria Patri, et Filio 
et Spiritui sancto. 

R. Sicut erat in principio, 
et nunc et semper, et in saecula 
saeculorum. Amen. 

V. Kyrie eleison. 

R. Christe eleison. 

V. Kyrie eleison. 

'T^ATER noster (the rest is 
«-■— said in secret) qui es in 
ccelis, sanctificetur nomen tu- 
um; adveniat regnum tuum; 



^UPERIOR- Let us 

praise the Lord. 

The rest answer — Let us 
praise the Lord. 

V. The eyes of all hope in 
Thee, O Lord, and Thou 
givest them food in a favor- 
able time. 

R. Thou openest Thy hand, 
and fillest every living creat- 
ure with Thy blessing. 

V. Glory be to the Father, 
and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost. 

R. As it was in the begin- 
ning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

V. Lord, have mercy on us. 

R. Christ, have mercy on 
us. 

V. Lord, have mercy on us. 

OUR Father, Who art in 
heaven, hallowed be 
Thy name; Thy kingdom 
come; Thy will be done on 



174 Grace Before and After Meals. 



fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo 
et in terra; panem nostrum 
quotidianum da nobis hodie; 
et dimitte nobis debita nostra 
sicut et nos dimittibus debi- 
toribus nostris; {loud) Et ne 
nos inducas in tentationem. 
R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

Or emus. 

BENEDIC, Domine, nos, 
et haec tua dona, quae 
de tua largitate sumus sump- 
turi. Per Christum Domi- 
num nostrum. 

R. Amen. Jube, Domine, 
benedicere. 

V. Mensae ccelestis par- 
ticipes faciat nos Rex seternae 
gloriae. 
R. Amen. 

AFTER 

OONFITEANTUR tibi, 
Domine, omnia opera 

tua. 

R. Et sancti tui benedicant 
tibi. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. 

V. Agimus tibi gratias, 
omnipotens Deus, pro uni- 
versis beneficiis tuis; qui 



earth as it is in heaven; give 
us this day our daily bread; 
and forgive us our trespasses, 
as we forgive them that tres- 
pass against us. And lead 
us not into temptation. 

R. But deliver us from 
evil. 

Let us pray. 

BLESS us, O Lord, and 
these Thy gifts, which 
of Thy bounty we are going 
to receive. Through Christ 
our Lord. 

R. Amen. Lord, grant me 
Thy blessing. 

V. May the King of glory 
make us partakers of the 
heavenly table. 
R. Amen. 

DINNER.* 

*"¥""-! ET all Thy works praise 
r-H Thee, O Lord. 

R. And all Thy saints bless 
Thee. 

V. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

R. As it was, etc. 
V. We give Thee thanks, 
almighty God, for all Thy 
benefits, Who liveth and 



* The Reader says: 

V. Tu autem, Domine, mise- V. Do Thou, O Lord, have 
rere nobis. mercy on us. 

R. Deo gratias. R. Thanks be to God. 

(The same after supper, when there has been reading at table.) 



Grace Before and After Meals. 



175 



vivis et regnas in saecula saecu- 
lorum, etc. 
R. Amen. 



reigneth for ever and ever, 
etc. 

R. Amen. 



Psalm CXVI. Laudate Dominum. 



t m * num omnes gen- 
tes; laudate eum omnes pop- 
uli. 

R Quoniam confirmata est 
super nos misericordia ejus, 
et Veritas Domini manet in 
aeternum. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. 
R. Sicut erat, etc. 
V. Kyrie eleison. 
R. Christe eleison. 
V. Kyrie eleison. 
Pater noster, etc. Et ne 
nos inducas in tentationem. 
R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

V. Dispersit, dedit pauperi- 
bus. 

R. Justitia ejus manet in 
saeculum saeculi. 

V. Benedicam Dominum 
in omni tempore. 

R. Semper laus ejus in ore 
meo. 

V. In Domino laudabitur 
anima mea. 

R. Audiant mansueti, et 
laetentur. 

V. Magnificate Dominum 
me cum. 

R. Et exaltemus nomen 
ejus in idipsum. 

V. Sit nomen Domini bene- 
dictum. 



V. *T£) RAISE the Lord, 
all ye nations; 
praise Him, all ye people. 

R. Because His mercy is 
confirmed upon us, and the 
truth of the Lord remaineth 
for ever. 

V. Glory, etc. 

R. As it was, etc. 

V. Lord, have mercy on us. 

R. Christ, have mercy on us. 

V. Lord, have mercy on us. 

Our Father, etc. And lead 
us not into temptation. 

R. But deliver us from 
evil. 

V. He distributed and gave 
to the poor. 

R. His justice remaineth 
for ever. 

V. I will bless the Lord at 
all times. 

R. His praise shall be ever 
on my lips. 

V. In the Lord shall my 
soul be praised. 

R. Let the meek hear and 
rejoice. 

V. O magnify the Lord 
with me. 

R. And let us extol His 
name together. 

V. Let the name of the 
Lord be blessed. 



176 



Grace Before and After Meals. 



R. Ex hoc nunc et usque in 
saeculum. 

Or emus. 

V. ^ ETRIBUERE dig- 
«J-\) nare, Domine, om- 
nibus nobis bona facientibus 
propter nomen tuum, vitam 
aeternam. 

R. Amen. 

V. Benedicamus Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Et fidelium animae per 
misericordiam Dei requies- 
cant in pace. 

R. Amen. 

Pater noster. (Secreto.) 

V. Deus det nobis suam 
pacem. 

R. Et vitam aeternam. 
Amen. 

BEFORE 

SUPERIOR .— Bene- 
dicite. 

The rest answer — Bene- 
dicite. 

V. Edent pauperes, et sat- 
urabuntur, et laudabunt Do- 
minum qui requirunt eum. 

R. Vivent corda eorum in 
saeculum saeculi. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. 
V. Kyrie eleison. 
R. Christe eleison. 

V. Kyrie eleison. 



R. From henceforth now, 
and for ever. 

Let us pray. 

F.^y^OUCHSAFE, O 
V Lord, to re- 
ward with eternal life all those 
who have done us good, for 
Thy name's sake. 
R. Amen. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. And may the souls of 
the faithful departed, through 
the mercy of God, rest in 
peace. 

R. Amen. 

Our Father. {In secret.) 
V. May God grant us His 
peace. 

R. And life everlasting. 
Amen. 

SUPPER. 




UPERIOR. — Let us 
praise the Lord. 



The rest answer — Let us 
praise the Lord. 

V. The poor shall eat and 
be filled, and they shall praise 
the Lord who seek Him. 

R Their hearts shall live for 
ever and ever. 

V. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

R. As it was, etc. 
V. Lord, have mercy on us. 
R. Christ, have mercy on 
us. 

V. Lord, have mercy on us. 



Grace Before and After Meals. 



177 



Pater noster, etc. Et ne 
nos inducas in tentationem. 
R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

Or emus. 

BENEDIC, Domine nos, 
et haec tua dona, quae 
de tua largitate sumus sump- 
turi. Per Christum Dominum 
nostrum. 

R. Amen. Jube, Domine, 
benedicere. 

V. Ad ccenam vitae aeternae 
perducat nos Rex asternae glo- 
rias. 

R. Amen. 



Our Father, etc. And lead 
us not into temptation. 
R. But deliver us from evil. 

Let us pray. 

BLESS us, O Lord, and 
these Thy gifts, which 
of Thy bounty we are going 
to receive. Through Christ 
our Lord. 

R. Amen. Lord, grant me 
Thy blessing. 

V. May the King of glory 
make us partakers of the 
heavenly table. 
R. Amen. 



AFTER SUPPER. 



EMORIAM fecit mi- 
rabilium suorum mi- 
sericors et miserator Domi- 
nus; escam dedit timentibus 
se. 

Gloria Patria, etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. 

V. Benedictus Deus in do- 
nis suis, et sanctus in omni- 
bus operibus suis, qui vivet et 
regnat in saecula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 



HE merciful and com- 
passionate Lord hath, 
made a memorial of His won- 
derful works; He hath given 
food to them that fear Him. 
Glory be to the Father, etc. 
R. As it was, etc. 
V. Elessed be God in all 
His gifts, and holy in all His 
works, Who liveth and reign- 
eth for ever and ever. 
R. Amen. 




Psalm CXVI. 

V. Laudate Dominum V. Praise the Lord, all ye 

omnes gentes; laudate eum nations; praise Him, all ye 

omnes populi. people. 

R. Quoniam confirmata est R. Because His mercy is 

super nos misericordia ejus: confirmed upon us, and the 

et Veritas Domini manet in truth of the Lord remaineth. 

aeternum. for ever. 



i 7 8 



Grace Before and After Meals, 



V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest is the same as the grace after dinner.) 

The preceding form of Grace before and after meals is con- 
tinued throughout the year, except on the festivals hereafter 
marked. 

On fast days no other Grace is said before and after dinner 
than that appointed for supper on ordinary days. 

From Christmas -day, inclusively, till supper on the Eve of 
the Epiphany, exclusively. 

^yr-'ERBUM caro factum Word was made 

V est, Alleluia. flesh, Alleluia. 

R. Et habitavit in nobis, R. And dwelt amongst us, 

Alleluia. Alleluia. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

AFTER MEALS. 

OTUM fecit Dominus, % 7^HE Lord hath made 
Alleluia. known, Alleluia. 

R. Salutare suum, Alleluia. R. Flis salvation, Alleluia. 
V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

From supper on the Eve of the Epiphany, inclusively, till 
supper on the Octave day, exclusively. 



EGES Tharsis et Insu- 
lae munera offerunt, 
Alleluia. 

R. Reges Arabum et Saba 
dona adducent, Alleluia. 



HE kings of Tharsis 
and the Islands shall 
offer presents, Alleluia. 

R. The kings of the Ara- 
bians and Saba shall bring 
gifts, Alleluia. 




Grace before and After Meals. 



179 



V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before ) 

AFTER MEALS. 

OMNES de Saba venient, VT'LL shall come from 
Alleluia. Saba, Alleluia. 

R. Aurum et thus defer- R. Bringing gold and frank - 
entes, Alleluia. incense, Alleluia. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

On Holy Thursday " Benedicite" is omitted, and the Grace 
is said in a low tone of voice as follows: 

aHRISTUS factus est pro W HRIST became for us 
nobis obedieris usque obedient unto death, 

ad mortem. 

Pater noster, etc. Our Father, etc. 

(Said entirely in silence.) 

AFTER DINNER. 

aHRISTUS factus est ✓N'HRIST became for us 
pro nobis obediens V>i obedient unto death, 
usque ad mortem. 

Pater noster, etc. Our Father, etc. 

(In silence; then follows:) 

Psalm L. Miserere Met Deus. 

F./TV I S E R E R E mei F.*Tp^ AVE mercy on me, 

< M«> Deus, secundum O God, accord- 

magnam misericordiam tuam. ing to Thy great mercy. 

R. Et secundum multitudi- R. And according to the 

nem miserationum tuarum, multitude of Thy tender mer- 

dele iniquitatem meam. cies, blot out my iniquity. 

V. Amplius lava me ab in- V. Wash me yet more from 

iquitate mea: et a peccato my iniquity, and cleanse me 

mea munda me. from my sin. 



i8o 



Grace Before and After Meals. 



R. Quoniam iniquitatem 
meam ego cognosce, et pec- 
catum meum contra me est 
semper. 

V. Tibi soli peccavi, et ma- 
lum coram te feci: ut justifi- 
ceris in sermonibus tuis et 
vincas cum judicaris. 

R. Ecce enim in iniquita- 
tibusconceptussum: et in pec- 
catis concepit me mater mea. 

V. Ecce enim veritatem 
dilexisti: incerta et occulta 
sapientiae tuae manifestati 
mihi. 

R. Asperges me hyssopo, 
et mundabor; lavabis me, 
et super nivem dealbabor. 

V. Auditui meo dabis gau- 
dium et laetitiam; et exulta- 
bunt ossa humiliata. 

R. A vert e faciem tuam a 
peccatis meis et omnes, iniqui- 
tates meas dele. 

V. Cor mundum crea in 
me, Deus; et spiritum rec- 
tum innova in visceribus meis. 

R. Ne projicias me a facie 
.tua; et spiritum sanctum 
tuum ne auferas a me. 

V. Redde mihi laetitiam 
salutaris tui; et spiritu prin- 
cipali connrma me. 

R. Docebo iniquos vias 



R. For I know my iniquity, 
and my sin is always before 
me. 

V. To Thee only have I 
sinned, and have done evil 
before Thee; that Thou 
mayest be justified in Thy 
words, and mayest overcome 
when Thou art judged. 

R. For behold I was con- 
ceived in iniquity: and in sins 
did my mother conceive me. 

V. For behold Thou hast 
loved truth: the uncertain 
and hidden things of Thy wis- 
dom Thou hast made mani- 
fest to me. 

R. Thou shalt sprinkle me 
with hyssop, and I shall be 
cleansed; Thou shalt wash 
me, and I shall be made 
whiter than snow. 

V. To my hearing Thou 
shalt give joy and gladness; 
and the bones that have been 
humbled shall rejoice. 

R. Turn away Thy face 
from my sins, and blot out all 
my iniquities. 

V. Create a clean heart in 
me, O God, and renew a 
right spirit within my bowels. 

R. Cast me not away from 
Thy face, and take not Thy 
Holy Spirit from me. 

V. Restore unto me the 
joy of Thy salvation; and 
strengthen me with a perfect 
spirit. 

R. I will teach the unjust 



Grace Before and After Meals, 



181 



tuas: et impii ad te conver- 
tentur. 

V. Libera me de sanguini- 
bus, Deus, Deus, salutis meae; 
et exultabit lingua mea justi- 
tiam tuam. 

R. Domine labia mea ape- 
ries: et os meum annuntiabit 
laudum tuam. 

V. Quoniam si voluisses 
sacrificium, dedissem utique: 
holocaustis non delectaberis. 

R. Sacrificium Deo spiri- 
tus contribulatus: cor contri- 
tum et humiliatum Deus non 
despicies. 

V. Benigne fac Domine in 
bona voluntate tua Sion: ut 
aedificentur muri Jerusalem. 

R. Tunc acceptabis sacri- 
ficium justitiae, oblationes, et 
holocausta : tunc imponent 
super altare tuum vitulos. 

V. Respice, quaesumus Do- 
mine, super hanc familiam 
tuam, pro qua Dominus nos- 
ter Jesus Christus non dubi- 
tavit manibus tradi nocen- 
tium, et crucis subire tormen- 
tum (in silence) qui vivis et 
regnas in saecula saeculorum. 
Amen. 

On Good Friday the preceding 
ence 

aHRISTUS factus est pro 
nobis obediens usque 
ad mortem. 



Thy ways; and the wicked 
shall be converted to Thee. 

V. Deliver me from blood, 
O God, Thou God of my sal- 
vation, and my tongue shall 
extol Thy justice. 

R. O Lord, Thou wilt open 
my lips, and my mouth shall 
declare Thy praise. 

V. For if Thou hadst desired 
sacrifice, I would indeed have 
given it : with burnt offerings 
Thou wilt not be delighted. 

R. A sacrifice to God is an 
afflicted spirit: a contrite and 
humbled heart, O God, Thou 
wilt not despise. 

V. Deal favorably, O Lord, 
in Thy good-will with Sion, 
that the walls of Jerusalem 
may be built up. 

R. Then Thou shalt accept 
the sacrifice of justice, obla- 
tions, and whole burnt offer- 
ings: then they shall lay calves 
upon Thy altar. 

V. Look down, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, on this Thy 
family, for which Our Lord 
Jesus Christ was pleased to be 
delivered into the hands of 
the wicked, and suffer the tor- 
ments of the cross (in silence), 
Who liveth and reigneth world 
without end. Amen. 

Grace is said, with this differ 
only: 




HRIST became for us 
obedient unto death. 



182 



Grace Before and After Meals, 



R. Mortem autem crucis. R. Even to the death of the 

cross. 

On Holy Saturday "Benedicite" is said as usual: 

VESPERE autem Sab- VfXD in the end of the 
bati, vJEA-> Sabbath, 

R. Quae lucescit in prima R. When it began to 
Sabbati, venit Maria Mag- dawn towards the first day of 
dalene et altera Maria videre the week, came Mary Mag- 
sepulchrum, Alleluia. dalen and the other Mary, to 

see the sepulcher, Alleluia. 
V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

AFTER DINNER. 

V. Vespere autem Sabbati. V. And in the end, etc. 
R. Quae lucescit, etc. R. When it began to dawn, 

etc. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father,. 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

From Easter Sunday, inclusively, till the Supper of the follow- 
ing Saturday, exclusively. 

TEC dies quam fecit Do- HIS is the day which the 

minus, Alleluia. Lord hath made, Al- 

leluia. 

R. Exultemus et laetemur R. Let us exult and rejoice 
in ea, Alleluia. thereon, Alleluia. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

AFTER MEALS. 

V. Haec dies, etc. V. This is the day, etc. 

R. Exultemus, etc. R. Let us exult, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 




Grace Before and After Meals. 



i8 3 



From the Eve of the Ascension, inclusively, till the Eve oj Pen- 
tecost, exclusively. 

*TXSCENDIT Deus in /^OD is ascended with 
eS^-> jubilatione, Alleluia. jubilee, Alleluia. 

R. Et Dominus in voce R. And the Lord with the 
tubae, Alleluia . sound of the trumpet, Alleluia. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

AFTER MEALS. 

V. Ascendens Christus in V. Christ ascending on 
altum, Alleluia. high, Alleluia. 

R. Captivam duxit capti- R. Hath led captivity cap- 
vitatem, Alleluia. tive, Alleluia. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

From the Eve 0} Pentecost, inclusively, to the Supper of the fol- 
lowing Saturday, exclusively. 

gSPIRITUS Domini reple- ^HE spirit of the Lord 
vit orbem terrarum, Al- hath filled the whole 

leluia. earth, Alleluia. 

R. Et hoc quod continet R. And all contained there- 
omnia, scientiam habet vocis, in hath heard His voice, 
Alleluia. Alleluia. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

AFTER MEALS. 

*T^> EPLETI sunt omnes ^ HE Y were all filled with 
AAs Spiritu Sancto, Alle- v£> the Holy Ghost, Alle- 
luia, luia. 



184 



Grace Be/ore and After Meals. 



R. Et coeperunt loqui, Al- R. And they began to 
leluia. speak, Alleluia. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

(The rest as before.) 

BEFORE BREAKFAST AXD BEFORE COLLATION ON FASTING-DAYS. 



V. Benedicite. 
R. Benedicite. 

*T^\0 MINUS nos et ea, quae 
gJLJ sumus sumpturi, bene- 
dicat dextra Christi, in nomine 
Patris et Filii et Spiritus 
Sancti. 

R. Amen. 



V. Let us praise the Lord. 
R. Let us praise the Lord. 

AY Christ's right hand 
bless us, and what we 
are about to receive; in the 
name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost. 
R. Amen. 




AFTER BREAKFAST AND AFTER COLLATION. 



GIMUS tibi gratias, 
omnipotens Deus, 
pro universis beneficiis tuis, 
qui vivis et regnas in saecula 
saeculorum. 
R. Amen. 
V. Kyrie eleison. 
R. Christe eleison. 
V. Kyrie eleison. 
Pater Noster. 

V. Et ne nos inducas m 
tentationem. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

V. Fidelium animae per 
misericordiam Dei requies- 
cant in pace. 

R. Amen. 



E give Thee thanks, 
almighty God, for all 
Thy benefits, Who livest and 
reignest now and for ever. 

7?. Amen. 

F. Lord have mercy on us. 
R. Christ have mercy on us. 
V. Lord have mercy on us. 
Our Father, 

V. And lead us not into 
temptation. 

R. But deliver us from evil. 

V. May the souls of the 
faithful departed through the 
mercy of God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 




XK 



Grace Before and After Meals. 185 



Psalm CXXIX. 

V. V T\E profundis clama- 
\J vi ad te Domine; 
Domine exaudi vocem meam. 

R. Fiant aures tuse inten- 
dentes; in vocem depreca- 
tionis meae. 

V. Si iniquitates observa- 
veris, Domine; Domine quis 
sustinebitl 

R. Quia apud te propitiatio 
est, et propter legem tuam 
sustinui te, Domine. 

V. Sustinuit anima mea in 
verbo ejus; speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 

R. A custodia matutina 
usque ad noctem: speret Is- 
rael in Domino. 

V. Quia apud Dominum 
misericordia, et copiosa apud 
eum redemptio. 

R. Et ipse redimet Israel 
ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
eis Domine. 

R. Et lux perpetua luceat 
eis. 

V. A porta inferi, 
R. Erue Domine animas 
eorum. 

V. Requiescant in pace. 
R. Amen. 



De Profundis * 

V. "TpROM the depths 
r-*--l I have cried to 
Thee, O Lord; Lord, hear 
my voice. 

R. Let Thine ears be at- 
tentive to the voice of my pe- 
tition. 

V. If Thou wilt observe 
iniquities, O Lord; Lord, 
who shall endure it? 

R. Because with Thee there 
is propitiation, and by rea- 
son of Thy law I have waited 
for Thee, O Lord! 

V. My soul hath relied on 
His word; my soul hath 
hoped in the Lord. 

R. From the morning watch 
even until night, let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

V. Because with the Lord 
there is mercy, and with Him 
plentiful redemption. 

R. And He shall redeem 
Israel from all his iniquities. 

V. Eternal rest give to 
them, O Lord. 

R. And let perpetual light 
shine upon them. 

V. From the gates of hell, 

R. Deliver their souls, O 
Lord. 

V. May they rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 



* For the convenience of those Communities in which the "De 
Profundis" is recited after Grace at certain times, the Psalm is 
here inserted together with the Versicles, responses, and prayers. 

For the Magnificat, see p. 155. 



i86 



Grace Before and After Meals. 



Or emus. 

BIDELIUM Deus, om- 
nium Conditor et Re- 
demptor, animabus famu- 
lorum famularumque tuarum, 
remissionem cunctorum tri- 
bue peccatorum; ut indul- 
gentiam quam semper opta- 
verunt, piis supplicationibus 
consequantur: qui vivis et 
regnas in saecula saeculorum. 
R. Amen. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
eis, Domine. 

R. Et lux perpetua luceat 
eis. 

V. Requiescant in pace. 
R. Amen. 



Let us pray. 

OGOD the Creator and 
Redeemer of all the 
faithful, give to the souls of 
Thy servants departed the 
full remission of all their sins; 
that through pious suppli- 
cations they may obtain the 
pardon they have always de- 
sired: Who livest and reign - 
est for ever and ever. 
R. Amen. 

V. Eternal rest give to 
them, O Lord. 

R. And let perpetual light 
shine upon them. 

V. May they rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



grace before meals. (For all classes.) 

Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts which we are 
about to receive from Thy bounty: through Christ our 
Lord. 

R. Amen. 



GRACE AFTER MEALS. 



We give Thee thanks, O almighty God, for all Thy 
benefits. Who liveth and reigneth now and for ever. 
R. Amen. 

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to reward with eternal life all 
those who do us good for Thy name's sake. 
R. Amen. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 
R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the faithful departed, through 
the mercy of God, rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 



General Prayers. 



187 



Bailg thitentions. 

UNDAY. — Mass, Communion, Office, Rosary, etc., 
in honor of the Most Holy Trinity, for the Pope, 
prelates, and clergy, the propagation of the faith, in 
thanksgiving for my creation, redemption, and vocation, 
and to beg grace to unite my heart perfectly to God by 
dying to myself and to the world, so that I may use my 
talents and my whole being in the service of my heavenly 
Spouse. 

Monday. — Mass, Office, Rosary, etc., in honor of St. N., 
for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, par- 
ticularly N.N., and the Sisters of the Institute; and for 
myself, the grace of final perseverance and a happy death. 

Tuesday. — Mass, Communion, Office, Rosary, etc., 
in honor of the angels, for the conversion of negligent 
Catholics, especially N.N.; for myself, a right knowl- 
edge, and the perfect spirit of poverty, chastity, and 
obedience. 

Wednesday. — Mass, Office, Rosary, etc., in honor of 
St. Joseph, for parents, friends, benefactors, for those for 
whom I have promised to pray, for the temporal wants 
of the Institute, for the Superiors of the several houses ; 
and for myself, modesty, meekness, and humility, and 
the graces to subdue my senses and imagination. 

Thursday. — Mass, Communion, Office, Rosary, etc., 
in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, in reparation for all 
sacrilegious communions, and all indignities offered to this 
Sacrament of love, for all Religious, N. . . . for priests, 
N. . . . my duties, the relief of the poor; and for my- 
self, the virtues of charity, patience, and confidence in 
God. 

Friday. — Mass, Communion, Office, Rosary, etc., in 
honor of the sacred Passion and death of my Saviour, 
Jesus Christ, that union and charity may reign in the 
Community, that its members may increase, and that 
all may be filled with zeal for the conversion of sinners; 




i88 



General Prayers. 



for myself, a simple and pure intention in all my 
actions. For the same intentions, in honor of the 
Sacred Heart. 

Saturday. — Mass, Office, Rosary, etc., in honor of 
our blessed Lady, to beg grace to confess my sins, briefly, 
distinctly, and contritely, and to draw fruit from my con- 
fessions and communions. 

5>afl£ prater for tbe associates in tbe Sacrefc Ibeart 
of 5esus. 

Y loving Jesus, I, N.X., give Thee my heart, and 
I consecrate myself wholly to Thee out of the 
grateful love I bear Thee, and as a reparation for all my 
unfaithfulness to grace, and with Thine aid I purpose 
never to sin again. 

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, 
inflame our hearts with love for Thee. Grant that we 
may, in conversation, manners, and conduct, avoid 
whatever may in the least disturb our union, or lessen 
in the smallest degree our mutual charity and love, that 
we may repair the smallest offence by quickly asking 
pardon, and if asked pardon of by others, oh! enable 
us to grant it without contention or reserve. 

2>atlE prater for tbe associates in tbe SacreD Ibeart 
of /Iftar^ 

EMEMBER, O most blessed Virgin! that it has 
i never been heard of in any age, that those who 
implored thy powerful protection were abandoned by 
thee. I, therefore, O sacred Virgin, animated with the 
most lively confidence, cast myself at thy sacred feet, 
most earnestly beseeching thee to adopt me as thy child, 
to take care of my eternal salvation, and to watch over 
me at the hour of death. Oh, do not, Mother of the 
Word Incarnate, despise my prayer, but graciously 
hear and obtain the grant of my petitions. Amen. 





General Prayers. 



189 



O dearest Mother, obtain for us, thy children, the 
grace ever to bear in mind that by the vow of obedience 
we have for ever renounced our own will, and resigned 
it to the direction of our Superiors: that we may be able 
to comply with all their directions, whether in matters 
of great or little moment, agreeable or disagreeable: 
that we may never murmur, but with humility and 
spiritual joy carry the sweet yoke of thy divine Son, Jesus. 

Ipra^er before Bjamem 

r\ MOST loving Father! I thank Thee with my 
whole heart and soul for all Thy mercies to me, 
a most miserable sinner. Thou hast created me for 
Thine own glory, redeemed me with Thy most precious 
blood, called me to Thy holy faith, and, with most un- 
speakable goodness, hast chosen me for Thy spouse, 
permitting me to live under the same roof with Thyself 
and Thy chosen servants. O my soul, bless the Lord! 
let all that is within thee praise His holy name! He has 
done all things for me: I will bless and glorify Him for 
ever and ever. 

O divine Spirit of light and truth, enlighten me, that 
I may know myself. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. 

BailE jEjameru 

ISING. — Promptitude in rising and dressing, 
thoughts on God or the subject of meditation. 
Morning Offering. — With fervor. 
Meditation. — Respectful posture ; presence of God ; 
attention; fervor in affections and resolutions; choice 
of ejaculations for the day. 

Office. — Recollection;' attention to ceremonies and 
pronunciation of words. 

Mass. — Formal intention; the prayers with devotion 




190 



General Prayers. 



or meditation on the Passion; spiritual communion and 
offering of one's self to God. 

Communion. — Preparation by offering of duties from 
evening meditation; faith, humility, gratitude, love, 
the fruit drawn from it. 

Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. — Fidelity in making 
those prescribed, viz.: after breakfast to review medi- 
tation, after spiritual reading, before and after meals, 
before and after an appointed duty in the schools, house 
of mercy, etc.: besides those, one or two of special 
devotion for a few minutes. 

Spiritual Reading. — Attention, fruit drawn from it. 

Domestic Duties. — Union with Jesus in Nazareth, or 
in the spirit of penance, care, neatness. 

Time-employments. — With regularity, exactness, fer- 
vor, cheerfulness under labor or fatigue ; avoiding indul- 
gence in idleness or slothful neglect, yielding to impa- 
tience, irritability, pride, or vanity. 

Silence. — Time, places, and manner prescribed; avoid- 
ing idle thoughts. 

Night Prayers. — Punctuality; diligent examen; devo- 
tion at Litany; preparation of meditation. 

Retiring to rest. — Silence ; thoughts of God ; in bed at 
the appointed time. 

Bnotber Sbort /Iftetbod of Dail£ JEsamem 

{Recall Presence of God.) 

FIRST POINT — ACT OF THANKSGIVING. 

f\ MY Lord and my God! I most humbly thank 
Thee for the great benefits of creation, redemp- 
tion, etc., and for Thy mercy and patience in bearing 
with me in spite of my many faults and sins. I offer 
Thee, my dear Lord and Master, the gratitude of my 
poor heart for all Thy favors, general and particular: 
above all, for having called me to this Congiegation in 
order to save me in it. 



Ge?ieral Prayers. 



SECOND POINT — PETITION FOR LIGHT. 

f~\ MY God, give me light to know my sins and see 
their real deformity, and to realize what a bad 
and bitter thing it is to stray from Thee. Grant me 
grace to see clearly my miseries, and to detest them with 
all my heart. 

THIRD POINT — EXAMINATION. 

MY dear Lord, how far have I gone astray from 
the path of perfection, although my Saviour 
Jesus hath marked it out for me by footprints stained 
with blood! 

General lEjamem 

FIRST POINT — SPIRITUAL DUTIES. 

^|FFERING of first thoughts and in union with the 
Apostleship of Prayer ? Morning and night 
prayers? Meditation and reflection? Mass? Holy 
communion? Spiritual reading? Daily examen? 
Beads? Vocal prayers? Visits to the Blessed Sacra- 
ment? Particular examen? 

SECOND POINT — VOWS. 

1. *T^)OVERTY. — In giving? lending? borrowing? 
< -L accepting ? retaining ? without leave ? Waste 

in charges? Spirit of poverty cultivated? 

2. CJtastity. — Custody of eyes, ears, tongue? Dan- 
gerous reading? Avoidance of dangerous occasions? 

3. Obedience. — In execution? In will? In judg- 
ment? Obeyed unreservedly ? promptly? courageously? 
humbly ? in spirit of faith ? 

4. Service of the Poor. — Appointed w r ork neglected or 
badly done ? Spirit of faith, serving Christ's poor with 
de votedness ? ' ' Unceasing labor ' ' ? 

5. Instruction of Children. — De votedness? Thor- 
oughness? Kindness? Patience? Impartiality? In 
the spirit of faith? 



192 



General Prayers. 



THIRD POINT — PRACTICE OF PRINCIPAL VIRTUES. 

What faults against charity? Humility? Industry? 
Patience? Punctuality? Silence? etc. 

FOURTH POINT — ACT OF SORROW. 

f\ MY dear Lord, through Thy infinite mercy par- 
don me my many sins and faults. I am heartily 
sorry for them, because by them I have grieved and 
wounded Thy Sacred Heart and rendered myself so un- 
worthy of Thy love. I am sorry from my heart for the 
ungrateful return I have made Thee for all Thy good- 
ness to me. Forgive me, dear Lord, pierce my heart 
with true sorrow. I love Thee above all things. 

FIFTH POINT — PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT. 

Y Lord and my God, I now firmly resolve with 
Thy help to correct my faults — to overcome 
specially that one, N.N., which I am determined not 
to commit again. Confirm this my resolution by the 
merits of Thy bitter Passion and death, which I now 
offer in satisfaction for my sins. My dear Jesus! I 
unite my poor heart with Thine all wounded and torn. 
May Thy Heart be a hiding-place in which I may dwell 
securely. My heart is ready, O my God! my heart is 
ready to make atonement for my sins, to adopt the means 
of correcting my faults, and of acquiring the perfection 
of my holy state. 

N.B. — Conclude with Pater and Ave. If time permit, 
recite Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, also "Suscipe" 
and a few indulgenced aspirations. 

2ln ©ffeuncj of Communion, 

I OFFER Thee, O my God! the Mass and commun- 
ion of to-morrow, to the honor and glory of Thy 
most holy name, in commemoration of Thy sacred Pas- 
sion, in thanksgiving for all Thy benefits, in satisfaction 




General Prayers. 



x 93 



for all my sins, and as a means of obtaining all the graces 
I stand in need of, in order to serve Thy divine Majesty 
in the most perfect manner possible to me. I offer this 
holy communion to Thee, O eternal Father, in union 
with the offering my dear Redeemer made of Himself 
upon the cross, in thanksgiving for my creation, redemp- 
tion, and preservation, in union with all the intentions 
my divine Saviour had in the institution of this Most 
Holy Sacrament, that I may become more meek, 
humble, particularly charitable, obedient, patient, and 
mortified; that I may always do Thy will with exact- 
ness, fervor, and perseverance; and that in all my 
actions I may aim at perfection. I offer it as an atone- 
ment to the adorable Heart of my most loving Jesus, 
for all the outrages it has received, from myself and 
all mankind. I also offer it for N.N., for the con- 
version of sinners, the perseverance of the just, and for 
the relief of the souls in purgatory. 

flntentions for Iboig Communion. 

INTENTIONS for holy communion regarding the 
Church Triumphant, the Church Militant, and the 
Church Suffering. 

1. In thanksgiving for benefits; to obtain an increase 
of graces and blessings for the whole Order ; particularly 
to supplicate the divine assistance in the spiritual and 
temporal necessities pf your own Community; in praise 
of God for the glory of the saints, and especially of the 
founders of Religious Orders. 

2. For the Catholic Church in general; for its special 
wants in this country; for the propagation of the faith; 
for the intentions of the Holy Father ; for the hierarchy ; 
for zealous priests and evangelical laborers; for the 
League of the Sacred Heart, and the intentions of the 
Apostleship of Prayer; for your own sanctification, 
fidelity to your vows, and final perseverance. 



1 94 



General Prayers, 



3. For the holy, suffering souls in purgatory — in par- 
ticular for the deceased members and benefactors of 
your Order, and for those souls that were most devoted 
to the Holy Eucharist and to the Blessed Virgin Mary.* 

The Visitation Manual gives the following list of inten- 
tions for holy communions: 

HE first communion in each month, for the reno- 
vation of .your vows, or good purposes. 
The second, for the exaltation of the holy Church, 
for the Pope, and the whole ecclesiastical order. 

The third, for the preservation, union, and perfection 
of your Order. 

The fourth, for the conversion of infidels and sinners. 
The fifth, for concord among Christian rulers ; chiefly 
for the welfare of the country in which you reside, or 
for other public necessities. 

Sixth. A holy communion and Mass, once a month, 
for all the souls in purgatory. 

Seventh. A holy communion and Mass. for the de- 
ceased members of your holy Order; and one upon the 
decease of relations and Sisters. 

In the monasteries of the Visitation, a Mass and gen- 
eral communion are offered for all benefactors, at their 
decease. 

On the first Friday, or first Sunday of each month, 
offer your holy communion in union with the League 
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the intentions of the 
Apostleship of Prayer. 

The intentions for the daily communion are: 

1 st. For the special wants of the Church, particularly 
in this country, and for the propagation of the faith. 

2d. To obtain evangelical laborers. 



* Special intentions are mentioned in the following chapters, 
i.e., in the opening prayer, under the caption: Offering of Mass 
and Communion, for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and so on, for 
each day in the week. 



General Prayers. 



!95 



3d. For the whole Order and particularly for the 
spiritual and temporal necessities of your own Com- 
munity. 

4th. For those devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
and to our holy founder. 

prater of tbe Bssociates for tbe Communion of 
IReparation. 

NIMATED by an earnest desire to console Thy 
Adorable Heart, O beloved Jesus, and feeling 
our inability to do so worthily, it is by the immaculate 
heart of Thy holy Mother that we dare to offer Thee 
the homage of our humble reparation. With her, and 
in memory of Thy precious blood, we beseech Thee to 
stretch forth Thy powerful arm over Thy Church, to 
defend her, to give her the victory over all her enemies, 
and to put an end to the long trials of her venerable and 
august Head. Vouchsafe also to bless and protect this, 
our country, cast upon it Thine eyes of mercy, and ren- 
der it fruitful in saints and valiant defenders of the faith. 
Finally, O blessed Lord, bring back to Thyself all sin- 
ners, crown with Thy graces and with Thy most abun- 
dant blessings each member of our Association, and 
kindle in the hearts of aU the fire of Thy love, and those 
burning flames of zeal which Thou Thyself didst come 
to enkindle upon the earth. .Amen. 

PRAYER TO BE SAID BEFORE MASS. 

*T I ORD, God almighty, behold me prostrate before 
r*r-* Thee, in order to appease and honor Thy divine 
Majesty, in the name of all creatures. But how can I 
do it — I, a wretched sinner ? Yes, I can, and I will do 
it ; because I know that Thou dost glory in being called 
the Father of mercy, and that, for love of us. Thou hast 
given even Thy only-begotten Son, Who offered Him- 
self for us on the cross, and Who continually renews for 




196 



General Prayers. 



us the same sacrifice on our altars. And therefore, 
though a sinner, yet truly penitent; wretched, and yet 
rich in Jesus Christ, I present myself before Thee, and 
with the fervor of all the saints and angels, and with 
the ardent love of the immaculate heart of Mary, I offer 
Thee, in the name of all creatures, the Masses which are 
now being said, with all those which have been said, and 
which will be said to the end of the world. I also desire 
to renew this offering, at every instant of this day, and 
of my whole life, in order to give Thy infinite majesty 
honor and glory worthy of Thee ; to appease Thy wrath, 
and to satisfy Thy justice for our many sins ; to render 
Thee thanks in keeping with Thy benefits, and to im- 
plore Thy mercy for myself and for all sinners, for all 
the faithful, living and dead, for the whole Church, and 
chiefly for its visible head, the Roman Pontiff; and 
lastly, for all poor schismatics, heretics, and infidels, that 
they may also be converted and saved. 

AN OFFERING TO BE MADE DURING THE TIME OF MASS. 

TERNAL Father, I offer Thee the sacrifice which 
Thy beloved Son, Jesus, made of Himself on 
the cross, and now renews on this altar. I offer it in 
the name of all creatures, together with the Masses which 
have been said and which will be said throughout the 
whole world, to adore Thee and to give Thee honor 
which Thou deservest; to render to Thee the thanks 
which are due Thee for Thy numberless benefits, to 
appease Thy anger, and to satisfy for our many sins; 
to supplicate Thee for myself, for the Church, for the 
whole world, and for the blessed souls in purgatory. 

Indulgence of 3 years, once a day, for each prayer; plenary indul- 
gence, once a month, on usual conditions. — Pius IX., April 11, 
i860. The S. Congr. of Indulgences, May 5, 1890, declared that 
priests can gain the indulgence granted for the above offering by 
saying it before celebrating Mass. 




Methods of Hearing Mass, 



*97 



AN OFFERING. 

TERNAL Father, we offer Thee the blood, the 
Passion, and the death of Jesus Christ, the sor- 
rows of Mary most holy, and of St. Joseph, in satisfac- 
tion for our sins, in aid of the holy souls in purgatory, 
for the needs of holy Mother Church, and for the con- 
version of sinners. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., April 30, i860. 

/IDetbobs of Ibearma ZlDass** 

©ffenn0 of .fllbaea anfc Communion on Sundays— 
1bol£ GrinttB. 

ROSTRATE before the throne of Thy divine 
Majesty, O my God, I humbly implore Thy 
pardon for my offences, and Thy grace that I may be 
entirely employed in praising and adoring Thee. O 
adorable Trinity! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, bless 
me. O Holy Trinity, Whose throne is surrounded by 
adoring angels, and Whose awful presence is felt by 
all creatures, the work of Thy omnipotent hands, dis- 
dain not the homage of my heart, which I desire to con- 
secrate entirely to Thy service. Thou art my hope and 
my life ; what can I desire in heaven, or what can I seek 
on earth, but Thee? and where shall I so surely find 
Thee as on this altar ? I offer this Mass and holy com- 



* Sunday, in honor of the Holy Trinity. 
Monday, for the holy souls in purgatory. 

Tuesday, in honor of the holy angels, and especially the Guar- 
dian Angel. 

Wednesday, in honor of St. Joseph. 

Thursday, in honor of the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacred 
Heart. 

Friday, in honor of the Sacred Passion and the suffering Heart 
of Jesus. 

Saturday, in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 





Methods of Hearing Mass. 



munion in thanksgiving for the benefits bestowed upon 
me ; give me grace to be ever grateful for them, and to 
serve Thee faithfully by the observance of my vows, 
and by an unreserved consecration of myself to Thee. 

PRAYER TO THE MOST HOLY TRINITY. 




jMNIPOTENCE of the Father, help my weakness, 
and deliver me from the depth of misery. 



Wisdom of the Son, direct all my thoughts, w T ords, and 
actions. 

Love of the Holy Ghost, be thou the source and begin- 
ning of all the operations of my soul, whereby they may 
be always conformable to the divine will. 

Indulgence of 200 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., ]NIarch 15, 
1890. 

% /Ifcetbofc ot Ibeadng /Ifcass on Sun&afi. 

FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE INTROIT. 

Make acts of humility and contrition, and beg grace to 
assist devoutly and with profit at this august sacrifice. 

EROM THE INTROIT TO THE ELEVATION. 

Follow the Ordinary of the Mass. 

FROM THE ELEVATION TO THE PATER NOSTER. 

Prostrate in spirit before God, offer Him, in thanks- 
giving for all the benefits bestowed on you, the merits of 
His divine Son in this august sacrifice; pray for the 
wants of the Catholic Church, the propagation of the 
true faith, for the Pope, prelates, and clergy, for this Com- 
munity, and for the Institute in general. 

AT THE PATER NOSTER. 

Repeat devoutly this prayer — the prayer of Jesus Christ 
Himself — make acts of faith, love, and confidence in your 
Lord and Saviour, Who wishes to come into your heart. 
Vide Mass on Thursday. 



Meih ods of Hearing Mass . 199 

AT THE AGNUS DEI. 

LAMB cf God, Who takest away the sins of the 
world, take away my sins, cleanse my soul from 
every imperfection. I am unworthy to receive Thee. 
Come, O Lord, and prepare my heart for Thyself. My 
God and my all, what have I but Thee ? Satisfy the desire 
of my heart: come to me and make me entirely Thine. 

Make an act of sincere contrition, renew your offering 
and intentions. Renew your vows, and then keep your- 
self in profound recollection, waiting to receive into your 
heart your Lord and your God. Vide Devotions for 
Communion, and in honor of the Holy Trinity. 

Offering of .flfcass anfc Communion on /iRon&a^—ttbe 
Ibolg Souls in purgatory 

S~\ GOD! what victim can better appease Thy jus- 
tice than that which we are going to offer in this 
unbloody sacrifice of the cross? As that divine obla- 
tion disarmed Thy wrath, and induced Thee to revoke 
the sentence of condemnation pronounced against man- 
kind, so, mercifully grant that this adorable sacrifice 
may be accepted by Thee as an atonement for those 
souls for whom we offer it, that, being released from 
their prison, they may be received into Thy kingdom, and 
through the merits of Jesus Christ, pass into eternal joys. 

O bountiful Jesus, Who art the propitiation for the 
living and the dead, what thanks are due to Thee for 
having left us this divine sacrifice, and for having ren- 
dered it available to the souls of the faithful departed! 
Mercifully grant that they for whom we offer it this day 
. . . being released from suffering, may advocate for 
us in heaven, as we advocate for them on earth. 

Let Thy mercy, O Lord! which Thou delightest to 
exercise, be applied to . . . whose greatest torment is 
to be deprived of Thy sweet and adorable presence. 



200 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



Jesus Christ, a willing victim on this new Calvary, pleads 
powerfully for the remission of every stain that now sep- 
arates them from Thee. 

/HbetboD of Ibearing /Ifoass on /HbonDa^ 

Vide a Mass for the Poor Souls," and " Requiem 
Mass," at the end of the " Office for the Dead." 

Offering of /llbase anfc Communion on GuesDaE— Gbe 
tbolg Mngels. 

OMY God, being wholly incapable of rendering 
Thee the thanks I owe, I offer Thee the ardent 
love and perpetual praise of Thy glorious host of angels, 
the profound adorations of Thy saints, especially the 
pure and fervent love of the ever blessed Virgin, the 
Queen of angels and saints, begging that Thou wilt be 
pleased to receive them in acknowledgment of all Thy 
infinite mercies to me. I offer this Mass and commun- 
ion for the conversion of negligent Catholics, especially 
... I offer it to obtain for myself, through the special 
intercession of my angel guardian, the spirit of interior 
recollection, fidelity to grace, and union with God, a pro- 
found humility, and sincere and heartfelt contrition. I 
also offer this Mass and communion to beg, O my God, 
that Thou wilt bestow upon all priests, especially . . . 
Thy spirit, and make them apostolic men, and true and 
faithful laborers in Thy vineyard. Behold me, O my 
God, prostrate before Thee, begging that, together with 
the sacrifice of Thy divine Son, Thou wilt be pleased to 
accept of my unworthy self, and the promises I made at 
my profession, which I now renew. O Mary, my Mother, 
have compassion on me, and obtain for me, from thy 
divine Son, what you see I want most, in order to render 
me agreeable in His sight. 

O all ye holy angels and saints of God, intercede for 
me. 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



201 



/Iftetbofc of tearing tones on Gucs&aB. 

FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE OFFERTORY. 

Recite in sentiments of contrition and confidence in God, 
the psalm u ; Miserere. " 

AT THE OFFERTORY. 

/T\Y Lord and my God, permit me to offer Thee my 
*"^» soul and body with the bread and wine which 
are offered Thee by the priest, to the end that they may 
be changed into the body and blood of Thy divine Son. 
Oh! so let me be changed into the semblance of Him. 
All is pure in Him, and all is profane in me. It was to 
reform what the malice of the devil and sin had defaced 
of Thy image, that my Saviour immolated Himself on 
the cross, and it is for that He now sacrifices Himself on 
this altar. Oh! repair in me His image by that precious 
blood which flowed from His sacred wounds, and which 
will soon flow on this altar. Take away from me the per- 
verse inclinations which lead me into sin, change my 
tepidity into fervor, take possession of me, O my God, 
and make me wholly Thine. Imprint on my memory 
the remembrance of Thy divine presence, in my under- 
standing the knowledge of Thy divine perfections, and 
in my heart Thy love; destroy in me whatever may dis- 
pute Thy right over me, and crown all Thy mercies 
to me by giving me that humble and contrite heart, 
which is the offering Thou desirest above all to receive 
from Thy creatures. 

AFTER THE ELEVATION. 

r\ VICTIM of Salvation! Eternal King! Incar- 
nate Word! sacrificed for me and all mankind! 
O precious body of the Son of God! O sacred flesh, 
torn with nails, pierced with a lance, and bleeding on a 
cross forme! O infinite Good! O exceeding Love! let 
that tender love plead now in my behalf; let all my 



202 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



iniquities be here effaced, and my name be written in 
the book of life. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I 
love Thee. To Thee be honor, praise, and glory for 
ever and ever. O sacred blood flowing from the wounds 
of Jesus Christ, and washing away the sins of the world ! 
cleanse, sanctify, and preserve my soul, that nothing 
may ever separate me from Thee. Behold, O eternal 
Father, Thy only-begotten Son! look on the face of Thy 
Christ, in Whom Thou art well pleased; hear the voice 
of His blood, which calls to Thee for mercy and pardon. 
Oh ! let it plead powerfully in our behalf ; let it blot out 
my sins, cleanse every stain from my soul, and render 
me pure and pleasing in Thy sight. 

AT THE AGNUS DEI. 

O ETERNAL Father, behold here Thy divine Son, 
and for His sake look upon me, whom He 
has redeemed with His precious blood, since together 
with Him I consecrate myself to Thee, to be disposed 
of as Thou shalt please for time and eternity. 

AT THE COMMUNION. 

OOME, dear Jesus, into my heart; it is by Thee 
alone that I can worthily acknowledge God's 
infinite mercies to me. O love, immense and infinite, 
thaw the icy coldness of my heart, soften it, that Thou 
mayest no longer find in it any resistance to Thy inspi- 
rations. I consecrate to Thee my soul, my life, and all 
that I am. O sweet Saviour! unite me to Thyself, that 
I may be one with Thee by grace and a perfect con- 
formity of will; and by the efficacy of Thy presence in 
my heart, increase my faith, strengthen my hope, and 
inflame my heart with Thy love, that it may pant only 
for Thee, and live for Thee alone. 

Make an act of sincere contrition, renew your vows> 
and, with humble reverence, invite Jesus into your heart 
by fervent aspirations. Vide Devotions in honor oj the 
Angels. 



Methods of Hear big Mass. 



203 



©ffering of iHfcass and Communion on 'ECleDnes&aE— 
Stv 3o6epb, 

O DIVINE Jesus! Lamb without spot, Whose pre- 
cious blood was shed for the redemption of man- 
kind, I adore Thee in the mystery of faith and love, in 
which, by Thy exceeding great mercy, Thou dost daily 
renew the sacrifice of Thyself for man. Deign to destroy 
in me all that is displeasing to Thy pure eyes, in order 
that I may be as a living holocaust, pleasing and accept- 
able before the throne of Thy love. 

O Mary, I have recourse to thee in this happy moment ; 
pray for me, that my heart may be penetrated with pro- 
found humility, lively faith, and ardent lo^ r e during the 
celebration of this august sacrifice. 

O glorious St. Joseph, first adorer, after Mary, of the 
sacred humanity of my Saviour, to you do I confide my 
friends and benefactors, and those for whom I promise 
to pray, especially . . . Obtain for them ail the graces 
you know to be necessary for them; take under your 
protection the temporal interests of this Institute ; obtain 
for its Superiors, wisdom and justice in the discharge of 
their authority, and obtain for me, O holy St. Joseph, 
a perfect spirit of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and 
a happy death. 

/libetboD of Ibeating /llbaes on TiCleDnesDa^, 

FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE GOSPEL. 

Employ your set) in making acts of contrition for your 
many sins committed against God, considered as your God, 
your King, and your Father. Vide " Mass for Religious." 

AT THE OFFERTORY. 

f~\ MY God, considering the infinite merits of the 
Victim that will be offered to Thee, I hope that 
Thou wilt look with pity and compassion on me. O 



204 Methods of Hearing Mass. 

blessed be this hour in which Thou, O divine Jesus, 
art going to offer Thyself to Thy eternal Father for 
my salvation. O my God, receive this holy sacrifice, in 
which Thy divine Son offers Himself, and is offered by 
the priest, to render Thee due homage and worthy 
thanks for all Thy benefits. Receive here also the entire 
sacrifice w T hich I make of myself, of my body, of my soul, 
and of all that I am, which I unite with that of Thy 
divine Son. For His sake receive me, together with the 
promises I made at my holy profession. 

AT THE ELEVATION. 

I ADORE Thee, O Victim of propitiation, Who hast 
been sacrificed for my salvation. Humbled at 
Thy feet I implore Thy mercy. Thou hast shed Thy 
blood to blot out my iniquities; purify my soul still 
more from its stains. O infinite Goodness, do' not 
abandon me. Sacred hands, which have formed me, do 
not destroy me. Sacred feet, which have been fatigued 
running after the dispersed children of Israel, be my 
asylum and refuge. Heart, ever filled with compassion 
for sinners, receive me. O Jesus, my beloved, for me 
Thou hast died, for Thee I desire to live — for Thee alone. 

Jesus, my Lord, my God, and my all 1 Thou wert cruci- 
fied and didst die for love of me; oh, grant that I may 
be truly crucified in spirit and die to self for love of 
Thee. 

AT THE AGNUS DEI. 

f\ DIVINE Lamb, Who earnest to take away the 
sins of the world, let me not be excluded from a 
share in Thy universal mercies ! Cleanse my soul ; purify 
it in the bath of Thy precious blood; adorn it, I beseech 
Thee, with those virtues which will render me less un- 
worthy to participate in the food of angels. "As the 



Methods of Hearing Mass, 



205 



hart panteth after fountains of water, so my soul panteth 
after Thee, O God I" 

amiable Virgin! thou, who art by excellence blessed 
among women, show thyself now my tender Mother 
and powerful advocate. 

Angels and saints, bless the Lord, and intercede for me. 

1 adore Thee at every moment, O living Bread of 
heaven, Most August Sacrament. O Jesus, beloved 
Son of the Virgin Mary, I pray Thee to bless my soul. 

To Thee I consecrate my heart, O most blessed Jesus, 
my dear Saviour. Mayest Thou be known, adored, and 
loved by all, and may thanks be continually given to 
Thee in the Most Holy and Most August Sacrament. 
Amen. 

Jesus, most merciful; Jesus, meek and humble of 
Heart, forgive us our sins; give Thy peace to our souls, 
remember us in Thy kingdom. 

Alary and Joseph, pray for us this hour and at the 
hour of our death. 

Make an act of contrition, a renewal of vows, and wait 
in humble adoration the coming of Jesus. 

©fferina of /Ifoass anD Communion on GbursDag— Zbc 
JBlesseD Sacrament anD tbe SacreD Ibeart* 

f~\ COME, O my God, into Thy sanctuary, to seek 
the food and life of my soul. By the hope Thou, 
commandest me to have in Thee, inspire me with con- 
fidence to approach Thy holy mountain; permit me, 
divine Jesus, to ascend this new Calvary with Thee, 
that my whole soul may do homage to Thy Majesty; 
that my heart, with its tenderest affections, may 
acknowledge Thy infinite love; that my memory may 
dwell on the admirable mysteries here renewed; and 
that the sacrifice of my whole being may accom- 
pany them. Alas! I am unworthy to join with Thy 
minister in adoring Thee; but do Thou Thyself assist 



2o6 



Methods of Hearing Mass, 



me, and purify my heart and mind, that I may be en- 
tirely employed and occupied about Thee during this 
holy sacrifice. O Jesus, humbly prostrate before Thee, 
I adore Thee and offer Thee the holy sacrifice at which 
I am going to assist, in order to make atonement for the- 
many outrages which Thy divine Heart daily receives 
in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar, and beseech 
Thee to inflame my heart with a most ardent love of 
Thee; make me one with Thee; totally transform and 
change me into Thyself; may nothing in life or death 
ever separate me from Thee. 

/IfcetboD of Ibeartng /Jfcass on XLbuvebhy. 

FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE INTROIT. 

Make acts of contrition, humility, and confidence. 

AT THE INTROIT. 

/~\ MY God, strengthen me by Thy grace, that I may 
worthily approach Thy altar and participate in 
the sacred mysteries. Create in me, O Lord, a clean 
heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Thou art 
worthy, O my almighty Creator, of an infinite homage, 
which my extreme misery and poverty render me inca- 
pable of offering; yet I am not destitute, for Jesus, Thy 
beloved Son, by His profound adorations and incompre- 
hensible humiliations, more than supplies for my defi- 
ciencies. O permit me by Him and with Him to pros- 
trate and humble myself before Thy supreme Majesty. 
I adore Thee with the adorations of my divine Saviour, 
the only Victim worthy of Thyself, and I rejoice in seeing 
Thee thus worthily and perfectly honored. I offer this 
Mass and holy communion in honor of the adorable 
Sacrament, in reparation for all sacrilegious commun- 
ions, for Religious, for priests, for those under my care, 
and to implore for myself the spirit of patience, self- 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



207 



denial, and entire resignation, charity, and unbounded 
confidence in my Lord and God. 

AT THE OFFERTORY. 

JESUS! Thou hast loved me so tenderly as to 
leave me Thy Heart in the Eucharist, and this 
Heart so full of mercy and of love is outraged and pierced 
incessantly by my ingratitude; but Thou wilt forgive 
my sins. Oh! yes, I conjure Thee, save my soul, which 
Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood, cleanse 
me from every stain. I long to be restored to Thy grace 
and favor. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love 
of me, inflame my heart with love of Thee! I dedicate 
myself to Thee for ever — my tongue to proclaim Thy 
favors; my mind to think of Thee, my only Good; my 
will to desire Thee; and my heart to love Thee alone. 
I offer Thee the sacrifice of my existence when it may 
please Thee to call for it, only asking that I may breathe 
my last sigh in Thy Sacred Heart. I offer Thee, my 
God, all that I have and all that I am, a miserable sac- 
rifice, but such as it is, I unite it to the great oblation of 
my divine Saviour, in union with Whose precious blood 
and merits I dare hope Thou wilt accept my offering. 

AT THE PREFACE. 

O DIVINE Jesus! grant me a share in Thy zeal 
for Thy Father's glory, that, in union with the 
dominations, principalities, and the whole hierarchy 
of angels, I may anticipate in my exile the ever new 
canticle which they incessantly sing in the abode of bliss : 
Holy, thrice holy, infinitely holy, is the Lord God of 
hosts! the heavens and the earth are full of His glory; 
but His mercies have been exalted above all His works, 
since Thou, O divine Jesus! hast descended from His 
bosom and come in His name to dwell in this valley of 
tears; nay, more, to dwell in unworthy hearts. 



208 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



AT THE ELEVATION. 

*T* ADORE Thee at every moment, O living Bread 
of heaven, great Sacrament! O Jesus! beloved 
Son of the Virgin Mary, I pray Thee to bless my soul; 
to Thee I consecrate my heart, O most blessed Jesus! 
my dear Saviour. Mayest Thou be known, adored, 
and loved by all, and may thanks be continually given 
to Thee in the Most Holy and Most August Sacrament. 

OH! see upon the altar placed 
The Victim of the greatest love! 
Let all the earth below adore, 

And join the choirs of heaven above. 
Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore; 
Oh! make us love Thee more and more. 

O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, 
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine! 
Glory be to the blood of Jesus, now and for ever, and 
throughout all ages. Amen. 

IX PREPARATION FOR HOLY COMMUNION. 

DORAMUSte,Christe, VvjT E adore Thee, Christ, 

et benedicimus tibi. VJlA* and we bless Thee. 

Quia per sanctam crucem Eecause by Thy holy cross 

tuam redemisti mundum. Thou hast redeemed the world. 

I ADORE Thee, eternal Father, and I give Thee 
thanks for the infinite love with which Thou didst 
deign to send Thy only-begotten Son to redeem me, 
and to become the food of my soul. I offer Thee all 
the acts of adoration and thanksgiving that axe offered 
to Thee by the angels and saints in heaven and by the 
just on earth. I praise, love, and thank Thee with all 
the praise, love, and thanksgiving that are offered to 
Thee by Thine own Son in the Blessed Sacrament; 
and I beg Thee to grant that He may be known, loved, 
honored, praised, and worthily received by all in this 
Most Divine Sacrament. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc. 




Methods of Hearing Mass, 209 

I ADORE Thee, eternal Son, and I thank Thee for 
the infinite love which caused Thee to become 
man for me, to be born in a stable, to live in poverty, to 
suffer hunger, thirst, heat, cold, fatigue, hardships, con- 
tempt, persecutions, the scourging, the crowning with 
thorns, and a cruel death upon the hard wood of the 
cross. I thank Thee with the Church militant and 
triumphant for the infinite love with which Thou didst 
institute the Most Blessed Sacrament to be the food of 
my soul. 

I adore Thee in all the consecrated Hosts throughout 
the whole world, and I return thanks for those who know 
Thee not and do not thank Thee. Would that I were 
able to give my life to make Thee known, loved, and 
honored by all in this Sacrament of love, and to pre- 
vent the irreverences and sacrileges that are committed 
against Thee! I love Thee, divine Jesus, and I desire to 
receive Thee with all the purity, love, and affection of 
Thy blessed Mother, and with the love and affection of 
Thy own mo^t pure Heart. Grant, O most amiable 
Spouse of my soul, in coming to me in this Most Holy 
Sacrament, that I may receive all the graces and bless- 
ings which Thou dost come to bestow on us, and let 
me rather die than receive Thee unworthily. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc. 

I ADORE Thee, eternal Holy Ghost, and I give Thee 
thanks for the infinite love with which Thou didst 
work the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation, and for 
the infinite love with which Thou didst form the sacred 
body of Our Lord Jesus Christ out of the most pure 
blood of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to become in this 
Sacrament the food of my soul. I beg Thee to enlighten 
my mind, and to purify my heart and the hearts of all 
men, that all may know the benefit of Thy love, and 
receive worthily this Most Blessed Sacrament. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc. 



2IO 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



ANTUM ergo sacra- 
mentum, 
Veneremur, cernui; 

Et antiquum documentum, 

Novo cedat ritui; 
Praestet fides supplementum, 

Sensuum defectui. 



Genitori Genitoque, 
Laus et jubilatio, 

Salus, honor, virtus quoque 

Sit et benedictio, 
Procedenti ab utroque, 
Compar sit laudatio. 
Amen. 

V. Panem de coelo prae- 
stitisti eis. 

R. Omne delectamentum 
in se habentem. 



DOWN in adoration fall- 
ing, 

Lo! the sacred Host we 
hail; 

Lo! o'er ancient forms de- 
parting, 
Newer rites of grace pre- 
vail; 

Faith for all defects supply- 
ing, 

Where the feeble senses 
fail. 

To the everlasting Father, 
And the Son Who reigns on 
high, 

With the Holy Ghost pro- 
ceeding 
Forth from each eternally, 
Be salvation, honor, blessing, 
Might and endless majesty. 
Amen. 

V. Thou gavest them bread 
from heaven. 

R. And therein was sweet- 
ness of every kind. 



Oremus. 

^T^VEUS, qui nobis, sub sac- 
ramento mirabili, pas- 
sionis tuae memoriam reliqui- 
sti: tribue, quaesumus, ita nos 
corporis et sanguinis tui sacra 
mysteria venerari, ut redemp- 
tionis tuae fructum in nobis 
jugiter sentiamus. Qui vivis 
et regnas, etc. 

Indulgence of 100 days. — Pin 



Let us pray. 

OD, Who, beneath this 
marvelous sacrament, 
hast left us a memorial of 
Thy Passion: grant us, we 
beseech Thee, so to venerate 
the sacred mysteries of Thy 
body and blood, that we may 
ever feel within us the fruit of 
Thy redemption, Who livest 
and reignest, etc. 

VII., Aug. 24, 1818. 




Methods of Hearing Mass, 



211 



AGNUS DEI AND COMMUNION. 

O INNOCENT Lamb, of God Who takest away 
the sins of the world, take away mine, I beseech 
Thee ; efface them by Thy great mercy ; purify my soul 
in the streams of Thy precious blood. O Prince of 
peace, give me that peace which the world can not give, 
that peace which is found in Thy love, that peace which 
neither earth nor hell can deprive me of, unless I forfeit 
it by sin. O grant me the peace of Thy grace here, and 
eternal peace hereafter. Amen. 

PRAYER. 

QfEE where Thy boundless love has reached, my 
loving Jesus! Thou, of Thy flesh and precious 
blood, hast made ready for me a banquet whereby to give 
me all Thyself. Who drove Thee to this excess of love 
for me? Thy Heart, Thy loving Heart. O adorable 
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of divine love! within 
Thy sacred wound take Thou my soul; in order that, 
in that school of charity, I may learn to love that God 
Who has given me such wondrous proofs of His great 
love. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius VII., Feb. 9, 1818. 

Make an act of contrition, a renewal of vows, and 
invite your Lord into your heart by fervent aspirations. 

ASTER HOLY COMMUNION. 

Faith and Adoration. 
/T\Y Lord Jesus Christ! Thou dost now dwell within 
me. Thou art mine and I am all Thine. I 
adore Thee with the angels and saints of heaven. Thou 
art my King; reign Thou alone in me; defend me 
against the evil spirits and the temptations of the world, 
that I may serve Thee and love Thee faithfully and 
never be separated from Thee and Thy sweet dominion 
over me. 



212 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



Thanksgiving. 

Y Lord Jesus Christ! I thank Thee for the grace 
which Thou hast bestowed upon me to-day of 

coming to dwell within me and of nourishing me with 
Thy sacred body and precious blood. 

Saints and angels! in my unworthiness I call upon 
you to give thanks to God for His great goodness and 
mercy, and to praise becomingly His holy name. " What 
shall I render to the Lord for all the things that He hath 
rendered to me?" (Ps. cxv. 12.) 

Love. 

Y Lord Jesus Christ, how great is Thy love! I 
now return Thee love for love, according to my 

ability. I repent with my whole heart of all my offences 
against Thee, because Thou art infinitely good and deserv- 
ing of all my love. I desire to love Thee more and more, 
and I will avoid everything that is displeasing to Thee. 

Prayer of St. Ignatius. 
AKE, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, 
my understanding, and my whole will. Thou hast 
given me all that I am and all that I possess; I surrender 
it all to Thee that Thou mayest dispose of it according 
to Thy will. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace; 
with these I will be rich enough, and will have no more 
to desire. 

Indulgence of 300 days once a day. — Pope Leo XIIL, May 
26, 1883. 

Petitions. 

Pray for the Holy Father's intentions, for the Catholic 
Church, for the conversion of sinners, for the holy, suffer- 
ing souls in purgatory, for your Community, for the 
Religious Orders, for your special necessities, for your 
country, for your relatives and benefactors, and for all who 
have asked you to pray for them. Vide " Mass for Com- 
munion days " and " Devotions for Holy Communion." 






Methods of Hearing Mass. 213 

INDULGENCED PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX. 

*T~" , .OOK down upon me, good and gentle 
Jesus, while before Thy face I hum- 
QJJpSp^ bly kneel, and with burning soul pray and 
^pfbeseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively 
^sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, true 
WW contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of 
|f amendment; and while I contemplate with 
H great love and tender pity Thy five wounds, 
pondering over them within me, and calling to 
mind the words which David Thy prophet said of Thee, 
my Jesus: "They pierced my hands and my feet; they 
numbered all my bones. " (Ps. xxi. 17, 18.) 

A plenary indulgence, which can be applied to the souls in 
purgatory, may be gained by the faithful who, after having con- 
fessed their sins with sorrow and received holy communion, shall 
devoutly recite the above prayer before an image or picture of 
Christ crucified, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. — 
Pius IX., July 31, 1858^ 

INVOCATIONS. 



NIMA Christi, sancti- 
fica me. 
Corpus Christi, salva me. 
Sanguis Christi, inebria me. 
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me. 

Passio Christi, conforta me. 

O bone Jesu, exaudi me. 
Intra tua vulnera absconde 
me. 

Xe permittas me separari a te. 
Ab hoste maligno defende me. 
In hora mortis meae voca me, 
Et iube me venire ad te, 




OUL of Christ, sanctify 
me: 



Body of Christ, save me: 
Blood of Christ, inebriate me:. 
Water from the side of Christ, 

wash me. 
Passion of Christ, strengthen 

me: 

O good Jesus, hear me: 
Within Thy wounds hide me: 

Permit me not to be separated 

from Thee. 
From the malignant enemy 

defend me: 
In the hour of my death call 

me, 

And bid me come to Thee, 




214 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te That, with Thy saints, I may 

praise Thee 

In saecula saeculorum. For ever and ever. 

Amen. Amen. 
Indulgence of 300 days, every time. — Pius IX., Jan. 9, 1854. 

PRAYER: O JESUS, LIVING IN MARY. 



OJESU, vivens in Maria, 
veni et vive in famulis 
tuis, in spiritu sanctitatis tuae, 
in plenitudine virtutis tuae, in 
veritate virtutum tuarum, in 
perfectione viarum tuarum, in 
communione mysteriorum tu- 
orum, dominare omni adver- 
sae potestati, in spiritu tuo ad 
gloriam Patris. Amen. 



O JESUS, living in Mary! 
come and live in Thy 
servants, in the spirit of Thy 
holiness, in the fulness of Thy 
might, in the truth of Thy vir- 
tues, in the perfection of Thy 
ways, in the communion of 
Thy mysteries; subdue every 
hostile power, in Thy spirit 
for the glory of the Father. 
Amen. 



Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Oct. 14, 1859. 
prayer: o most COMPASSIONATE JESUS. 



aLEMENTISSIME 
Jesu, salus, vita, resur- 
rectio nostra tu solus es. Te 
ergo quaesumus ne derelin- 
quas nos in angustiis et per- 
turbationibus nostris, sed per 
agoniam cordis tui sanctis- 
simi et per dolores matris 
tuae immaculatae tuis famulis 
subveni, quos pretioso san- 
guine redemisti. 



OMOST compassionate 
Jesus! Thou alone art 
our salvation, our life, and 
our resurrection. We im- 
plore Thee, therefore, do not 
forsake us in our needs and 
afflictions, but, by the agony 
of Thy most Sacred Heart, 
and by the sorrows of Thy 
immaculate Mother, succor 
Thy servants whom Thou 
hast redeemed by Thy most 
precious blood, 
a day. — Pius IX., Oct. 6, 1870. 

©ffertnG of /Ifoasa anD Communion on JFrifcaE— XLbc 
Ipaeston anD tbe Sacrefc ibeart of Jesus* 

DIVINE Jesus! sacred Victim, immolated for 
the redemption of mankind, I earnestly beseech 



Indulgence of 100 days, once 



o 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 215 

Thee that I may assist at this adorable sacrifice with the 
most lively faith, animated hope, unbounded gratitude, 
and tender love; permit me to follow Thee in spirit 
through the different stages of Thy sacred Passion, and 
give me an abundant share of that infinite charity which 
induced Thee to suffer such excessive torments for my 
sake. I offer this divine sacrifice to commemorate in 
a special manner Thy Passion and death, and to obtain, 
through its efficacious merits, the conversion of tepid 
priests and Religious; furthermore that union and charity 
may reign in this Community, and that all its members 
may be filled with zeal for the conversion of sinners, for 
whom Thou didst die ; and for myself, the spirit of mor- 
tification and humility, light and prudence in the dis- 
charge of my office, patience and forbearance with those 
under my care, purity of intention, simplicity, diffidence 
in self, confidence in God. But, O my Jesus, Thou 
needest not my representation to discern my wants. I 
am too weak, too insensible, to feel my miseries as I ought, 
too guilty to deserve being heard; let my silence then 
speak. O most merciful Saviour! let my multiplied 
miseries plead in my behalf. Thou wilt not be deaf to 
their eloquent supplications, and surely, O my Jesus! 
Thou needest but consult Thy own Heart, and that 
infinite love which brings Thee daily upon our altars, 
to find motives for granting pardon, and mercy to me, 
a poor sinner. 

/IlbetboD of Ibeartng dftasg on 3f rtDa£. 

AT THE CONFITEOR AND INTROIT. 

Represent to yourself Jesus Christ retiring to the Gar- 
den of Gethsemane to pray : unite your sentiments with 
the divine dispositions of the Son of God, and prepare for 
this divine sacrifice of the Mass by acts of sincere contrition: 

3ESUS, in the Garden of Olives, shed His blood for 
us in such streams that it bathed the earth around. 



2l6 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



This He did at the vision He then had of the ingratitude 
with which men would meet His love. Oh! let us, then, 
repent sincerely for the past, considering how poorly we 
have met the countless benefits of Our Lord, and re- 
solve henceforth to make good use of His graces and holy 
inspirations. 

O my good Jesus, my dear Saviour, I compassionate 
Thee in Thy sufferings. I fervently bless Thee and 
thank Thee for all Thou hast done and suffered for me; 
give me grace to weep over the sins and the ingratitude 
which caused Thy dreadful agony. Sweet Jesus, mercy ! 
Pardon me, O Lord, for my past indifference to Thy love. 
Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love of us, inflame our 
hearts with love of Thee. 

AT THE KYRIE ELEISON. 

Represent Jesus taken and bound with cords, and say : 

AY those bonds which confined Thy hands burst 
the fetters of my sins, and restore me to the sweet 
liberty of Thy children! I cast myself at Thy sacred 
feet, O my King and my God: and since Thou hast 
undergone the humiliation of allowing Thyself to be 
bound by Thy creatures, may I place all my happiness 
in sharing Thy humiliations, and carrying Thy cross. 

AT THE GOSPEL. 

Reflect on the patience and benignity of Jesus in allow- 
ing Himself to be dragged from tribunal to tribunal, and 
say : 

r\ SPOTLESS Lamb of God! while Thy judges 
proclaim Thee an impostor, I rise without fear 
or shame to declare, in the face of heaven and earth, that 
Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God, and that I 
unreservedly assent to all and every article proposed by 
Thy holy Church to my belief : but, O divine Lord, give 
me grace to profess by my actions as well as by my words 




Methods of Hearing Mass. 



217 



the faith. Have mercy on all who are involved in the 
dreadful night of infidelity : may the light of Thy grace 
shine upon them, and so penetrate their hearts that they 
may embrace the truth, and be admitted to the commun- 
ion of Thy holy Church. 

AT THE OFFERTORY. 

Represent Jesus bound to the pillar and cruelly scourged: 

3ESUS, in His cruel scourging, shed His blood most 
painfully and abundantly, offering it to His 
eternal Father in payment of our impatience and our 
wantonness. How is it, then, that we do not curb our 
wrath and self-love? Oh! let us henceforth try to be 
more patient in our trials, to despise ourselves, and to 
bear in peace the injuries men do us. 

O Jesus, Thou art the Love and Life of my soul. I 
find true peace and real happiness only in Thy love, in 
Thy service, and in the imitation of Thy virtues. I offer 
myself to Thee; do what Thou wiliest with me; hence- 
forth my motto shall be, "All for Jesus." 

Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like 
unto Thine. 

Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love! 

AT THE PREFACE. 

Contemplate thy Saviour crowned with thorns; reflect on 
the words "Behold the man" and say: 

BEHOLD me, O most merciful Jesus: A poor sin- 
ner; I cast myself at Thy sacred feet, penetrated 
with sorrow for my sins. Oh! let not pride any longer 
occupy my heart, which Thou, my Saviour, hast so 
tenderly loved and redeemed at so great a price ; cleanse 
my poor soul, O Jesus, from all offensive stains, and 
drown my imperfections in the boundless ocean of Thy 
mercy. 



2l8 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



AT THE ELEVATION. 

Contemplate Jesus hanging on the cross, and adore the 
same Jesus here present on the altar: 

Ave Verum. 
*y I'VE Verum Corpus, na 
turn 

Ex Maria virgine! 



Vere passum, immolatum, 
In cruce pro hominel 



""p^AIL to thee! true body 
rJ-b sprung 

From the Virgin Mary's 
womb! 

The same that on the cross 
was hung, 
And bore for man the bitter 
doom! 



Cujus latus perforatum 

Vero fluxit sanguine; 

Esto nobis praegustatum, 
Mortis in examine. 

O clemens, O pie! 

O dulcis Jesu, Fili Mariae! 



Thou Whose side was pierced 

and flowed 
Both with water and with 

blood; 

Suffer us to taste of Thee, 
In our life's last agony. 

O kind, O loving one! 

O sweet Jesus, Mary's Son! 



O JESUS, my crucified Saviour, Thou didst die for 
the love of me, let me die to self and to the world 
for love of Thee! O crucified Love! O precious blood 
of Jesus! May all hearts love Thee, may all tongues 
praise and glorify and thank Thee, now and for ever- 
more. 



/"\ PRECIOUS blood, shed so profusely in the cru- 
cifixion of our Jesus, make me die entirely to 
self-love! 

Precious blood, shed to the very last drop by the open- 
ing of the Sacred Heart, give me that generous love that 
sacrifices all for God! 

Precious blood, sacred source whence flow all virtues 
and all graces, apply thy infinite merits to my soul! 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



219 



Precious blood, whose virtue animates and vivifies 
our actions, apply thy infinite merits to all our works! 

Life-giving fountain, in which the soul fully slakes ijts 
thirst, saturate it with pure love! 

O divine blood of my Jesus, I adore thee from the 
depth of my heart! Thee I ardently Invoke, for thou 
art my salvation, and by thee I hope to obtain the joys 
of paradise. 

Most precious blood of Jesus, cry for mercy for us, to 
thy divine Father and deliver us! 

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the precious blood of 
Jesus, in satisfaction for my sins and for the wants of 
the holy Church." 

By the precious blood of Jesus, I beseech Thee, Father 
in heaven, have mercy on the poor souls in purgatory. 
Requiem seternam dona eis, Domine; Et lux perpetua 
luceat eis! 

Adore the five wounds of your crucified Jesus, kissing 
them in spirit, praying for true and abiding sorrow for 
your sins, for perfect conformity to the will of^God and the 
grace of perseverance. 

Jesu dulcis amor mens. 

ESU ! as though Thyself wert here, 
I draw in trembling sorrow near; 
And hanging o'er Thy form divine, 
Kneel down to kiss these wounds of Thine. 

Ah me, how naked art Thou laid! 
Bloodstain'd, distended, cold, and dead! 
Joy of my soul — my Saviour sweet, 
Upon this sacred winding-sheet! 

Hail, awful brow! hail, thorny wreath! 
Hail, countenance now pale in death! 
Whose glance but late so brightly blazed, 
That angels trembled as they gazed. 



220 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



And hail to thee, my Saviour's side; 
And hail to thee, thou wound so wide: 
Thou wound more ruddy than the rose, 
True antidote of all our woes! 

Oh, by those sacred hands and feet 
For me so mangled! I entreat, 
My Jesu, turn me not away, 
But let me here for ever stay. 

AT COMMUNION. 

Make an act of contrition, a renewal of vows, and cast- 
ing yourself in spirit into the bleeding Heart of Jesus, 
pray that yon may love Him more and more, be more like 
to Him in the imitation of His virtues, and be united 
with Him for evermore. 

AT THE BLESSING. 

An Indulgenced Prayer. 

TERNAL Father ! we offer Thee the most precious 
blood of Jesus, shed for us with such great love 
and bitter pain from the wound in His right hand ; and, 
through its merits and its might, we entreat Thy divine 
Majesty to grant us Thy holy benediction, that, by its 
power, we may be defended against all our enemies and 
freed from every ill; whilst we say: 

Benedictio Dei omnipo- May the blessing of God 
tentis, Patris et Filii et Spiri- almighty, Father, and Son, 
tus Sancti, descendat super and Holy Ghost, descend up- 
nos, et maneat semper. on us, and remain for ever. 

Amen. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

Indulgence of 100 days to those who shall say this offering, 
with the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory be to the 
Father, to the Most Holy Trinity, in thanksgiving for blessings 
received; plenary indulgence once a month, on usual conditions. 
—Leo XII., Oct. 25, 1823. 




Methods of Hearing Mass, 



221 



PRAYER TO THE HOLY VIRGIN, OUR LADY OF SORROWS. 

©ARY most holy, Mother of sorrows, by that in- 
tense martyrdom which thou didst suffer at the 
foot of the cross, during the three hours of Jesus' agony: 
deign to aid us all, children of thy sorrows, in our last 
agony, that, by thy prayers, we, from our bed of death, 
may pass to heaven's holy joys, there to adorn thy crown. 
Hail Marv, three times. 



^J^ARIA mater gratiae, 

Mater misericordiae, 

Tu nos ab hoste protege. 

Et mortis hora suscipe. 
V. A subitanea et impro- 
visa morte. 

R. Libera nos, Domine. 
V. Ab insidiis diaboli. 

R. Libera nos, Domine. 
V. A morte perpetua. 
R. Libera nos, Domine. 

Or emus. 

BEUS, qui ad humani 
generis salutem in dolo- 
rosissima Filii tui morte exem- 
plum et subsidium constitu- 
isti: concede, quaesumus, ut 
in extremo mortis nostrae 
periculo tantae charitatis ef- 
fectum consequi, et ipsius 
Redemptoris gloriae consoci- 
ari mereamur. Per eumdum 
Christum Dominum nostrum. 



R. Amen. 



ST\ OTHER of mercy, 
^ -' -*» mother of grace, 
Mary, help a fallen race, 
Shield us when the foe is 
nigh, 

And receive us when we die. 

V. From sudden and un- 
prepared death. 

R. Deliver us, O Lord! 

V. From the snares of the 
devil. 

R. Deliver us, O Lord! 
V. From everlasting death. 
R. Deliver us, O Lord! 

Let us pray. 

fp^[OT), Who for our salva- 
^5) tion hast, in the most 
bitter death of Thy Son, made 
for us both an example and 
a refuge: grant, we beseech 
Thee, that, in the last peril, at 
the hour of our death, we may 
be made worthy to experi- 
ence the effect of His great 
charity, and to be made par- 
takers of the Redeemer's 
glory. Through the same 
Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 



2 22 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



End with the ejaculations: 

J7ESUS, Mary, and Joseph! I give you my heart and 
*J my soul. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph ! assist me in my last agony. 
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph ! may I breathe out my soul 
in peace with you. 

©fterma of /IRass ant) Communion on SaturDa^— Go 
tbe JBles&eb Vixgin /Hbar^ 

OLY Mary, Queen of heaven, Mother of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and Mistress of the world, 
who forsakest no one, and despisest no one, look upon me, 
O dear Mother of mercy, and my Mother, with an eye of 
pity, and entreat for me, of thy beloved Son, conversion 
to that perfection to which God has called me, the virtues 
of purity and humility, and great confidence in thee. 
Obtain, likewise, that this Mass and communion may 
be acceptable to God for the conversion of sinners, espe- 
cially . . . ; for the increased perfection of each dear 
sister of this Community, and for our preservance. 

f \ MOST holy Virgin, Mother of the Word Incar- 
nate, depositary of graces, and Refuge of sinners, 
we have recourse to thy maternal love : with a lively faith 
we ask the grace to do always the will of God and thine. 
We resign ourselves into thy most sacred hands, and 
beseech thee to obtain for us the virtues of our state and 
the grace of a happy death. We confidently hope that 
thou, O most loving Mother, wilt graciously hear us, 
and therefore with a lively faith we say, 4 'Hail Mary." 
Repeat the Hail Mary three times. 

Let us pray. 

*E beseech Thee, O Lord, protect Thy servants 
from every frailty, through the intercession of 
the Blessed Virgin Mary, and, as we kneel in humble 
adoration before Thee and offer Thee our hearts, merci- 




Methods of Hearing Mass. 



223 



fully guard us against the snares of our enemies, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

/llbetboD of Ibearing /Hbass on SaturDa^- 

AT THE BEGINNING. 

Make acts of contrition, humility, and confidence. 
Vide : " Mass in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary." 

INTROIT. 

ALVE, Sancta Parens *Tp^ AIL, holy Mother, who 

enixa puerpera Regem, didst bring forth the 

qui coelum terramque regit in King Who reigns over heaven 

saecula saeculorum. Ps. Eruc- and earth forevermore. Ps~ 

tavit cor meum verbum bo- My heart hath uttered a good 

num: dico ego opera mea word: I speak my works to 

Regi. the King. 

V. Gloria. V. Glory. 

Coll. Concede nos. Grant, O Lord ; we beseech 
Thee, that we, Thy servants, may enjoy constant health 
of body and mind, and by the glorious intercession of 
blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from all tem- 
poral afflictions, and come to those joys that are eternal. 
Through, etc. 

Lesson. Ecclus. xxiv. 14, 16. From the begin- 
ning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the 
w r orld to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy 
dwelling-place I have ministered before Him. And. so 
was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I 
rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. And I took 
root in an honorable people, and in the portion of my 
God His inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly 
of saints. 

Grad. Thou art blessed, and worthy of our respects,. 
O Virgin Mary, who, without prejudice to thy virginity, 
didst become the Mother of Our Saviour. 

V. O Virgin Mother of God! He Whom the whole 




224 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



world can not contain, became man, and was enclosed in 
thy womb. Alleluia, Alleluia. 

V. After child-birth thou didst remain a pure Virgin. 
O Mother of God, intercede for us! 

Gospel. In illo loquente Jesu. Luke xi. 27, 28. 
At that time, as Jesus was speaking to the multitudes, a 
certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said 
to Him: Blessed is the womb that bore Thee, and the 
paps that gave Thee suck. But He said: Yea, rather, 
blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it. 

Offertory. Happy art thou, O holy Virgin Mary, 
and most worthy of all praise, because from thee arose 
the Sun of justice, Christ our Lord. 

Secret. May, O Lord, by Thy own mercy and 
the intercession of blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, this 
oblation procure us peace and happiness, both in this 
life, and in that which is to come. Through Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son. 

PRAYER AT THE OFFERTORY. 

MERCIFUL God! Who, for the salvation of 
sinners and the comfort of the afflicted, hast 
infused into the immaculate heart of the Blessed Virgin 
sentiments of the tenderest compassion for us, similar 
to those which predominate in the Heart of Jesus, grant 
that, by the intercession of our holy patroness, we may 
imitate our divine Model, and thus becoming ever more 
pleasing to Thee, may enjoy a foretaste of the joys of 
heaven. O sweet Jesus! Who tenderly lovest the most 
holy of virgins, and art most tenderly loved by her, 
grant, through her intercession, and by the resemblance 
her immaculate heart bore to Thine, that I may ever love 
Thee, live but for Thee, and be united to Thee in a 
happy eternity. Amen. 

O holy Mother of Jesus! the most pure of all creatures, 
in union with all the saints in heaven and all the just on 
earth, I venerate thee; I consecrate my heart to thee, 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



225 



choosing thee for my Mother, my queen, my advocate, 
and my guide; I wish to imitate thee, and I desire to 
serve thee with a tender, generous, and filial love. I 
beseech thee, august and merciful Queen of heaven, 
to receive me this day as thy child, to assist me in all my 
undertakings, to succor me all in my wants, to obtain 
for me purity, humility, charity, patience, obedience- 
union with God, and perfect submission to His holy will. 
Comfort and support me, dear Mother, in the hour of my 
death. 

THREE OFFERINGS, IN HONOR OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN 

MARY. 

I. *~p^ OLIEST Virgin, with all my heart I worship 
thee above all the angels and saints in para- 
dise as the daughter of the eternal Father, and to thee I 
consecrate my soul and all its powers. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

H. *Tp^ OLIEST Virgin, with all my heart I worship 
thee above all the angels and saints in 
paradise as the Mother of the only-begotten Son, and to 
thee I consecrate my body with all its senses. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

III. OLIEST Virgin, with all my heart I wor- 
ship thee above all the angels and saints 
in paradise as the spouse of the Holy Ghost, and to thee 
I consecrate my heart and all its affections, praying thee 
to obtain for me from the ever-blessed Trinity all the 
graces which I need for my salvation. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time, to be gained by those who 
shall say above prayers to obtain Our Lady's protection in the 
practice of all holy virtues, and especially of chastity. 

Plenarv indulgence on usual conditions. — Leo XII. , Oct. 21, 
1823; Pius IX., June 18, 1876. 



226 



Methods of Hearing Mass, 



AT THE PREFACE. 

f \ DIVINE Jesus, grant me a share in Thy zeal for 
Thy Father's glory, that in union with the dom- 
inations, principalities, and the whole hierarchy of angels, 
I may anticipate in my exile the ever new canticle, which 
they incessantly sing in the abode of bliss: Holy, thrice 
holy, infinitely holy is the Lord of hosts! the heavens 
and the earth are full of His glory; but His mercies have 
been exalted above all His works, since Thou, O divine 
Jesus, hast descended from His bosom, and come in His 
name to dwell in this valley of tears — nay, more, to dwell 
in unworthy hearts. 

AFTER THE ELEVATION. 

S~\ ETERNAL Father! behold Thy beloved Son, my 
blessed Saviour, Whom I humbly offer to Thy 
divine Majesty in satisfaction for all my offences and 
ingratitude. 

I offer Thee His purity, His innocence, to atone for 
my defilement; His humility, for my pride; His zeal, for 
my tepidity; and the holiness of His life, for all the imper- 
fections of mine. 

O merciful Father! look on the charity of Thy Son; 
behold how He once offered Himself a bloody sacrifice 
for my salvation, and how He now offers Himself in an 
unbloody manner on this altar for the same end. O holy 
Father! receive this His sacrifice in lieu of all the honor, 
homage, and gratitude due to Thy goodness from me and 
all Thy creatures. 

O my sweet Saviour! I thank Thee for Thy love and 
Thy mercy. I thank Thee, also, for all the wondrous 
prerogatives and dignities which Thou hast conferred on 
Mary, the Queen of heaven. I love Thee with my whole 
heart. What pledge of my love can I give Thee? 
Thou hast asked my heart: take it, Lord Jesus, take it 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



Thou alone, take it all to Thee, take it as Thy due, and 
my free offering; take it as the present of a child to her 
father; take it as a holocaust, to be consumed entirely 
in Thy service. 

INVOCATION. 

C^ANCTA Virgo Maria "X^OLY Virgin Mary Im- 
,^5 Immaculata, Mater culate, Mother of God 

Dei, Mater nostra, Tu pro and our Mother, speak thou 
nobis loquere ad Cor Jesu, for us to the Heart of Jesus, 
qui tuus Filius est et Frater Who is thy Son and our 
noster. Brother. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIIL, Dec. 20, 1890. 

EJACULATION OF ST. PHILIP NERI. 

VIRGIN Mother of God, Mary, pray to Jesus for 
me. 

Indulgence of 50 days, once a day. — Leo XIIL, March 29, 1894, 

PIOUS EXERCISE. 

Pius VII., on Dec. 4, 1815, in order to increase, in all the 
faithful, devotion toward the sorrows of the most holy Virgin 
Mary, and to excite in them grateful recollection of the Passion 
of her Son Jesus, granted to those who, with contrite heart, shall 
say the Hail Mary seven times, and after each Hail Mary, the 
stanza, 

Sancta mater istud agas, Bid me bear, O Mother 

blessed ! 

Crucifixi fige plagas On my heart the wounds 

impressed 

Cordi meo valide. Suffered by the Crucified. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day; plenary indulgence, oil 
any one day, in each month, on usual conditions. 

AT THE AGNUS DEI AND COMMUNION. 

S^k LAMB of God! have mercy on me, and may the 
voice of Thy blood plead powerfully in my favor; 
grant me a secure shelter in Thy sacred wounds; impart 
to me, in the adorable Sacrament which I am about to 



228 



Methods of Hewing Mass. 



receive {if you do not communicate actually, make at least 
a spiritual communion), that peace which the world can 
not give, and which can alone be found in union with 
Thee, O divine Victim! O Jesus, my life and my sal- 
vation, when Thou enteres^ into my heart in holy com- 
munion, impress on it the lessons of humility, meek- 
ness, patience, charity, and sweetness, so strongly incul- 
cated by Thy precepts and example. O Mary! show 
thyself now my tender Mother and powerful advocate, 
that I may receive with faith, purity, fervor, humility, 
and confidence thy own beloved Son, and my sweet 
Saviour and Master. O blessed spirits of heaven, and, 
above all, my dear angel guardian, intercede for me, and 
supply, by your ardent adorations, for my want of fervor 
when I receive my Redeemer. 

Make an act of contrition, a renewal of vows, and then 
with fervent aspirations invite your Saviour into your 
heart. 

©racers ©r&ereD bg pope Xeo xiil, to be Sato after 
JBvety Xow /Ifoaas in ail tbe Cburcbes of tbe 
TOorlD, 

The priest with the people recites the Hail Mary thrice, 
then the Salve Regina: 

AIL, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our 
sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, 
poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up 
our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. 
Turn, then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy 
towards us, and after this our exile show unto us the 
blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, 
O sweet Virgin Mary! 

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. 
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 




Methods of Hearing Mass. 



229 



Let us pray. 

GOD, our refuge and our strength, look down 
with favor upon Thy people, who cry to Thee; 
and through the intercession of the glorious and immacu- 
late Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of her spouse, blessed 
Joseph, of Thy holy apostles Peter and Paul, and of all 
the saints, mercifully and graciously hear the prayers 
which we pour forth to Thee, for the conversion of sin- 
ners and the liberty and exaltation of holy mother Church. 
Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Add the Invocation: St. Michael the archangel, defend 
us in battle; be our protection against the malice and 
snares of the devil. Rebuke him, O God, we humbly 
pray; and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the 
divine power, thrust into hell Satan and the other evil 
spirits who roam through the world seeking the ruin of 
souls. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days. 

©rDinarg /llbetbofc of Serving a priest at /Ifoass* 

P. •T'NTROIBO ad altare Dei. 

C. r*-» Ad Deurp qui laetificat juventutem meam. 

P. Judica me Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non 
sancta, ab homine iniquo et doloso erue me. 

C. Quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea, quare me repulisti et 
quare tristis incedo dum affligit me inimicus. 

P. Emitte lucem tuam et veritatem tuam: ipsa me dedux- 
erunt et adduxerunt in montem sanctum tuum, et in taberna- 
cula tua. 

C. Et introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat juventu- 
tem meam. 

P. Confitebor tibi in cithara Deus, Deus meus: quare tri- 
stis es anima mea, et quare conturbas me. 

C. Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc confitebor illi, salutare 
vultus mei et Deus mens. 

P. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



C. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula 
saeculorum. Amen. 

P. Introibo ad altare Dei. 

C. Ad Deum, qui laetificat juventutem meam. 

P. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. 

C. Qui fecit ccelum et terram. 

P. Connteor Deo, etc. 

C. Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis 
tuis perducat te ad vitam aeternam. 
P. Amen. 

C. Connteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Vir- 
gini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Eaptistae, Sanc- 
tis Apostolis Petro et Paulo omnibus Sanctis, et tibi, Pater, quia 
peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere, mea culpa, mea 
culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Maria m, sem- 
per Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joan- 
nem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes 
sanctos, et te Pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. 

P. Misereatur vestri, etc. 

C. Amen. 

P. Indulgentiam, absolutionem, etc. 
C. Amen. 

P. Deus tu conversus vivificabis nos. 

C. Et plebs tua laetatibur in te. 

P. Ostende nobis Domine misericordiam tuam. 

C. Et salutare tuum da nobis. 

P. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. 

C. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. 

P.- Dominus vobiscum. 

C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

P. Kyrie eleison. 

C. Kyrie eleison. 

P. Kyrie eleison. 

C. Christe eleison. 

P. Christe eleison. 

C. Christe eleison. 

P. Kyrie eleison. 

C. Kyrie eleison. 

P. Kyrie eleison. 

P. Dominus vobiscum, or flectamus genua. 
C. Et cum spiritu tuo, or levate. 



Methods of Hearing Mass, 



231 



P. 
C. 



Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 
Amen. 

the end of the Epistle say, Deo gratias. 



At 



P. Sequentia sancti Evangelii, etc. 
C. Gloria tibi Domine. 

At the end of the Gospel say, Laus tibi Christe. 
P. Dominus vobiscum. 
C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 
P. Orate Fratres. 

C. Suscipiat Dominus sacrificium de manibus tuis; ad 
laudem et gloriam nominis sui; ad utilitatem quoque nos- 
tram totiusque Ecclesiae suae sanctae. 

P. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

C. Amen. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 

C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

P. Sursum corda. 

C. Habemus ad Dominum. 

P. Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro. 

C. Dignum et justem est. 

P. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

C. Amen. 

P. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. 
C. Sed libera nos a malo. 
P. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 
C. Amen. 

P. Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum. 

C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

P. Dominus vobiscum. 

C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

P. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

C. Amen. 

P. Ite missa est, or benedicamus Domino. 

C. Deo gratias. 

P. Requiescant in pace. 

C. Amen. 



232 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



DOMINICAN RITE OF SERVING MASS. 

{Before beginning Mass the priest puts wine and water into 
the chalice.) 

P. 't'N nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. 
P. Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus. 

C. Quoniam in saeculum misericordia ejus. 
P. Confiteor, etc. 

C. M'isereatur tui omnipotens Deus, et dimittat tibi omnia 
peccata tua, liberet te ab omni malo, salvet et confirmet in 
omni opere bono, et perducat te ad vitam aeternam. 

P. Amen. 

C. Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, et Beatae Mariae semper Vir- 
gini, et Beato Dominico Patri nostro, et omnibus Sanctis, et 
tibi Pater quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, locutione, opera et 
omissione, mea culpa, precor te orare pro me. 

P. Misereatur vestri, etc. 

C. Amen. 

P. Absolutionem et remissionem omnium peccatorum ve- 
strorum tribuat vobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. 
C. Amen. 

P. Adjutorium nostram in nomine Domini. 
C. Qui fecit ccelum et terram. 



All the rest is as usual, except that there is not any "Deo 
gratias" after the Epistle, nor any "Laus tibi Christe " after 
the first Gospel, and no response is made at the "Orate Fra- 
tres." The bell is rung at the "Agnus Dei." The "Domine 
non sum dignus" is not said aloud. After the last Gospel the 
"Deo gratias" is said as usual. 

PRO FIDELIBUS DEFUNCTIS. 

P. *T^VE profundis clamavi ad te Domine; Domine exaudi 

<jLJ vocem meam. 
C. Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis mese. 
P. Si iniquitates observaveris Domine, Domine, quis su- 
stinebit. 

C. Quia apud te propitiatio est: et propter legem tuam 
sustinui te Domine. 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



2 33 



P. Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus; speravit anima mea 
in Domino. 

C. A custodia mututina usque ad noctem speret Israel in 
Domino. 

P. Quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum 
Redemptio. 

C. Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. 

P. Requiem seternam dona eis Domine. 

C. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. 

P. A porta inferi. 

C. Erue Domine animas eorum. 

P. Requiescant in pace. 

C Amen. 

P. Domine exaudi orationem meam. 
C. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. 
P. Dominus vobiscum. 
C. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

Or emus. 

*| TlDELIUM Deus omnium conditor et Redemptor ani- 
c-l—l mabus famulorum famularumque tuarum remissionem 
cunctorum tribue peccatorum ut indulgentiam quam semper 
optaverunt piis supplicationibus consequantur. Qui vivis et 
regnas, etc. 

a /Ifoetbofc of 'Resisting at /Ilbaes for Cbtl&reiu 

When the Priest says the Confiteor, the children say in 
common: 

I CONFESS to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever 
Virgin, to blessed Michael the archangel, to blessed 
John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and 
to all the saints, and to you, father, that I have sinned ex- 
ceedingly, in thought /word, and deed, through my fault, 
through my fault, through my most grievous fault. There- 
fore, I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed 
Michael the archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the 
holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, and you, 
father, to pray to the Lord our God for me. 



234 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



May the almighty God have mercy on me, forgive me 
my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen. 

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant me pardon, 
absolution, and remission of my sins. Amen. 

FOLLOWS A HYMN. 

When the Priest says the Credo the children recite in 
common the A postles' Creed: 

*T J BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of 
heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, 
Our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born 
of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was 
crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into 
hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He 
ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God 
the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge 
the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, 
the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the 
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life 
everlasting. Amen. 

At the Offertory the children say in common: 

CCEPT, O holy Father, almighty, everlasting 
God, this stainless Host, which we, through the 
hands of the priest, offer unto Thee, O God, living and 
true, for our innumerable sins, offences, and negligences, 
and for all here present; as also for all faithful Chris- 
tians, both living and dead, that it may be profitable for 
our own and for their salvation unto life eternal. Amen. 

FOLLOWS OXE DECADE OF THE ROSARY. 

At the Sanctus the children say in common: 

OLY, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. Heaven and 
earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the 
highest. Blessed is He MTio cometh in the name of 
the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 





Methods of Hearing Mass. 



2 35 



AT THE ELEVATING. 

At the elevation of the sacred Host, after each signal all 
say in common: 

r\ MY God, I believe in Thee, 

O my God, I hope in Thee, 
O my God, I love Thee above all things. 
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, 
All praise and all thanksgiving, be every moment 

Thine ! 

At the elevation of the chalice, after each signal all say 
in common: 

Y Jesus, for Thee I live, 
My Jesus, for Thee I die, 

My Jesus, I am Thine in life and in death! 

TERNAL Father, I offer Thee the precious blood 
of Jesus, in satisfaction for my sins, and for the 
wants of holy Church. 

MEMENTO FOR THE DEAD. 

Follows a hymn — or an approved Litany, 
At the communion all say in common after the signal is 
given: 

f~\ LORD, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter 
into my heart; say only the word and my soul 
shall be healed. 

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION. 

Y Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly present in the 
Most Blessed Sacrament. I love Thee above 

all things, and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. 
Since I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally, 
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace 





236 



Methods of Hearing Mass, 



Thee as being already there, and unite myself wholly to 
Thee; never permit me to be separated from Thee. 

AFTER COMMUNION. 

OUL of Christ, sanctify me; 
Body of Christ, save me; 
Blood of Christ, inebriate me; 
Water from the side of Christ, wash me; 
O good Jesus, hear me; 
Within Thy wounds, hide me; 
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee ; 
From the malicious enemy, defend me; 
In the hour of death, call me and bid me to come to Thee ; 
That with Thy saints I may praise Thee for ever and ever. 
Amen. 

AFTER MASS. 

Prayers ordered by his Holiness Pope Leo XII L, to be 
said kneeling after every Low Mass: 

Hail Mary, three times. Then the Salve Regina, as on 
page 228. 

Bnotber Sbort anfc Simple ZlfoetboD of Resisting at 
dlbass for CbUDrem* 

When the Priest begins Mass the children all say in 
common: 

I CONFESS to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever 
virgin, to blessed Michael the archangel, to blessed 
John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, to 
all the saints, and to you, father, that I have sinned exceed- 
ingly, in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, 
through my fault, through my most grievous fault. There- 
fore, I beseech the blessed Mary ever virgin, blessed 
Michael the archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the 
holy apostles Peter and Paul, all the saints, and you, 
father, to pray to the Lord our God for me. 




* Approved by Archbishop Elder. 



Methods of Hearing Mass. 



237 



May the almighty God have mercy on me, forgive me 
my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen. 

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant me pardon, 
absolution, and remission of my sins. Amen. 

One decade of the beads — or more. 

AT THE OFFERTORY. 

CCEPT, O holy Father, almighty, eternal God, 
this stainless Host, which we offer unto Thee, 
our true and living God, by the hands of Thy priest, for 
our innumerable sins, offences, and negligences, and for 
all here present, and for all the Christian faithful, living 
and dead; that it may be profitable to us and to them 
unto life everlasting. Amen. 
Continue the Rosary. 

AFTER THE ELEVATION OF THE CHALICE: 

C\ SACRAMENT most holy, O Sacrament divine, 
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment 

Thine! 

O eternal Father, I offer Thee the precious blood of 
Jesus Christ in expiation of my sins, and for the wants of 
holy Church. 

AT THE DOMINE NON SUM DIGNUS: 

*T~ ' ORD, I am not worthy that Thou enter under my 
* roof. But only say the word, and my soul shall 
be healed. (Three times.) 

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION. 

3ESUS, I believe in Thee, because Thou art truth 
itself. 

Jesus, I hope in Thee, because Thou art almighty, 
merciful, and faithful to Thy promises. 

Jesus, I love Thee, because Thou art infinitely good, 
and worthy of all my love. 




238 Methods of Heari?ig Mass, 

Jesus, I desire to receive Thee. I am sorry for having 
offended Thee. Come to me, and never again let me be 
separated from Thee by sin. 

Jesus, my Lord, my God, and my all! 

ANIMA CHRISTI. 

GjfOUL of Christ, be my sanctifkation! 
-N^ Body of Christ, be my salvation! 
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins! 
Water of Christ's side, wash out my stains! 
Passion of Christ, my comfort be! 
O good Jesus, listen to me! 
In Thy wounds I wish to hide! 
Ne'er to be parted from Thy side! 
Guard me should the foe assail me. 
Call me, when my life shall fail me, 
Bid me come to Thee above 
With Thy saints to sing Thy love, 
World without end. Amen. 



Continue the Rosary, 



XTbe ©r&inarg of tbe Ifooli? /JDass, 



THE ASPERGES. 



jBt SP] 



Domine, hys- 
sopo, et mundabor: lavabis 
me, et super nivem dealba- 
bor. 



Ps. Miserere mei, Deus, 
secundum magnam miseri- 
cordiam tuam. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Asperges me. 



Ant. ^HOU shalt sprin- 
vi/ kle me with 
hyssop, O Lord, and I shall 
be cleansed: Thou shalt wash 
me, and I shall be made whiter 
than snow. 

Ps. Have mercy on me, O 
God, according to Thy great 
mercy. 

V. Glory be, etc. 

Ant. Thou shalt sprinkle 
me. 



The Priest, having returned to the foot of the Altar, says ; 
V. r^STENDE nobis, V. ^HOW us, O Lord, 



Domine, miseri 
cordiam tuam. 

R. Et salutare tuum da 
nobis. 

V. Domine, exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



Thy mercy. 



R. And grant us Thy sal- 
vation. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with Thy spirit. 



6 



Let us pray. 



XAUDI nos, Domine 



*-pf EAR us, O holy Lord, 
r-Lj, almighty Father, eter- 



sancte, Pater omnipo- 
tens seterne Deus; et mittere nal God; and vouchsafe to 

2 39 



240 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



digneris sanctum angelum send Thy holy angel from 
tuum de ccelis, qui custodiat, heaven, to guard, cherish, 
foveat, protegat, visitet, at- protect, visit, and defend all 
que defendat omnes habitan- that are assembled in this 
tes in hoc habitaculo. Per house. Through Christ our 
Christum Dominum nostrum. Lord. Amen. 
Amen. 

From Raster to Whitsunday inclusively, instead of the foregoing 
Anthem, the ^following is sung and Alleluia is added to the V. 
(Ostende nobis) and also to its R. (Et salutare). 

Ant. ^TyiDI aquam Ant. ^T* SAW water flow- 

V egredientem rA» ing from the 

de templo a latere dextro, right side of the temple, Al- 

Alleluia: et omnes ad quos leluia; and all to whom that 

pervenit aqua ista salvi facti water came were saved, and 

sunt, et dicent: Alleluia. they shall say: Alleluia. 

Ps. Confitemini Domino, Ps. Praise the Lord, for 

quoniam bonus; quoniam in He is good: for His mercy 

saeculum misericordia ejus. endureth for ever. 

Gloria, etc. Glory, etc. 

Zbc 1bol£ /Ifcaes* 

The Priest, standing at the foot of the Altar, and bowing down 
before it, signs himself with the sign of the cross from the fore- 
head to the breast, and says with a distinct voice: 

IN Nomine Patris, 4* et ^T'N the name of the Fa- 
Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. «-■-» ther, 4- and of the Son, 
Amen. and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Then, joining his hands before his breast, he begins the antiphon : 

INTROIBO ad altare Dei. *Y WILL go unto the altar 
X of God. 

R. Ad Deum, qui keti- R. To God, Who giveth 
neat juventutem meam. joy to my youth. 

In Masses for the Dead, and from Passion Sunday till Holy Satur- 
day exclusively, the following Psalm is omitted: 

Psalm XLII. Judica me, Deus. 
S. T7UDICA me, Deus, P. T7UDGE me, O God, 
J et discerne causam J and distinguish my 

meam de gente non sancta: cause from the nation that is 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



241 



ab homine iniquo et doioso 
erue me. 

M. Quia tu es, Deus, for- 
titudo mea, quare me repu- 
listi? et quare tristis incedo 
dum affligit me inimicus? 

5. Emitte lucem tuam et 
veritatem tuam: ipsa me de- 
duxerunt et adduxerunt in 
montem sanctum tuum, et in 
tabernacula tua. 

M. Et introibo ad altare 
Dei: ad Deum, qui laetincat 
juventutem meam. 

S. Conntebor tibi in cit- 
hara, Deus, Deus meus: qu- 
are tristis es, anima mea? et 
quare conturbas me? 

M . Spera in Deo, quoniam 
adhuc conntebor .illi: salu- 
tare vultus mei, et Deus meus. 

S. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et 
Spiritui Sancto. 

M . Sicut erat in principio, 
et nunc, et semper, et in sae- 
cula saeculorum. Amen. 

V. Introibo ad altare Dei. 

R. Ad Deum, qui laetincat 
juventutem meam. 

V. Adjutorium nostrum in 
nomine Domini. 

R. Qui fecit ccelum et ter- 
rain. 



not holy : deliver me from the 
unjust and deceitful man. 

R. For Thou, O God, art 
my strength, why hast Thou 
cast me off ? and why do I go 
sorrowful whilst the enemy 
afflicteth me? 

P. Send forth Thy light 
and Thy truth: they have 
conducted me and brought 
me unto Thy holy mount, 
and into Thy tabernacles. 

R. And I will go unto the 
altar of God: to God, Who 
giveth joy to my youth. 

P. I will praise Thee on the 
harp, O God, my God: why 
art thou sorrowful, O my 
soul? and why dost thou dis- 
quiet me? 

R. Hope in God, for I will 
still give praise to Him: Who 
is the salvation of my coun- 
tenance, and my God. 

P. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

R. As it was in the begin- 
ning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

V. I will go unto the altar 
of God. 

R. To God, Who giveth 
joy to my youth. 

V. Our help is in the name 
of the Lord. 

R. Who hath made heaven 
and earth. 



242 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



Then, joining his hands and humbly bowing down, he says the 
Confession : 



P. Y CONFESS to al- 

<-■-» mighty God, etc. 
R. May almighty God 
have mercy upon thee, for- 
give thee thy sins, and bring 
thee to life everlasting. 
P. Amen. 

R. I confess to almighty 
God, to blessed Mary ever 
virgin, to blessed Michael 
the archangel, to blessed 
John Paptist, to the holy 
apostles Peter and Paul, to all 
the saints, and to you, father, 
that I have sinned exceed- 
ingly in thought, word, and 
deed (here strike the breast 
thrice), through my fault, 
through my fault, through my 
most grievous fault. There- 
fore I beseech the blessed 
Mary ever virgin, blessed 
Michael the archangel, bless- 
ed John Baptist, the holy 
apostles Peter and Paul, all 
the saints, and you, father, to 
pray to the Lord our God for 
me. 

Then the Priest, with his hands joined, gives the absolution, saying: 



^—A. ommpotenti, etc. 

M. Misereatur tui omni- 
potens Deus, et dimissis pec- 
catis tuis, per ducat te ad vi- 
tam aeternam. 

S. Amen. 

M. Confiteor Deo omni- 
potent^ beatae Mariae semper 
Virgini, beato Michaeli Arch- 
angelo, beato Joanni Baptistae, 
Sanctis Apostolis Petro et 
Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et 
tibi, pater, quia peccavi nimis 
cogitatione, verbo, et opere, 
mea culpa, mea culpa, mea 
maxima culpa. Ideo pre- 
cor beatam Mariam semper 
Virginem, beatum Michaelem 
Archangelum, beatum Joan- 
nem Baptistam, sanctos Apo- 
stolos Petrum et Paulum om- 
nes Sanctos, et te pater, orare 
pro me ad Dominum Deum 
nostrum. 



5. 



ISEREATUR ve- 



P. 



Deus, et dimissis peccatis ve- 
stris, perducat vos ad vitam 
aeternam. M. Amen. 



S. 



/X\AY almighty God 
^ ■ ■-> have. mercy up- 



on you, forgive you your sins, 
and bring you to life ever- 
lasting. R. Amen. 

Signing himself with the sign of the cross, he says: 
* YNDULGEN- P. *fr (T\ AY the almighty 
rl-» TIAM, absolu- and merciful 

tionem, et remissionem pec- Lord grant us pardon, absolu- 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



243 



catorum nostrorum tribuat tion, and remission of our 

nobis omnipotens et miseri- sins, 
cors Dominus. 

M. Amen. R. Amen. 



V. 



D 1 



Then, bowing down, he proceeds: 
V. j^HOU 



^EUS, tu conver- 
sus vivificabis 
nos. 

R. Et plebs tua laetabitur 
in te. 

V. Ostende nobis, Domi- 
ne, misericordiam tuam. 

R. Et salutare tuum da 
nobis. 

V. Domine, exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



turn 
God, 



(5 HOU 

again, O 
and quicken us. 

R. And Thy people shall 
rejoice in Thee. 

V. Show us, O Lord, Thy 
mercy. 

R. And grant us Thy sal- 
vation. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 



First extending, and then joining his hands, he says audibly: Ore- 
mus; and then ascending the Altar, he says secretly: 



*TT*UFER a no" is quaesu- 
ewJ-L, mus, Domine, iniqui- 
tates nostras: ut ad Sancta 
Sanctorum puris mereamur 
mentibus introire. Per Chris- 
tum Dominum nostrum. 
Amen. 



>^AKE away from us our 
iniquities, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord; that we may 
be worthy to enter with pure 
minds into the Holy of holies. 
Through Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 



Bowing down over the Altar, he says : 



O RAMUS te, Domine, per 
merita sanctorum tuo- 
rum quorum reliquiae hie 
sunt, et omnium sanctorum, 
ut indulgere digneris omnia 
peccata mea. 
Amen. 



'y/j |'E beseech Thee, OLord, 
by the merits of Thy 
saints whose relics are here, 
and of all the saints, that 
Thou wouldst vouchsafe to 
forgive me all my sins. 
Amen. 



244 The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



Prayer during the reading of the Introit: 

BLESSED be the Holy Trinity and Undivided Unity; 
we will give praise to Him, because He hath shown 
His mercy to us. 

O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is Thy name in all 
the earth! 

Glory be to the Father, Who hath created us. 
Glory be to the Son, Who hath redeemed us. 
Glory be to the Holy Ghost, Who hath sanctified us. 
Glory be to the Holy and Undivided Trinity, one God, 
for ever and ever. Amen. 

The Kyrie eleison tJten is said by the Priest and Server alternately: 

KYRIE eleison. "r -4 ORD, have mercy upon 

(ter.) rL* us. (Three times.) 

Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy upon 

(ter.) us. (Three times.) 

Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy upon us. 

(ter.) (Three times.) 

Afterwards, standing at the middle of the Altar, extending, and 
tlien joining his hands > and slightly bowing, he says {wJien it is 
to be said) the Gloria in Excelsis. When he says the words, We 
adore Thee, we give Thee thanks, Jesus Christ, and Receive 
our prayer, he bows, and at the end he signs himself with the 
sign of the cross. 

^"SLORIA in excelsis Deo; #^ L( 3RY be to God on 

et in terra pax homini- high, and on earth 

bus bonae voluntatis. Lau- peace to men of good will. We 

damus te; benedicimus te; praise Thee; we bless Thee; 

adoramus te; glorificamus te. we adore Thee; we glorify 

Gratias agimus tibi propter Thee. We give Thee thanks 

magnam gloriam tuam. Do- for Thy great glory, O Lord 

mine Deus, Rex ccelestis, De- God, heavenly King, God the 

us Pater omnipotens. Domi- Father almighty. O Lord 

ne Fili unigenite Jesu Christe ; Jesus Christ, the only-begot- 

Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, ten Son: O Lord God, Lamb 

Filius Patris, qui tollis peccata of God, Son of the Father, 

munchy miserere nobis: qui Who takest away the sins of 

tollis peccata mundi, suscipe of the world, have mercy on 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



245 



deprecationem nostram: qui 
sedes ad dexteram Patris, 
miserere nobis. Quoniam tu 
solus sanctus: tu solus Domi- 
nus; tu solus altissimus, Jesu 
Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu, 
in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. 



us; Thou Who takest away 
the sins of the world, receive 
our prayers: Thou Who sit- 
test at the right hand of the 
Father, have mercy on us. For 
Thou only art holy: Thou 
only art the Lord: Thou only, 
O Jesus Christ, with the Holy 
Ghost, art most high in the 
glory of God the Father. 
Amen. 



The Priest kisses the Altar, and, turning to the people, says: 

V. "r^O MINUS vo- V. f^HE Lord be with 

r-L^ biscum. you. 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

Then follow the Collects; which vary with the season: 

/~\ GOD, the protector of all that hope in Thee, with- 
out Whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, 
multiply Thy mercy upon us; that, Thou being our 
ruler and guide, we may so pass through temporal goods, 
that we finally lose not those which are eternal. Through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

O God, the pastor and governor of all the faithful; 
look down, in Thy mercy, on Thy servant N., whom 
Thou hast appointed to preside over Thy Church, and 
grant, we beseech Thee, that both by word and example, 
he may edify all those who are under his charge ; so that, 
with the flock entrusted to him, he may arrive at length 
at life everlasting. Through, etc. Amen. 

Then the Epistle for the day is read, as found in the Missal; or 
the following may be read instead: 

Lesson. Wisd. v. 1-5. The just shall stand 
with great constancy against those that have afflicted 
them, and taken away their labors. These seeing it 
shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed 
at the suddenness of their unexpected salvation, saying 



246 



The Ordinar y of the Holy Mass. 



within themselves, repenting and groaning for anguish 
of spirit: These are they whom we had some time in 
derision, and for a parable of reproach. We fools es- 
teemed their life madness, and their end without honor. 
Behold, how they are numbered among the children of 
God, and their lot is among the saints. 

After which is said: 
Deo gratias. Thanks be to God. 

Then the Gradual, Tract, Alleluia, or Sequence, according to 
the time. 

FOR THE GRADUAL. 

BE Thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of 
refuge to save me. In Thee, O God, have I 
hoped; O Lord, let me never be confounded. 

Deal not with us, O Lord, according to our sins which 
we have committed, nor punish us according to our 
iniquities. 

V. Help us, O God our Saviour; and for the glory of 
Thy name, O Lord, deliver us, and forgive us our sins for 
Thy name's sake. 

After this, at High Mass, the Deacon places the book of tlie Gos- 
pels on the Altar, and the Celebrant blesses the incense. Tlien 
the Deacon, kneeling before the Altar with joined hands, says: 

/T\UXDA cor meum ac /~>fLEANSE my heart and 

labia mea, omnipo- my lips, O almighty 

tens Deus, qui labia Isaiae God, Who didst cleanse the 

prophetae calculo mundasti lips of the prophet Isaias with 

ignito: ifca me tua grata mi- a burning coal: and vouch- 

seratione dignare mundare, ut safe, through Thy gracious 

sanctum Evangelium tuum mercy, so to purify me, that 

digne valeam nuntiare. Per I may \vorthily proclaim Thy 

Christum Dominum nostrum, holy Gospel. Through Christ 

Amen. our Lord. Amen. 

Afterwards he takes the book from the Altar, and again kneeling 
down before the Priest, asks his blessing, saying: Jube, Domine, 
benedicere. The Priest says: 

^pvOMIXUS sit in corde ^* HE Lord be in thy heart 
r-LJ tuo et in labiis tuis, and on thy lips, that 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass, 247 



ut digne et competenter an- thou mayst worthily and in a 
nunties Evangelium suum: in becoming manner announce 
nomine Patris, et Filii, et *h His holy Gospel: in the name 
Spiritui Sancti. Amen. of the Father, and of the Son, 

and HE* of the Holy Ghost. 

Amen. 

Having received the blessing, he kisses the hand of the Priest; 
and then, with incense and lighted candles, he goes to the place 
where the Gospel is read, and standing with his hands joined, 
says: 

V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

Then, giving out: 
V. Sequentia (vel initium) V. The continuation (or 
sancti Evangelii secundum N. beginning) of the holy Gos- 
pel according to N. 

He makes the sign of the cross with the thumb of his right hand on 
the Gospel which he is to read, and on his forehead, mouth, and 
breast {the people doing the same); and while the Minister and 
people answer: 

R. Gloria tibi, Domine. R. Glory be to Thee, O 

Lord. 

He incenses the book three times, and then reads the Gospel. 
FOR THE GOSPEL. 

T that time: Peter said to Jesus: Behold we have 
left all things, and have followed Thee: what 
therefore shall we have ? And Jesus said to them : Amen, 
I say to you, that you who have followed Me in the regen- 
eration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of His 
Majesty you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve 
tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left house, or 
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or chil- 
dren, or lands for My name's sake, shall receive an hun- 
dredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. 

Then is said: 

R. Laus tibi, Christe. R. Praise be to Thee, O 

Christ. 




248 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



The Subdeacon then carries the book to the Priest; he kisses the 
Gospel, saying: 

^T^) ER evangelica dicta de- v |£> Y the words of the Gos- 
,-L leantur nostra delicta. pel may our sins be 

blotted out. 

Here the Sermon is usually preached. 
Then at the middle of the Altar, extending, elevating, and joining 
his hands, the Priest says the Nicene Creed {when it is to be 
said), keeping his hands joined. When he says the words: 
God, Jesus Christ, and: is adored, he bows his head to the cross. 
But at the words: and was incarnate, he kneels down, and con- 
tinues kneeling to the words: was made man. At the words : 
the life of the world to come, he signs himself with the sign 
0) the cross from the foreliead to the breast. 



REDO in unum Deum, 
Patrem omnipotentem, 
Factorem coeli et terrae, visi- 
bilium omnium et invisibi- 
lium. 

Et in unum Dominum 
Jesum Christum, Filium Dei 
unigenitum, et ex Patre na- 
tum ante omnia saecula. De- 
um de Deo; Lumen de Lu- 
mine; Deum verum de Deo 
vero; genitum non factum; 
consubstantialem Patri, per 
quern omnia facta sunt. Qui 
propter nos homines, et prop- 
ter nostram salutem, descen- 
dit de ccelis; et incarnatus est 
de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria 
Virgine : et homo f actus est 
{hie genufleetitur) . Cruci- 
fixus etiam pro nobis: sub 
Pontio Pilato passus et se- 
pultusest. Et resurrexit tertia 
die secundum Scripturas: et 
ascendit in ccelum, sedet ad 
dexteram Patris: et iterum 
venturus est cum gloria judi- 



I BELIEVE in one God, 
the Father almighty, 
Maker of heaven and earth, 
and of all things visible and 
invisible. 

And in one Lord Jesus 
Christ, the only-begotten Son 
of God, born of the Father 
before all ages. God of God; 
Light of Light; true God of 
true God; begotten not made; 
consubstantial with the Fa- 
ther, by Whom all things were 
made. Who for us men, and 
and for our salvation, came 
down from heaven; and was 
incarnate by the Holy Ghost 
of the Virgin Mary: and was 
made man {here kneel down). 
He was crucified also for us, 
suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
and was buried. The third 
day He rose again according to 
the Scriptures; and ascended 
into heaven, and sitteth at the 
right hand of the Father: and 
He shall come again with 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass, 249 



care vivos et mortuos: cujus 
regni non erit finis. 

Et in Spiritum Sanctum, 
Dominum et vivificantem, 
qui ex Patre Filioque proce- 
dit: qui cum Patre et Fiiio 
simul adoratur et conglorin- 
catur; qui locutus est per pro- 
phetas. Et unam sanctam 
Catholicam et Apostolicam 
Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum 
baptisma in remissionem pec- 
catorum. Et expecto resur- 
rectionem mortuorum, et vi- 
tam venturi saeculi. Amen. 



glory to judge both the living 
and the dead: of Whose king- 
dom there shall be no end. 

And I believe in the Holy 
Ghost, the Lord and Life- 
giver, Who proceedeth from 
the Father and the Son : Who 
together with the Father and 
the Son is adored and glori- 
fied; Who spake by the 
prophets. And one Holy 
Catholic and Apostolic 
Church. I confess one bap- 
tism for the remission of sins. 
And I look for the resurrec- 
tion of the dead, and the life 
of the world to come. Amen. 



Then he kisses the Altar, and turning to the people, says: 



V, Dominus vobiscum. 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 



Then he says Oremus, and reads the Offertory. This being fin- 
ished, the Priest takes the paten with the Host (if it is High 
Mass, the Deacon hands the Priest the paten with the Host), 
and offering it up, says: 



^USCIPE, sancte Pater 
omnipotens, aeterne 
Deus, hanc immaculatam 
Hostiam, quam ego indignus 
famulus tuus offero tibi Deo 
meo vivo et vero, pro innu- 
merabilibus peccatis, et offen- 
sionibus, et negligentiis meis, 
et pro omnibus circumstan- 
tibus; sed et pro omnibus 
fidelibus Christianis, vivis at- 
que defunctis: ut mihi et 
illis proficiat ad salutem in 
vitam aeternam. Amen. 



VrCCEPT, O holy Father, 
almighty, eternal God, 
this immaculate Host, which I, 
Thy unworthy servant, offer 
unto Thee, my living and true 
God, for my innumerable 
sins, offences, and negli- 
gences, and for all here pres- 
ent; as also for all faithful 
Christians, both living and 
dead, that it may be profitable 
for my own and for their sal- 
vation unto life eternal. 

Amen. 



250 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



Then, making the sign of the g>oss with the paten, he places the 
Host upon the corporal. The Priest pours wine and water into 
the chalice, blessing the water before it is mixed, saying: 

EUS, ^ qui humanae 



*T"yt,US, qui 

A*J substantias dignitatem 
mirabiliter condidisti, et mi- 
rabilius reformasti; da nobis 
per hujus aquae et vini my- 
sterium, ejus divinitatis esse 
consortes, qui humanitatis 
nostrae fieri dignatus est par- 
ticeps. Jesus Christus, Fili- 
us tuus, Dominus noster; qui 
tecum vivit et regnat in uni- 
tate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per 
omnia saecula saeculorum. 
Amen. 

In Masses for the Dead, the foregoing prayer is said, but the water 
is not blessed. Then the Priest takes the chalice, and offers it, 
saying: 



r\ GOD, * Who, in cre- 
ating human nature, 
didst wonderfully dignify it; 
and hast still more wonder- 
fully renewed it; grant that, 
by the mystery of this water 
and wine, we may be made 
partakers of His divinity, Who 
vouchsafed to become par- 
taker of our humanity, Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son, Ou** Lord; 
Who liveth and reigneth with 
Thee in the unity of, etc. 



O' 



kFFERXMUS tibi, Do- 
mine, calicem salu- 
taris, tuam deprecantes cle- 
mentiam, ut in conspectu di- 
vinae Majestatis tuae, pro no- 
stra et totius mundi salute cum 
odore suavitatis ascendat. 

Amen. 



JT7TT*E offer unto Thee, O 
v5lA> Lord, the chalice of 
salvation, beseeching Thy 
clemency, that in the sight of 
Thy divine Majesty it may 
ascend with the odor of sweet- 
ness, for our salvation, and 
for that of the whole world. 
Amen. 



Then he makes the sign of the cross with the chalice, places it upon 
the corporal, and covers it with the pall. Then, with his hands 
joined upon the Altar, and slightly bowing down, he says : 

(At High Mass, the Subdeacon here receives the paten, which he 
envelops in the extremities of the veil with which his shoulders 
are mantled, and then goes and stands behind the Celebrant 
until the conclusion of the Pater noster.) 

IN spiritu humilitatis, et *T*N the spirit of humility, 

in animo contrito, su- and with a contrite heart, 

scipiamur a te, Domine, et sic let us be received by Thee, O 

fiat sacrincium nostrum in con- Lord, and grant that the sac- 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 251 



spectu tuo hodie, ut placeat rince we offer in Thy sight 
tibi, Domine Deus. this day may be pleasing to 

Thee, O Lord God. 

The Priest, elevating his eyes toward heaven, and stretching out 
his hands, which he afterward joins, makes the sign of the 
cross over the Host and chalice, while he says : 

VENI, sanctificator, om- 
nipotens, aeterne Deus; 
et bene *h die hoc sacrificium, 
tuo sancto nomini praepara- 
tum. 



aOME, O Sanctifier, al- 
mighty, eternal God, 
and bless *h this sacrifice, pre- 
pared to Thy holy name. 



At High Mass, he, in the following prayer, blesses the incense: 



*T^)ER intercessionem beati 
«-L Michaelis Archangeli, 
stantis a dextris Altaris In- 
censi, et omnium electorum 
suorum, incensum istud dig- 
netur Dominus benedicere, 
et in odorem suavitatis acci- 
pere. Per Christum Domi- 
num nostrum. Amen. 



/T\AY the Lord, by the in- 
r* ' * * tercession of blessed 
Michael the archangel, stand- 
ing at the right hand of the 
altar of incense, and of all His 
elect, vouchsafe to bless this 
incense, and receive it as an 
odor of sweetness. Through, 
etc. Amen. 



Receiving the thurible from the Deacon, he incenses the bread and 
wine, saying: 

INCENSUM istud a te (T\AY this incense which 
benedictum ascendat ad Thou hast blessed, O 

te, Domine, et descendat su- Lord, ascend to Thee, and 
per nos misericordia tua. may Thy mercy descend upon 



Then he incenses 

^TpvIRIGATUR, Domine, 
r-LJ oratio mea sicut in- 
censum in conspectu tuo: 
elevatio manuum mearum sa- 
crificium vespertinum. Pone, 
Domine, custodiam ori meo, 
et ostium circumstantial labiis 
meis, ut non declinet cor 
meum in verba malitiae, ad 



the Altar, saying: 

' i * ET my prayer, O Lord, 
r * ^ ascend like incense in 
Thy sight: and the lifting up 
of my hands be as an eve- 
ning sacrifice. Set a watch, 
O Lord, before my mouth, 
and a door round about my 
lips that my heart may not 



252 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



excusandas excusationes in incline to evil words, to make 
peccatis. excuses in sins. 

While he gives the censer to the Deacon, he says secretly these 
words, and is afterwards incensed by the Deacon and then the 
others in order: 

/T^AY the Lord enkindle 
in us the fire of His 
love, and the flame of ever- 
lasting charity. Amen. 



VTCCENDAT in nobis 
«J-*n Dominus ignem sui 
amoris, et flammam aeternae 
caritatis. Amen. 

The Priest, with his hands joined, goes to the Epistle side of the 
Altar, where he washes his fingers as he recites the following 
verses of Ps. xxv. 

I WILL wash my hands 
among the innocent: 
and will encompass Thy altar, 
O Lord. 

That I may hear the voice 
of praise, and tell of all Thy 
marvelous works. 

I have loved, O Lord, the 
beauty of Thy house, and the 
place where Thy glory dwell- 
eth. 

Take not away my soul, O 
God, with the wicked, nor 
my life with bloody men. 

In whose hands are iniqui- 
ties: their right hand is filled 
with gifts. 

As for me, I have walked 
in my innocence : redeem me, 
and have mercy upon me. 

My foot hath stood in the 
right path: in the churches I 
will bless Thee, O Lord. 
Glory be, etc. 

Returning, and bowing before the middle of the Altar, with joined 
hands, he says: 

BUSCIPE, sancta Trini- ECEIVE, O holy Trin- 

tas, hanc oblationem r*-^ ity, this oblation, 



*T| |AVABO inter innocentes 
«-■ — * manus meas: et cir- 
cumdabo altare tuum, Do- 
mine. 

Ut audiam vocem laudis: 
et enarrem universa mira- 
bilia tua. 

Domine, dilexi decorem 
domus tuae, et locum habita- 
tions gloriae tuae. 

Ne perdas cum impiis, 
Deus, animam meam; et cum 
viris sanguinum vitam meam. 

In quorum manibus iniqui- 
tates sunt: dextera eorum 
repleta est muneribus. 

Ego autem in innocentia 
mea ingressus sum: redime 
me, et miserere mei. 

Pes meus stetit in directo: 
in ecclesiis benedicam te, 
Domine. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



The Ordinary of ike Holy Mass, 



2 53 



quam tibi offerimus ob me- 
moriam Passionis, Resurrec- 
tionis, et Ascensionis Jesu 
Christi Domini nostri: et in 
honorem beatae Mariae sem- 
per Virginis, et beati Joannis 
Baptistae, et sanctorum Apos- 
tolorum Petri et Pauli, et 
istorum et omnium Sanc- 
torum: ut illis proficiat ad 
honorem, nobis autem ad 
salutem: et illi pro nobis in- 
tercedere dignentur in ccelis, 
quorum memoriam agimus 
in terris. Per eumdem Chris- 
tum Dominum nostrum. 
Amen. 



which we make to Thee, in 
memory of the Passion, Res- 
urrection, and Ascension of 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, and in 
honor of the blessed Mary 
ever virgin, of blessed John 
Baptist, the holy apostles 
Peter and Paul, of these and 
of all the saints: that it may 
be available to their honor 
and our salvation: and may 
they vouchsafe to intercede 
for us in heaven, whose mem- 
ory we celebrate on earth. 
Through the same Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



o 1 



Then he passes the Altar, and having turned himself towards the 
people, extending and joining his hands, he raises his voice a 
little, and says: 

^RATE, fratres, ut meum 
ac vestrum sacrificium 
acceptabile fiat apud Deum 
Patrem omnipotentem. 

R. Suscipiat Dominus sa- 
crificium de manibus tuis, ad 
laudem et gloriam nominis 
sui, ad utilitatem quoque no- 
stram, totiusque Ecclesiae suae 
sanctae. 



BRETHREN, pray that 
my sacrifice and yours 
may be acceptable to God the 
Father almighty. 

R. May the Lord receive 
the sacrifice from thy hands, 
to the praise and glory of His 
name, to our benefit, and to 
that of all His holy Church. 



The Priest answers in a low voice, Amen. 
Then, with outstretched hands, he recites the 
Secret Prayers. 
Which being -finished, he says in an audible voice: 



3?' 



R. 
V. 
R. 



>ER omnia saecula 
saeculorum. 
Amen. 

Dominus vobiscum. 
Et cum spiritu tuo. 



V. ^j^' ORLD without 
R. Amen. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 



254 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



V. 



Here he uplifts his hands: 

r-L^ hearts. 

R. Habemus ad Dominum. R. We have them lifted up 



FT up 



your 



unto the Lord. 



He joins his hands before his breast, and bows his head while he 

says; 

V. RATI AS agamus V. 
Domino Deo no- 
stro. God. 
R. Dignum et justum est. R. It is meet and just 



*|— ' ET us give thanks 
, I i to the Lord our 



The following Preface is said 
tivals which have none proper, 

VERE dignum et justum 
est, aequum et salu- 
tare, nos tibi semper et ubi- 
que gratias agere, Domine 
sancte, Pater omnipotens, 
aeterne Deus. * Per Chris- 
tum Dominum nostrum: per 
quern Majestatem tuam lau- 
dant angeli, adorant domina-^ 
tiones, tremunt potestates, coeli 
coelorumque virtutes, ac beata 
seraphim, socia exultatione 
concelebrant. Cum quibus et 
nostras voces, ut admitti ju- 
beas deprecamur, supplici 
confessione dicentes: 



Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, 
Dominus Deus Sabaoth. 

Pleni sunt cceli et terra 
gloria tua. 

Hosanna in excelsis. 



on all Ferias and on those Fes- 
and in all Masses for th? Dead. 

IT is truly meet and just, 
right and salutary, that 
we should always, and in all 
places, give thanks to Thee, O 
holy Lord, Father almighty, 
eternal God. * Through 
Christ our Lord: through 
Whom the angels praise Thy 
Majesty, the dominations 
adore, the powers do hold in 
in awe, the heavens, and the 
virtues of the heavens and 
the blessed seraphim, do cele- 
brate with united joy. In 
union with whom, we be- 
seech Thee that Thou wouldst 
command our voices also to 
be admitted, with suppliant 
confession, saying, 

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
of Sabaoth. 

Heaven and earth are full 
of Thy glory. 

Hosanna in the highest. 



* This mark refers to the variation of the proper Prefaces for 
certain days. 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



Benedictus qui venit in no- 
mine Domini. 
Hosanna in excelsis. 

On Trinity Sunday, and on 
that has no 

VERE . . . * Qui cum uni- 
genito Filio tuo et 
Spiritu Sancto unus es Deus, 
unus es Dominus: non in 
unius singularitate Personam, 
sed in unius Trinitate sub- 
stantias Quod enim de tua 
gloria, revelante te, credimus, 
hoc de Filio tuo, hoc de Spi- 
ritu Sancto, sine differentia 
discretionis sentimus. Ut in 
confessione verae sempiternae- 
que Deitatis, et in Personis 
proprietas, et in essentia uni- 
tas, et in Majestate adoretur 
aequalitas. Quern laudant 
angeli atque archangeli, che- 
rubim quoque ac seraphim, 
qui non cessant clamare quo- 
tidie, una voce dicentes: Sanc- 
tus, etc. 



Blessed is He that cometh 
in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. 

every other Sunday in the year 
proper Pre] ace. 

* VV) I 'HO together with Thy 
VJlA* only-begotten Son, 
and the Holy Ghost, art one 
God, and one Lord: not in a 
singularity of one Person, but 
in a Trinity of one substance. 
For that which, by Thy reve- 
lation, we believe of Thy 
glory, the same we believe 
of Thy Son, and the same of 
the Holy Ghost, without any 
difference or distinction. 
That, in the confession of a 
true and eternal Deity, dis- 
tinctness in the Persons, 
unity in the essence, and 
equality in the Majesty may 
be adored. Whom the an- 
gels and archangels, the cher- 
ubim also and seraphim do 
praise, who cease not daily 
to cry out with one voice, say- 
ing: Holy, etc. 

From Christmas day till the Epiphany (except in the Octave 
of St. John), on the Purification, Corpus Christi and its 
Octave, the Transfiguration, The Holy Name of Jesus, and 
in Masses of the Blessed Sacrament. 

N.B. Prefaces thus marked f are concluded in the same man- 
ner as this. 



v 



ERE ... * Quia per 
incarnati Verbi my- 
sterium, nova mentis nostrse 
oculis lux tuae claritatis in- 
fulsit: ut dum visibiliter 
Deum cognoscimus, per hunc 



BECAUSE by the mystery 
of the Word made 
flesh, the new light of Thy 
brightness hath shone upon 
the eyes of our minds: that 
while we behold God visibly, 



256 The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



in invisibilium amorem ra- 
piamur. f Et ideo cum an ~ 
gelis et archangelis, cum 
thronis et dominationibus, 
cumque omni militia ccelestis 
exercitus, hymnum gloriae tuae 
canimus, sine fine dicentes: 
Sanctus, etc. 



we may by Him be carried 
on to the love of things in- 
visible, t And therefore with 
angels and archangels, with 
thrones and dominations, and 
with all the army of heaven, 
we sing a hymn to Thy glory, 
saying without ceasing: Holy, 
etc. 



Within the Action, or more solemn part of the sacrifice: 

aOMMUNICANTES, et r>f OMMUNIC ATING 
diem sacratissimum ce- and celebrating the most 

lebrantes, quo beatae Mariae sacred day on which the un- 

intemerata virginitas huic violated virginity of Blessed 

mundo edidit Salvatorem. Mary gave to this world a 

Sed et memoriam venerantes, Saviour. As also venerating 

in primis ejusdem gloriosae the memory, in the first 

semper Virginis Mariae, geni- place, of the same glorious 

tricis ejusdem Dei et Domini Mary, ever virgin, Mother 

nostri Jesu Christi; sed et of the same Our God and 

beatorum apostolorum ac Lord Jesus Christ; and like- 

martyrum tuorum, etc. wise of Thy blessed apostles 

4 and martyrs, etc. 

In the Midnight Mass is said: 
W^OCTEM sacratissimam ^fi^&E most sacred night 
r-Lfc celebrantes, qua. on which. 

But in all Masses afterward it is said as above, to the 
Octave of the Nativity, inclusively. 

On the Epiphany, and during its Octave. 
*|^xUIA cum unigenitus * *T£>E CAUSE when Thy 
V£ tuus in substantia no- only-begotten Son 

strae mortalitatis apparuit, appeared in the substance of 
nova nos immortalitatis suae our mortal flesh, He repaired 
luce reparavit. t Et ideo, etc. us by the new light of His im- 
mortality, t And therefore. 

Within the Action. 

aOMMUNICANTES, et O MM UN I C ATING 
diem sacratissimum v^i and celebrating the 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 257 



celebrantes, quo unigenitus 
tuus in tua tecum gloria coae- 
ternus, in veritate carnis no- 
stra visibiliter corporalis ap- 
paruit. Sed et memoriam 
venerantes, in primis gloriosae 
semper Virginis Marias, geni- 
tricis ejusdem Dei et Domini 
nostri Jesu Christi: sed et 
beatorum apostolorum, etc. 



*O UI 

V£ vi 



: VTTT'HO by bodily fasting 
vJlA/ dost repress vices, ele- 



most sacred day, on which 
Thy only-begotten Son, co- 
eternal with Thee in Thy 
glory, appeared visibly in 
the truth of our bodily flesh. 
As also venerating the mem- 
ory, in the first place, of the 
glorious Mary ever virgin, 
Mother of the same Our God 
and Lord Jesus Christ: and 
likewise of Thy blessed apos- 
tles, etc. 

From Ash Wednesday to Passion Sunday, except in Feasts 
which have a proper Preface. 
|UI corporali jejunio * 4 
vitia comprimis, men- 
tern elevas, virtutem largiris vate the mind, bestow virtue 
et praemia. Per Christum, and rewards. Through, etc. 
etc. 

From Passion Sunday till Maundy Thursday, and Feasts 

oj the holy cross and of the Passion. 
* ^\ UI salutem humani * *SJJ |" , HO didst effect the 

VXA> salvation of mankind 
on the wood of the cross: that 
from whence death came, 
thence life might arise; and 
that he who overcame by the 
tree, might also by the tree 
be overcome. Through, etc. 

From Holy Saturday till Ascension day, and on Festivals 
occurring in this time, unless they have proper Prefaces of 
their own. In the Mass of Holy Saturday is said, chiefly 
on this night; on Easter day, until the Saturday following, 
chiefly on this day; after that, chiefly at this time. 

VERE dignum et justum *T*T is truly meet, just, right, 
est, aequum et salu- J-» and salutary to praise 
tare, te quidem Domine, Thee, O Lord, at all times, 
omni tempore, sed [in hac but chiefly [on this night or 
potissimum nocte vel die, vel] day, or] at this time, when 



Q' 



generis in ligno cru- 
ris constituisti: ut unde mors 
oriebatur, inde vita resur- 
geret : et qui in ligno vincebat, 
in ligno quoque vinceretur. 
Per Christum, etc. 



2 58 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



in hoc potissimum gloriosius Christ our Passover was sac- 

praedicare, cum Pascha no- rificed for us. For He is the 

strum immolatus est Christus. true Lamb, Who took away 

Ipse enim verus est Agnus, the sins of the world. Who 

qui abstulit peccata mundi. by dying destroyed our death, 

Qui mortem nostram mori- and by rising again restored 

endo destruxit, et vitam resur- our life. | And therefore, etc. 
gendo reparavit. f Et ideo, 
etc. 

Within the Action. 

aOMMUNIC ANTES ^fOMMUNICATING and 

et diem sacratissimum V^l celebrating the most 

celebrantes Resurrectionis sacred day of the Resurrection 

Domini nostri Jesu Christi of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 

secundum carnem : sed et according to the flesh : as also 

memoriam, etc. venerating, etc. 

Then as follows: 

ANC igitur oblationem V A r"E beseech Thee, there- 

servitutis nostras, sedet vJcA* fore, O Lord, favor- 

cunctae familiae tuae, quam ably to receive this oblation 

tibi offerimus pro his quoque of our service and that of all 

quos regenerare dignatus es Thy family, which we offer 

ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto, to Thee for these also whom 

tribuens eis remissionem om- Thou hast been pleased to re- 

nium peccatorum, quaesumus generate of water and the 

Domine ut placatus accipias, Holy Spirit, granting them 

etc. remission of all sins, etc. 

This is said from Holy Saturday till the Saturday following 
{inclusively), but in the Mass of Holy Saturday is said, 
et noctem sacratissimam, this most sacred night. 

From Ascension day till Whitsun-eve, except on Feasts which 
have their proper Preface. 

* V T£)ER Christum Domi- * ^HROUGH Christ our 

num nostrum. Qui Lord. Who after His 

post Resurrectionem suam om- Resurrection appeared openly 

nibus discipulis suis mani- to all His disciples, and in 

festus apparuit, et ipsis cer- their sight ascended up into 

nentibus est elevatus in cce- heaven, to make us partakers 




The Ordinary of the Holy Mass, 



2 59 



of His divinity, 
fore. etc. 



lum, ut nos divinitatis suae 
tribuerit esse participes. f Et . 
ideo, etc. 

Within the Action 



t And there- 



aOMMUNIC ATING 
and celebrating the most 
sacred day on which Our 
Lord, Thy only -begotten Son, 
placed on the right hand of 
Thy glory the substance of our 
frailty united to Himself. As 
also venerating the memory, 
in the first place, of the glori- 
ous Mary, ever virgin, Moth- 
er of the same Our God and 
Lord, etc. 

And it is said during the Octave. 

From Whitsun-eve till Trinity Sunday; and in Votive Masses 
of the Holy Ghost, omitting the words, this day. 



aOMMUNIC ANTES 
et diem sacratissimum 
celebrantes, quo Dominus no- 
ster, unigenitus Filius tuus, 
unitam sibi fragilitatis no- 
stras substantiam, in gloriae 
tuae dextera collocavit. Sed 
et memoriam venerantes, in 
primis gloriosae semper Virgi- 
nis Mariae, genitricis ejusdem 
Dei et Domini nostri, etc. 



ER Christum Domi- * 



num nostrum. Qui 
ascendens super omnes ccelos, 
sedensque ad dexteram tuam, 
promissum Spiritum Sanc- 
tum [hodierna die] in fllios 
adoptionis effudit. Quaprop- 
ter profusis gaudiis totus in 
orbe terrarum mundus ex- 
ultat: sed et supernae vir- 
tutes atque angelicae potes- 
tates hymnum glorias tuae 
concinunt, sine fine dicentes: 
Sanctus, etc. 

Within the Action. 

fOMMUNIC ANTES ^jOMMUNICATING 

et diem sacratissimum and celebrating the 

Pentecostes celebrantes, quo most sacred day of Pentecost, 

Spiritus Sanctus apostolis in on which the Holy Ghost ap- 



^HROUGH Christ our 
v^L/ Lord, Who, ascending 
above all the heavens, and 
sitting at Thy right hand, sent 
down the promised Holy 
Spirit [this day] upon the 
children of adoption. Where- 
fore all the whole world ex- 
ults with overflowing joy; 
also the heavenly virtues and 
the angelic powers together 
hymn Thy glory, saying ever= 
lastingly: Holy, etc. 



cr 



260 



The Ordinary of the Holy Mass. 



igneis Unguis apparuit. Sed peared to the apostles in 
et memoriam, etc. fiery tongues. As also ven- 

erating, etc. 



Then as 

ANC igitur oblationem 
r"-& servitutis nostras, sed 
et cunctae familiae tuae, quam 
tibi offerimus pro his quoque 
quos regenerare dignatus es 
ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto, 
tribuens eis remissionem om- 
nium peccatorum, qusesumus 
Domine ut placatus accipias, 
etc. 



follows: 

(0\^ beseech Tnee > there- 
v*£A* fore, O Lord, favor- 
ably to receive this oblation 
of our service and that of all 
Thy family, which we offer 
to Thee for these also whom 
Thou hast been pleased to 
regenerate of water and the 
Holy Spirit, granting them 
remission of all sins, etc. 



This is said to the Saturday following, inclusively. 

On Festivals of the Blessed Virgin Mary (except the Purifi- 
cation, on which is said the Preface of Christmas), and with- 
in their Octaves, and on Votive Masses of the Blessed Virgin, 
the words, Annunciation, Visitation, Assumption, Nativity, 
Presentation, Conception, Espousal, are inserted after, and 
proclaim thee on the. On the Dedication of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary ad Nives, as also on the Feast of her holy 
name; and on the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of 
Mercy, are inserted, the festival. On the Feast of the Seven 
Dolors is inserted, transfixion. On the Feast of Mount 
Carmel, commemoration; and on that of the most holy 
Rosary, solemnity. 

on Saturday, veneration. 
* ^*HAT we should praise, 
bless, and Droclaim 



In Votive Masses and 
* C^iT te in N. beatae 
Mariae semper Virgi- 
nis collaudare, benedicere, 
et praedicare. Quae et Uni- 
genitum tuum Sancti Spiri- 
tus obumbratione concepit, 
et virginitatis gloria per- 
manente, lumen aaternum 
mundo effudit, Jesum Chris- 



bless, and proclaim 
Thee on the N. of the blessed 
Mary ever virgin. Who by 
the overshadowing of the 
Holy Ghost, conceived Thy 
Only-begotten, and the glory 
of her virginity remaining, 
shed forth upon the world 
the light eternal, Jesus Christ 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



261 



turn Dominum nostrum; * per our Lord; * through Whom,, 
quern, etc. etc. 

On the Festivals 0} the Apostles and Evangelists (except on 
St. John the Evangelist's day), and throughout their Oc- 
taves, except in Feasts which have proper Prefaces of their 



VERE dignum et justum 
est, aequum et salu- 
tare, te Domine suppliciter 
exorare, ut gregem tuum, 
Pastor aeterne, non deseras, 
sed per beatos apostolos tuos 
continua protectione custo- 
dias; ut iisdem rectoribus 
gubernetur, quos operis tui 
vicarios eidem contulisti prae- 
esse pastores. f Et ideo, etc. 



IT is truly meet, just, right,, 
and salutary humbly 
to beseech Thee, that Thou, 
O Lord, our eternal Shepherd, 
wouldst not forsake Thy 
flock, but keep it through 
Thy blessed apostles with 
continual protection; that it 
may be governed by those 
same rulers whom Thou didst 
appoint to preside over it as 
pastors in Thy stead, f And. 



Canon of 

E igitur, clementissi- 
me Pater, per Jesum 
Christum Filium tuum Do- 
minum nostrum, supplices ro- 
gamus ac petimus uti accepta 
habeas et benedicas haec *h 
donna, haec 4« munera, haec *h 
sancta sacrificia illibata, in 
primis quae tibi offerimus 
pro Ecclesia tua sancta Ca- 
tholica: quam pacificare, cu- 
stodire, adunare, et regere 
digneris toto orbe terrarum, 
una cum famulo tuo Papa 
nostro N., et Antistite nostro 
N., et omnibus orthodoxis, 
atque Catholicae et Apostoli- 
cae Fidei cultoribus. 



tbe /foass* 

E therefore humbly pray 
and beseech Thee, 
most merciful Father, through 
Jesus Christ Thy Son, Our 
Lord (he kisses the altar) 
that Thou wouldst vouchsafe 
to accept and bless these 4* 
gifts, these presents, these 
*h holy unspotted sacrifices, 
which, in the first place, we 
offer Thee for Thy holy Catho- 
lic Church, to which vouch- 
safe to grant peace; as also to 
protect, unite, and govern it 
throughout the world, together 
with Thy servant N. our Pope, 
N. our Bishop, as also all or- 
thodox believers and profess- 
ors of the Catholic and 
Apostolic faith. 



262 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



COMMEMORATION OF THE LIVING. 

/T)EMENTO, Domine fa- *T£>E mindful, O Lord, of 
r * *'* mulorum famularum- Thy servants, men and 

que tuarum, N. et N. women, N. and N. 

Prayer during the Canon. 

O JESUS, dying on the cross for love of poor sinners, 
through Thy sacred head crowned with thorns I beg 
Thee to have mercy on the Pope, all bishops, priests, all Re- 
ligious Orders, especially our own, and all those placed over 
us. 

Through the wound in Thy right hand I recommend to 
Thee my father, mother, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, 
and benefactors. 

And through the wound in Thy left hand my enemies, all 
poor sinners, and those who have never been baptized. Help 
Thy servants who are trying to convert them. 

Through the wound in Thy right foot I pray for the poor, 
the sick, and the dying, and for all who are in any kind of pain, 
temptation, or trouble. 

Through the wound in Thy lejt foot I beg of Thee merci- 
fully to grant eternal rest to the souls of the faithful departed, 
especially N. N. 

Through Thy Sacred Heart, O Jesus, I offer myself to do 
and suffer all things for Thy love. Give me all the graces I 
stand in need of, and especially the grace which I am seeking 
to obtain through this holy Mass. (Name it.) 

He joins his hands, and prays silently for those he intends to pray 
for; then, extending his hands, he proceeds: 

f~jT omnium circumstan- % J T*ND of all here present, 

tium, quorum tibi fides cJ^* whose faith and devo- 

cognita est, et nota devotio, pro tion are known unto Thee, for 

quibus tibi offerimus, vel qui whom we offer, or who offer 

tibi offerunt, hoc sacrincium up to Thee this sacrifice of 

laudis, pro se, suisque omni- praise for themselves, their 

bus: pro redemptione anima- families and friends, for the 

rum suarum, pro spe salutis, redemption of their souls, 

et incolumitatis suae: tibique for the hope of their safety 



Canon of the Holy Mass, 



263 



reddunt vota sua, aeterno 
Deo, vivo et vero. 

Communicantes, et me- 
moriam venerantes, in primis 
gloriosae semper Virginis 
Mariae, Genitricis Dei et Do- 
mini nostri Jesu Christi: 
sed et beatorum apostolorum 
ac martyrum tuorurq, Petri 
et Pauli, Andreae, Jacobi, 
Joannis, Thomae, Jacobi, Phi- 
lippi, Bartholomaei, Matthaei, 
Simonis et Thaddaei, Lini, 
Cleti, Clementis, Xysti, Cor- 
nelii, Cypriani, Laurentii, 
Chrysogoni, Joannis et Pauli, 
Cosmae et Damiani, et omni- 
um Sanctorum tuorum; quo- 
rum meritis precibusque con- 
cedas, ut in omnibus protec- 
tions tuae muniamur auxilio. 
Per eumdem Christum Do- 
minum nostrum. 

Amen. 



and salvation, and who pay 
their vows to Thee, the eter- 
nal, living, and true God. 

Communicating with, and 
honoring, in the first place, 
the memory of the glorious 
and ever Virgin Mary, Moth- 
er of Our Lord and God 
Jesus Christ; as also of the 
blessed apostles and martyrs, 
Peter and Paul, Andrew, 
James, John, Thomas, James, 
Philip, Bartholomew, Mat- 
thew, Simon and Thaddeus, 
Linus, Cletus, Clement, Xys- 
tus, Cornelius, Cyprian, Law- 
rence, Chrysogonus, John and 
Paul, Cosmas and Damian, 
and of all Thy saints; by 
whose merits and prayers 
grant that we may be always 
defended by the help of Thy 
protection. Through the 
same Christ our Lord. 

Amen. 



Spreading his hands over the oblation, he says the words of con- 
secration secretly, distinctly, and attentively. 

(Here the bell is rung.) 



ANC igitur oblationem 
servitutis nostras, sed 
et cunctse familiae tuae, quae- 
sumus, Domine, ut placatus 
accipias; diesque nostros in 
tua pace disponas, atque ab 
asterna damnatione nos eripi, 
et in electorum tuorum jubeas 
grege numerari. Per Chris- 
tum Dominum nostrum. 
Amen. 

Quam oblationem, tu Deus, 



V VI r*E therefore beseech 
VAcA, T hee, O Lord, gra- 
ciously to accept this oblation 
of our service, as also of Thy 
whole family; dispose our 
days in Thy peace, command 
us to be delivered from eter- 
nal damnation, and to be 
numbered in the flock of Thy 
elect. Through Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

Which oblation do Thou, 



264 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



in omnibus, quaesumus, bene- 
dic 4* tarn, adscrip 4* tarn, 
ra *h tarn, rationabilem, ac- 
ceptabilemque facere digne- 
ris; ut nobis cor »fr pus et san 
*i* guis fiat dilectissimi Filii 
tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi. 
Qui pridie quam pateretur, 
accepit panem in sanctas ac 
venerabiles manus suas, et 
levatis oculis in ccelum, ad te 
Deum Patrem suum omni- 
potentem: tibi gratias agens, 
benedixit, fregit, deditque di- 
scipulis suis, dicens: Accipite, 
et manducate ex hoc omnes; 

HOC EST ENIM CORPUS MEUM. 



O God, vouchsafe in all 
things to make blessed, ap- 
proved, ratified, reasonable, 
and acceptable, that it may 
become to us the body and 
*k blood of Thy most be- 
loved Son Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Who the day before 
He suffered, took bread (he 
takes the Host) into His holy 
and venerable hands (he 
raises his eyes to heaven) 
and with His eyes lifted up 
toward heaven, to God, His 
almighty Father: giving 
thanks to Thee, did bless, 
break, and give to His dis- 
ciples, saying: Take, and 
eat ye all of this; for this is 

MY BODY. 



After pronouncing the words 0} consecration, the Priest, kneeling, 
adores the sacred Host; rising he elevates it; and then placing it 
on the corporal, again adores it. After this he never disjoins 
his fingers and thumbs, except when he is to take the Host, until 
after the washing of his fingers. 

(At the elevation the bell is rung three times.) 



C^flMILI modo postquam 
ccenatum est accipiens 
et hunc praeclarum calicem in 
sanctas ac venerabiles manus 
suas item tibi gratias agens 
bene 4« dixit, deditque di- 
scipulis suis dicens: Accipite 
et bibite ex eo omnes; hic 

EST ENIM CALIX SANGUINIS 
MEI NOVT ET STERNE TESTA- 
MENTi; MYSTERIUM FIDEi; 
QUI PRO VOBIS ET PRO MUL- 



IN like manner, after He 
had supped (he takes 
the chalice in both his hands), 
taking also this excellent 
chalice into His holy and 
venerable hands, and giving 
Thee thanks, He bless 4* ed, 
and gave to His disciples, 
saying: Take, and drink ye 
all of this; for this is the 
chalice of my blood of 
the new and eternal 
testament; the mystery 
of faith; which shall be 



Canon of the Holy Mass, 



265 



TIS EFFUNDETUR IN RE MIS - 
SIONEM PECCATORUM. 

Haec quotiescumque feceri- 
tis, in mei memoriam facietis. 



SHED FOR YOU, AND FOR 
MANY, TO THE REMISSION OF 
SINS. 

As often as ye do these 
things, ye shall do them in 
remembrance of Me. 



Prayer. 

OMY God, I adore Thee through Jesus; I beg pardon 
through Jesus; I thank Thee through Jesus; I humbly 
ask every blessing and ^grace through Jesus. May I lead a 
holy life and die a good death. My Jesus, mercy. My Jesus, 
mercy. My Jesus, mercy. 

Kneeling, he adores; rising, he elevates the chalice; then replacing 
it on the corporal, he covers it, and again adores. 
(The bell is rung as before.) 
He then proceeds: 

Qjj£HEREFORE, O Lord, 



V ■ 'NDE et memores, Do- 
vJ^ mine, nos servi tui, sed 
et plebs tua sancta ejusdem 
Christi Filii tui Domini no- 
stri tarn beatae Passionis, nec- 
non et ab inferis Resurrec- 
tionis sed et in ccelo gloriosae 
Ascensionis: offerimus prae- 
clarae Majestati tuae, de tuis 
donis ac datis, Hostiam *h 
puram, Hostiam *%< sanctam, 
Hostiam 4* immaculatam, pa- 
nem *h sanctum vitae aeternae, 
et calicem *i« salutis perpetuae. 



we Thy servants, as 
also Thy holy people, calling 
to mind the blessed Passion 
of the same Christ Thy Son 
our Lord, His Resurrection 
from the grave, and glorious 
Ascension into heaven, offer 
unto Thy most excellent 
Majesty, of Thy gifts and 
presents, a pure 4« Host, a 
holy 4- Host, an immaculate 
•fi Host, the holy >b bread of 
eternal life, and the chalice 4* 



of everlasting salvation. 
Extending his hands, he proceeds: 
quae propitio ac 



TUPRA 

sereno vultu respicere 
digneris, et accepta habere, 
sicuti accepta habere digna- 
tus es munera pueri tui justi 
Abel, et sacrincium Patri- 
archal nostri Abrahae; etquod 



a PON which vouchsafe to 
look, with a propitious 
and serene countenance, and 
to accept them, as Thou wert 
graciously pleased to accept 
the gifts of Thy just servant 
Abel, and the sacrifice of our 



266 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



tibi obtulit summus sacerdos 
tuus Melchisedech, sanctum 
sacrificium, immaculatam ho- 
stiam. 



Patriarch Abraham, and that 
which Thy high-priest Mel- 
chisedech offered to Thee, a 
holy sacrifice, an immaculate 
Host. 



Bowing down profoundly, with his hands joined and placed upon 
the Altar, he says: 

C^UPPLICES te rogamus, 
JS^ omnipotens Deus, jube 
haec perferri per manus sancti 
angeli tui in sublime altare 
tuum, in conspectu divinae 



Majestatis tuae, ut quotquot 
ex hac altaris participatione, 
sacrosanctum Filii tui cor- 
pus *i* et *i* sanguinem sump- 
serimus, omni benedictione 
ccelesti et gratia repleamur. 
Per eumdem Christum Domi- 
num nostrum. Amen. 



Memento etiam, Domine, 
famulorum famularumque 
tuarum N. et N., qui nos prae- 
cesserunt cum signo fidei, et 
dormiunt in somno pacis. 



V VI |'*E most humbly beseech 
V5lA> Thee, almighty God, * 
command these things to be 
carried by the hands of Thy 
holy angel to Thy altar on 
high, in the sight of Thy 
divine Majesty, that as many 
of us (he kisses the altar) as, 
by participation at this altar, 
shall receive the most sacred 
body ^ and ^ blood of Thy 
Son may be filled with all 
heavenly benediction and 
grace. Through the same 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Be mindful, O Lord, of 
Thy servants men and women 
N. and N., who are gone be- 
fore us, with the sign of faith, 
and slumber in the sleep of 



peace. 

He prays for such 0} the dead as he intends to pray for. 
*PSIS, Domine, et omni- 



«-*-» bus in Christo quie- 
scentibus, locum refrigerii, 
lucis et pacis, ut indulgeas, 
deprecamur. Per eumdem 
Christum, etc. Amen. 



these, O Lord, and to 
v^P all that rest in Christ, 
grant, we beseech Thee, a 
place of refreshment, light, 
and peace. Through the same 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



Here, striking his breast and slightly raising his voice, he says: 
quoque peccatori- % 'j r*ND to us sinners, Thy 
*JL& bus famulis tuis, de servants, hoping in the 

multitudine miserationum tu- multitude of Thy mercies, 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



267 



arum sperantibus partem ali- 
quam et societatem donare 
digneris, cum tuis Sanctis 
apostolis et martyribus; cum 
Joanne, Stephano, Matthia, 
Barnaba, Ignatio, Alexandra, 
Marcellino, Petro, Felicitate, 
Perpetua, Agatha, Lucia, 
Agnete, Caecilia, Anastasia, 
et omnibus Sanctis tuis: intra 
quorum nos consortium, non 
aestimator meriti, sed veniae, 
quaesumus, largitor admitte. 
Per Christum Dominum no- 
strum. 

Per quern haec omnia, Do- 
mine, semper bona creas, 
sancti 4* ficas, vivi ficas, 
bene 4* dicis, et praestas nobis. 



vouchsafe to grant some part 
and fellowship with Thy 
holy apostles and martyrs; 
with John, Stephen, Matthias, 
Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexan- 
der, Marcellinus, Peter, Feli- 
citas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, 
Agnes, Cecily, Anastasia, and 
with all Thy saints, into 
whose company we beseech 
Thee to admit us, not con- 
sidering our merits, but freely 
pardoning our offences. 
Through Christ our Lord. 

By Whom, O Lord, Thou 
dost always create, sanctify, 
*i* quicken, *%• bless, *i* and 
give us all these good things. 

He uncovers the chalice, and makes a genuflection; then taking 
the Host in his right hand, and holding the chalice in his left, 
he signs the sign 0} the cross three times across the chalice, saying: 

"T^ER ip * sum, et cum ip * ^ HROUGH Him, *f and 
J— so, et in ip *f« so, est with Him, *%• and in , 

tibi Deo Patri *fr omnipotenti, Him, is to Thee, God the 
in unitate Spiritus Sancti, om- Father <%• almighty, in the 
nis honor et gloria. unity of the Holy Ghost, all 

honor and glory. 

Covering the chalice, he kneels down; and rising again, he says: 

V. Per omnia saecula saecu- V. For ever and ever, 
lorum. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 

Oremus. 
bRiECEPTIS salutaribus 
moniti, et divina insti- 
tutione formati, audemus di- 
cere: 

Pater noster, qui es in ccelis, 
sanctincetur nomen tuum: 



B 1 



Let us pray. 

INSTRUCTED by Thy 
saving precepts, and 
following Thy divine institu- 
tion, we presume to say: 

Our Father, Who art in 
heaven, hallowed be Thy 



268 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



adveniat regnum tuum; fiat 
voluntas tua sicut in ccelo, 
et in terra. Panem nostrum 
quotidianum da nobis hodie; 
et dimitte nobis debita nostra, 
sicut et nos dimittimus de- 
bitoribus nostris. Et ne nos 
inducas in tentationem. 
M. Sed libera nos a malo. 

S. Amen. 



name: Thy kingdom come; 
Thy will be done on earth as 
it is in heaven. Give us this 
day our daily bread: and 
forgive us our trespasses, as 
we forgive those who tres- 
pass against us. And lead 
us not into temptation. 

R. But deliver us from 
evil. 

P. Amen. 

(At High Mass, the Deacon, toward the conclusion of the Pater 
Noster, goes to the right hand of the Priest, where he awaits the 
approach of the Subdeacon, from whom he receives the paten, 
which he puts into the hands of the Priest.) 

He takes the paten between his first and second finger, and says: 



^^vELIVER us, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, from 
all evils, past, present, and to 
come: and by the intercession 
of the blessed and glorious 
Mary ever virgin, Mother of 
God, together with Thy 
blessed apostles Peter and 
Paul, and Andrew, and all 
the saints (making the sign 
of the cross on himself with 
the paten, he kisses it, and 
says), mercifully grant peace 
in our days: that by the 
assistance of Thy mercy we 
may be always free from sin, 
and secure from all disturb- 
ance. 

He slides the paten under the Host, uncovers the chalice, and makes 
a genuflection: then rising, he takes the Host, breaks it in the 
middle over the chalice, saying: 
^ER eumdem Dominum ^^HROUGH the same 
J— nostrum Tesum Chris- Jesus Christ Thy Son 



*T"-"!IBERA nos, quaesumus, 
rA— i Domine, ab omnibus 
malis, praeteritis, praesentibus, 
et futuris: et intercedente 
beata et gloriosa semper Vir- 
gine Dei* Genitrice Maria, 
cum beatis apostolis tuis 
Petro et Paulo, atque Andrea, 
et omnibus Sanctis, da pro- 
pitius pacem in diebus no- 
stris : ut ope misericordiae tuae 
adjuti, et a peccato simus 
semper liberi, et ab omni per- 
turbatione securi. 



turn Filium tuum. 



our Lord, 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



269 



He puts the part which is in his right hand upon the paten, breaks 
a particle from the other part in his left hand, saying: 



|UI tecum vivit et regnat ^^J^'HO with Thee in the 



Qi 
in unitate Spiritus VxA# unity of the Holy 

Sancti Deus. Ghost liveth and reigneth 

God. 



He places the half in his left hand on the paten, and holding the 
particle which he broke off in his right hand, and the chalice in 
his left, he says: 

V. 1 TT\ER omnia saecula V. '//] ■ 'O RLD without 

«rJ— saeculorum. VJlA* end. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 

He then says: 

V. ^)AX * Domini sit V. (T\ AY the peace * of 
JL 4* semper vobis the Lord be 

-J* cum. always with 4- you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

He puts a particle of the Host into the chalice, saying: 

*Tpi /EC commixtio et con- {TTfcAY this mixture and 
secratio corporis et consecration of the 

sanguinis Domini nostri Jesu body and blood of Our Lord 
Christi fiat accipientibus no- Jesus Christ be to us, that 
bis in vitam aeternam. Amen, receive it, effectual to eternal 

life. Amen. 

He covers the chalice, makes a genuflection, and then bowing down 
and striking his breast three times, he says: 

VTGNUS Dei, qui tollis *T-* AMB of God, Who tak- 

ev^J-, peccata mundi mise- « ■ ^ est away the sins of the 

rere nobis. world, have mercy upon us. 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- Lamb of God, Who takest 

cata mundi, miserere nobis. away the sins of the world, 

have mercy upon us. 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- Lamb of God, Who takest 

cata mundi, dona nobis pa- away the sins of the world, 

cem. grant us Thy peace. 

In Masses for the Dead, he says thrice: Give them rest; and lastly: 
Give them eternal rest. Standing in an inclined position, 



270 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



with his hands joined and resting on the Altar, and his eyes 
reverently fixed upon the sacred Host, he says: 



*Tp^OMINE Jesu Christe, 
qui dixisti apostolis 
tuis: Pacem relinquo vobis, 
pacem meam do vobis; ne re- 
spicias peccata mea, sed fidem 
Ecclesiae tuae: eamque secun- 
dum voluntatem tuam pacifi- 
care et coadunare digneris: 
qui vivis et regnas Deus, per 
omnia saecula saeculorum. 
Amen. 



*T^ORD Jesus Christ, Who 
* * ± saidst to Thy apostles : 
Peace I leave with you, My 
peace I give unto you; re- 
gard not my sins, but the 
faith of Thy Church; and 
vouchsafe to it that peace 
and unity which is agreeable 
to Thy will: Who livest and 
reignest God for ever and 
ever. Amen. 



The preceding prayer is omitted in Masses for the Dead. 

At High Mass, the Deacon kisses the Altar, at the same time with 
the celebrating Priest, by whom he is saluted with the kiss of 
peace with these words: 

V. Pax tecum. V. Peace be with thee. 

To which the Deacon answers: 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

And then salutes in like manner the Subdeacon, who conveys the 
kiss of peace to those amongst the Clergy who may be assisting 
at Mass. 



Y^OMINE Jesu Christe, 
i-LJ Fili Dei vivi, qui ex 
voluntate Patris, cooperante 
Spiritu Sancto, per mortem 
tuam mundum vivificasti; li- 
bera me per hoc sacrosanc- 
tum corpus et sanguinem 
tuum ab omnibus iniquitati- 
bus meis, et universis malis: 
et fac me tuis semper inhaerere 
mandatis, et a te nunquam 
separari permittas: qui cum 
eodem Deo Patre et Spiritu 



*"| !ORD Jesus Christ, Son 
* ■ * of the living God, 
Who, according to the will of 
the Father, through the co- 
operation of the Holy Ghost, 
hast by Thy death given life 
to the world; deliver me by 
this Thy most sacred body 
and blood from all my iniqui- 
ties and from all evils: and 
make me always adhere to 
Thy commandments, and 
never suffer me to be sepa- 
rated from Thee; Who with 
the same God the Father and 
Holy Ghost livest and reign- 



Canon of the Holy Mass, 



271 



Sancto vivis et regnas Deus in 
saecula saeculorum. Amen. 

Perceptio corporis tui, Do- 
mine Jesu Christe, quod ego 
indignus sumere praesumo, 
non mihi proveniat in judi- 
cium et condemnationem; sed 
pro tua pietate prosit mihi 
ad tutamentum mentis, et 
corporis; et ad medelam per- 
cipiendam. Qui vivis et reg- 
nas cum Deo Patre, in unitate 
Spiritus Sancti, Deus per 
omnia saecula saeculorum. 
Amen. 



est God for ever and ever. 
Amen. 

Let not the participation of 
Thy body, O Lord Jesus 
Christ, which I, all unwor- 
thy, presume to receive, turn 
to my judgment and con- 
demnation; but through Thy 
goodness, may it be to me a 
safeguard and remedy, both 
of soul and body. Who 
with God the Father, in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, 
livest and reignest God for 
ever and ever. Amen. 



Making a genuflection, and taking the Host hi his hands, the Priest 

says: 

ANEM ccelestem acci- WILL take the bread of 

piam, et nomen Do- c-L» heaven, and call upon 
mini invocabo. the name of the Lord. 

Striking his breast in humility and devotion, he says thrice, the 
Acolyte ringing the bell each time: 

^r^vOMINE, non sum dig- *TT~|ORD, I am not worthy 
<-LJ nus ut intres sub tec- A * that Thou shouldst en- 
tum meum; sed tantum die ter under my roof; say but 
verbo, et sanabitur anima the word, and my soul shall 
mea. be healed. 

Taking reverently both parts of the sacred Host in his right hand, 
and making the sign of the cross with it upon himself, he says 
the following prayers: 

CORPUS Domini nostri /TV AY the body of Our Lord 
Jesu Christi custodiat M - * > Jesus Christ preserve 
animam meam in vitam aeter- my soul to life everlasting, 
nam. Amen. Amen. 

He then receives both halves of the Host, joins his hands, and re- 
mains a short time in meditation on the Most Holy Sacrament. 
Then he uncovers the chalice, gathers upon the paten the small- 



272 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



and 



HAT shall I render to 



est atoms of the Host which may remain on the corpora 
puts them into the chalice, saying: 

QUID retribuam Domino 
pro omnibus quae re- 
tribuit mini? Calicem salu- 
taris accipiam, et nomen Do- 
mini invocabo. Laudans in- 
vocabo Dominum, et ab ini- 
micis meis salvus ero. 



hath rendered unto me? I 
will take the chalice of salva- 
tion, and call upon the name 
of the Lord, Praising, I will 
call upon the Lord, and I 
shall be saved from my 
enemies. 



He takes the chalice in his right hand, and making the sign of 
the cross with it on himself, he says: 

SANGUIS Domini nostri 
Jesu Christi custodiat 
animam meam in vitam aetef- my soul 
nam. Amen. Amen. 



^T^HE blood of Our Lord 
Jesus Christ preserve 
to everlasting life. 



Then he receives all the blood, together with the particles in it. 

After which he communicates all who are to communicate 
(if there be any). 

Those who are to communicate go up to the Sanctuary at the Do- 
mine, non sum dignus, when the bell rings : the Acolyte says 
the Confiteor. 



Then the Priest turns to the communicants, and pronounces a 
1 absolution in these words: 

/T\AY almighty God have 
mercy on you, forgive 
you your sins, and bring you 
to life everlasting. 
R. Amen. 

P. May the almighty and 
merciful Lord give you par- 
don, absolution, and remis- 
sion of your sins. 

R. Amen. 



fT\ ISEREATUR vestri om- 
^ ' * » nipotens Deus, et di- 
missis peccatis vestris, perdu- 
cat vos ad vitam aeternam. 
M. Amen. 

S. Indulgentiam, absolu- 
tionem, et remissionem pec- 
catorum vestrorum tribuat 
vobis omnipotens et miseri- 
cors Dominus. 

M. Amen. 



Canon of the Holy Mass, 



273 



Those who are not to communicate may Jure mak? a 

SPIRITUAL C03IMTXI0N. 

Elevating a particle of tlie Blessed Sacrament, and turning toward 
the people, the Priest says: 

£S"CCE Agnus Dei, ecce "TOEHOLD the Lamb of 
qui tollit peccata mun- God, behold Him Who 

di. taketh away the sins of the 

world. 

And (lien repeats three times, Domine, non sum dignus. 

Descending tlie steps of tlie Altar to the communicants, he admin- 
isters tlie Holy Communion, saying to each: 

aORPUS Domini nostri (T\AY the body of Our Lord 
Jesu Christi custodiat Jesus Christ preserve 

animam tuam in vitam aeter- thy soul to life everlasting, 
nam. Amen. Amen. 

Here tlie Acolyte pours a little wine into tlie chalice, and the Priest 
takes the first ablution. 

QL'OD ore sumpsimus, y^RAXT, Lord, that what 
Domine, pura mente we have taken with 

capiamus; et de munere tern- our mouth, we may receive 
porali fiat nobis remedium with a pure mind; and of a 
sempiternum. temporal gift may it become 

to us an eternal remedy. 

Here tlie Acolyte pours wine and water over his fingers; and he 
takes the second ablution. 

aORPUS tuum, Domine. /TvAY Thy body, O Lord, 

quod sumpsi, et san- c» ** » which I have received, 

guis quern potavi, adhasreat and Thy blood which I have 

visceribus meis: et praesta, ut drunk, cleave to my bowels; 

in me non remaneat scelerum and grant that no stain of sin 

macula, quern pura et sancta may remain in me, who have 

refecerunt sacramenta. Qui been refreshed with pure and 

vivis et regnas in sascula saecu- holy sacraments. Who livest, 

lorum. Amen. etc. Amen. 

Then lie wipes his mouth and the clmlice, which he covers; and 
having folded the corporal, places it on the Altar, as at first; lie 
then goes to the book, and reads the Communion: 



274 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



FOR THE COMMUNION. 

ONE thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; 
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days 
of my life. 

Taste and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man 
that hopeth in Him. 

{For a saint's day.) Blessed is that servant whom his Lord 
when He cometh shall find watching. 

If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and 
take up his cross, and follow Me. 

Then he turns to the people, and says: 

V. *Tpfc 0MINUS vobis- V. f^HE Lord be with 

JLJ cum. you. 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

Then he reads the Post -Communions; at the end oj the -first and 
last oj which the Acolyte answers, Amen. 

Afterward he turns again toward the people, and says: 

V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

Ite missa est; vel Benedi- Go, the Mass is ended; or 

camus Domino. Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Deo gratias. R. Thanks be to God. 

In Masses jor the Dead. 

V. *T^> E Q U IESCANT V. (T\AY they rest in 

HM3 in pace. \*A peace. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 



Bowing down before the Altar, the Priest says: 

LACEAT tibi, sancta S~\ HOLY Trinity, let the 

Trinitas, obsequium V-/ performance of my 

servitutis meae; et praesta, ut homage be pleasing to Thee; 

sacrificium quod oculis tuae and grant that the sacrifice 

Majestatis indignus obtuli, which I, unworthy, have 

tibi sit acceptabile, mihique, offered up in the sight of Thy 

et omnibus pro quibus illud Majesty, may be acceptable 

obtuli, sit, te miserante, pro- to Thee, and through Thy 

mercy be a propitiation for 



Canon of the Holy Mass, 



275 



pitiabile. Per Christum Do- 
minum nostrum. Amen. 



me, and all those for whom 
I have offered it. Through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



Then he kisses the Altar, raising his eyes, — and extending, rais- 
ing, and joining his hands, — he bows his head, and says: 

BENEDICAT vos omni- (T)AY almighty God, the 
potens Deus, Pater et Father, Son, 4« and 

Filius, *h et Spiritus Sane- Holy Ghost, bless you. Amen, 
tus. Amen. 

At the word Deus, he turns toward the people, and makes the sign 
oj the cross on them. Then turning to the Gospel side of the 
Altar, he says: 

V. Y^OMINUS vobis- V. <^[HE Lord be with 

JLJ cum. you. 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

The Benediction is omitted in Masses for the Dead. 

He then traces the sign oj the cross, first upon the Altar, and then 
upon his forehead, lips, and heart, and begins the Gospel accord- 
ing to St. John, saying: 

P. /^HE beginning of 
v£> the holy Gospel 
according to St. John. 

R. Glory be to Thee, O 
Lord. 

In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was with 
God, and God was the Word: 
the same was in the begin- 
ning with God. All things 
were made by Him, and with- 
out Him was made nothing 
that was made: in Him was 
life and the life was the light 
of men: and the light shineth 
in darkness, and the dark- 
ness did not comprehend it. 

There was a man sent trom 
God, whose name was John. 



sancti 
secun- 



Evangelii 
dum Joannem. 

M. Gloria tibi, Domine. 

In principio erat Verbum, 
et Verbum erat apud Deum; 
et Deus erat Verbum: hoc 
erat in principio apud Deum. 
Omnia per ipsum facta sunt, 
et sine ipso factum est nihil 
quod factum est: in ipso vita 
erat, et vita erat lux hominum : 
et lux in tenebris lucet, et 
tenebrae earn non compre- 
henderunt. 

Fuit homo missus a Deo, 
cui nomen erat Joannes. Hie 



276 



Canon of ihe Holy Mass. 



venit in testimonium, lit testi- 
monium perhiberet de lumine, 
ut omnes crederent per ilium. 
Non erat ille lux: sed ut te- 
stimonium perhiberet de lu- 
mine. Erat lux vera quae 
illuminat omnem hominem 
venientem in hunc mundum. 

In mundo erat, et mundus 
per ipsum factus est, et mun- 
dus eum non cognovit. In 
propria venit, et sui eum non 
receperunt. Quotquot autem 
receperunt eum, dedit eis po- 
testatem filios Dei fieri: his 
qui credunt in nomine ejus, 
qui non ex sanguinibus, neque 
ex voluntate carnis, neque 
ex voluntate viri, sed ex Deo 
nati sunt. Et Verbum caro 
factum est (hie genuflecti- 
tur), et habitavit in nobis, et 
vidimus gloriam ejus, gloriam 
quasi Unigeniti a Patre, ple- 
num gratiae et veritatis. 



M. Deo gratias. 



This man came for a witness, 
to give testimony of the light, 
that all men might believe 
through him. He was not 
the light, but came to give 
testimony of the light. He 
was the true light which en- 
lighteneth every man that 
cometh into this world. 

He was in the world, and 
the world was made by Him, 
and the world knew Him not. 
He came unto His own, and 
His own received Him not. 
But as many as received Him, 
to them He gave power to 
become the sons of God: to 
those that believe in His 
name, who are born not of 
blood, nor of the will of the 
flesh, nor of the will of man, 
but of God. And the Word 
was made elesh (here the 
people kneel down), and 
dwelt among us; and we saw 
His glory, as it were the glory 
of the Only-begotten of the 
Father, full of grace and truth. 

R. Thanks be to God. 



When a feast falls on a Sunday, or other day which has a proper 
Gospel of its own, the Gospel of the day is read instead of the 
Gospel of St. John. 

AETER MASS. 







Hail Mary, to be said thrice by the Priest and People. 



fALVE Regina, Mater 
misericordiae, vita, dul- 
cedo, et spes nostra salve. 
Ad te clamamus exsules, filii 
Hevae. Ad te suspiramus, 
gementes, et flentes in hac 



*Tpr AIL, holy Queen, Moth- 
er of mercy; hail, our 
life, our sweetness, and our 
hope! To thee do we cry, 
poor banished children of 
Eve; to thee do we send up 



Canon of the Holy Mass. 



277 



lacrymarum valle. Eia ergo, 
advocata nostra, illos tuos 
misericordes oculos ad nos 
converte. Et Jesum bene- 
dictum fructum ventris tui, 
nobis post hoc exsilium osten- 
de. O clemens, O pia, O 
dulcis Virgo Maria. 

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta 
Dei Genitrix. 

R. Ut digni efficiamur pro- 
missionibus Christi. 

Oremus. 
'y^vEUS refugium nostrum 
A^J et virtus, populum ad 
te clamantem propitius re- 
spice ; et intercedente gloriosa 
et immaculata Virgine Dei 
Genitrice Maria, cum beato 
Josepho Ejus Sponso, ac 
beatis apostolis tuis Petro 
et Paulo, et omnibus Sanctis, 
quas pro conversione pecca- 
torum, pro libertate et exalta- 
tione sanctae Matris Ecclesiae 
preces effundimus, miseri- 
cors et benignus exaudi. Per 
Christum Dominum nostrum. 

Amen. 

Sancte Michael Archangele, 
defende nos in praelio: con- 
tra nequitiam et insidias di- 
aboli esto presidium. — Im- 
peret illi Dens; supplices de- 
precamur; tuque, Princeps 
militise ccelestis, Satanam ali- 
osque spiritus malignos, qui 



our sighs, mourning and 
weeping in this vale of tears. 
Turn, then, most gracious 
advocate, thine eyes of mercy 
toward us; and after this 
our exile, show unto us the 
blessed fruit of thy womb, 
Jesus. O clement, O loving, 
O sweet Virgin Mary! 

V. Pray for us, O holy 
Mother of God. 

R. That we may be made 
worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, our refuge and 
our strength, look 
down in mercy on Thy people 
who cry to Thee; and by 
the intercession of the glori- 
ous and immaculate Virgin 
Mary, Mother of God, of St. 
Joseph her spouse, of Thy 
blessed apostles Peter and 
Paul, and of all the saints, in 
mercy and goodness hear our 
prayers for the conversion of 
sinners, and for the liberty 
and exaltation of our holy 
Mother the Church. Through 
Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Holy Michael Archangel, 
defend us in the day of battle; 
be our safeguard against the 
wickedness and snares of the 
devil. May God rebuke him, 
we humbly pray: and do 
thou, prince of the heavenly 
host, by ''the power of God, 



278 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 



ad perditionem animarum 
pervagantur in mundo, divin 1 
virtute in infcrnum detrude. 

Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days. 



thrust down to hell Satan and 
all wicked spirits, who wander 
through the world for the 
ruin of souls. 
Amen. 



/IDass H)ev>ottOTi6 for Each S>ap mtbe TKHeeft** 

To be Used in Connection with the Preceding "Ordinary of 
the Mass." 

Sundae*— Votive Aaas of tbc blesses Grfttfte* 

Ordinary oj the Mass. 

PROPER PARTS. 

Ixtroit. *-|£> EXE- *YJ>LESSED be the Holy 
DICTA Trinity and undivided 

sit sancta Trinitas atque indi- Unity : we will give glorv to 
visa L nitas: conhtebimur ei, Him, because He hath shown 
quia fecit nobiscum miseri- His mercy to us. O Lord, 
cordiam suam. i^Tob. xii.) Our Lord, how wonderful is 
Ps. viii. Domine Dominus no- Thy name in all the earth! 
ster, quam admirabile est no- 
men tuum in universa terra! 

Coll. Omnipotens. Almighty, everlasting God, Who 
hast granted to Thy servants in the confession of the true faith, 
to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and, in the 
power of Thy Majesty, to adore the Unity; grant that, by 
steadfastness in the same faith, we may ever be defended 
from all adversities. 

Epistle. 2 Cor. xiii. 11. Brethren: Rejoice, be perfect, 
take exhortation, be of one mind, have peace: and the God 
of peace and of love shall be with you. The grace of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God, and the commu- 
nication of the Holv Ghost be with vou all. Amen. 



From the Roman Missal. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 279 



Grad. Benedictus es Do- 
mine, qui intueris abyssos, et 
sedes super Cherubim. 
T. Benedictus es Domine. in 
nrmamento cceli, et laudabilis 
in specula. Alleluia. Alleluia. 

V. Benedictus es Domine 
Deus patrum nostrorum, et 
laudabilis in saecula. Alle- 
luia. 



Blessed art Thou, O Lord, 
Who beholdest the depths, and 
sittest upon the cherubim. 
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in 
the firmament of heaven, and 
worthy of praise for ever. 
Alleluia. Alleluia. Blessed art 
Thou, O Lord God of our 
fathers, and worthy of praise 
for ever. Alleluia. 



After Septuagesima, instead 0} the Alleluia and V. of the 
Gradual, is said the 

Tract. With our whole hearts we glorify, praise, and 
bless Thee, O God the Father not begotten, Thee the only- 
begotten Son, Thee the Holy Ghost the Paraclete, the holy 
and undivided Trinity. V. For Thou art great and dost 
wonderful things; Thou alone art God. V. To Thee be 
praise, to Thee be glory, to Thee be thanksgiving for ever and 
ever, O blessed Trinity. 

In Paschal time, the Gradual is omitted, and the following is 

said : 

Alleluia, Alleluia. Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our 
fathers, and worthy of praise for ever. Alleluia. Let us 
bless the Father and the Son with the Holy Ghost. Alleluia. 

Gospel. John xv. 26, xvi. 1, 4. At that time : Jesus said 
to His disciples: When the Paraclete cometh, Whom I will 
send you from the Father, the-Spirit of truth, Who proceedeth 
from the Father, He shall give testimony of Ale ; and you shall 
give testimony, because you are with Me from the beginning. 
These things have I spoken to you, that you may not be 
scandalized. Thev will put you out of the synagogues; yea, 
the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that 
he doth a service to God. And these things will they do to 
you, because thev have not known the Father nor Me. But 
these things I have told you; that when the hour shall come, 
you mav remember that I told vou of them. 



Off. Benedictus sit Deus Blessed be God the Father, 
Pater unigenitusque Dei Fili- and the only-begotten Son of 



280 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 



sanctus quoque Spiritus; God, and also the Holy Spirit; 
quia fecit nobiscum miseri- because He has shown His 
cordiam suam. mercy to us. 

Sec. Sanctify, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, by 
the invocation of Thy holy name, the victim of this oblation; 
and through the same perfect us as an eternal offering to Thee. 

Comm. We bless the God of heaven, and we will give 
glory to Him in the sight of all that live: because He hath 
shown His mercy to us. 

P. Comm. May the receiving of this sacrament, O Lord 
our God, avail us to the salvation of body and soul: together 
with the confession of an everlasting Holy Trinity, and of the 
undivided Unity thereof. Through, etc. 

Mass of Thanksgiving. 

N.B. On any occasion of Thanksgiving, either the Votive Mass 
oj the Blessed Trinity, or that of the Holy Ghost, or of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, is said, with the addition of the following Collect, 
Secret, and Post-Communion. 

Coll. Deus, cujus. O God, Whose mercies are without 
number, and the treasure of Whose goodness is infinite, we 
give Thee thanks for the blessings Thou hast bestowed on us: 
always beseeching Thy divine Majesty, that as Thou grantest 
what we ask, so Thou wouldst continue Thy favors to us in 
such a manner that by them we may be prepared for receiving 
the rewards of eternal happiness. 

Secret. Receive, O Lord, this sacrifice of thanksgiving, 
and grant that those, whom Thou hast heard, and hitherto 
preserved, may hereafter be defended against all adversity, 
and that they may serve Thee and love Thee more and more. 

P. Comm. Deus, qui. O God, Who hast compassion on 
those who hope in Thee, and sufferest not that they shall be 
overwhelmed with afflictions; O Lord ever mercifully atten- 
tive to the petitions of the faithful: we give Thee thanks for 
having heard our prayers, and humbly beseech Thee that, 
by Thy favor, we may be delivered from all adversity. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 281 



/ifoonDag*— Votive dfcass of tbe 1bolE (Sboet* 

Dedicated to the Holy Ghost and to the Holy Souls in Purga- 
tory. 

Ordinary of the Mass. 

PROPER PARTS. 

Introit. ^PIRITUS f^HE Spirit of the Lord 

Domini re- hath rilled the whole 

plevit orbem terrarum, Alle- earth, Alleluia; and that 

luia; et hoc quod continet which containeth all things 

omnia, scientiam habet vocis, hath knowledge of the voice, 

Alleluia, Alleluia. Ps. Ex- Alleluia, Alleluia. Ps. Let 

urgat Deus, et dissipentur God arise, and let His enemies 

inimici ejus: et fugiant, qui be scattered: let them that 

oderunt eum, a facie ejus. V. hate Him flee from before 

Gloria. His face. V. Glory. 

Coll. Deus, qui. O God, Who by the light of the Holy 
Ghost, didst instruct the hearts of the faithful: grant, by the 
direction of the same Holy Spirit, that we may relish what is 
right, and always enjoy His consolation. Through, etc. 

Lesson. Acts viii. 14, 17. In those days: When the apostles 
who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria had received 
the word of God: they sent to them Peter and John. Who, 
when they were come, prayed for them, that they might re- 
ceive the Holy Ghcst. For He was not as yet come upon any 
of them: but they were only baptized in the name of the 
Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands upon them, and 
they received the Holy Ghost. 

Grad. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: the 
people whom the Lord hath chosen for His inheritance. 
By the word of the Lord the heavens were established: 
and all the power of them by the spirit of His mouth. 
Alleluia, Alleluia. V. (Here kneel.) Come, O Holy Ghost, 
fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle in them the fire of 
Thy love. Alleluia. 

After Septuagesima, instead of the foregoing Alleluia and V. 
is said the 

Tract. Ps. ciii. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall 
be created; and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. 



282 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 

V. O Lord, how good and how sweet is Thy Spirit 
within us. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy 
faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. 

In Paschal time, instead of the Gradual, is said: 
Alleluia, Alleluia. 

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created; and 
Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Alleluia. 

V. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful; 
and kindle in them the fire of Thy love. 

SEQUENCE (FOR PENTECOST). 

VEXI, Sancte Spiritus, *TC^ OLY Spirit! Lord of 
J-fc light! 

Et emitte ccelitus From Thy clear celestial height, 

Lucis tuae radium. Thy pure beaming radiance 

give. 



Veni, Pater pauperum, 
Veni, dator munerum, 
Veni, lumen cordium. 



Come, Thou Father of the 
poor! 

Come, with treasures which 
endure: 
Come, Thou light of all that 
live! 



Consolator optime, 
Dulcis hospes animae, 
Dulce refri^erium. 



Thou, of all consolers best, 
Visiting the troubled breast, 
Dost refreshing peace be- 
stow. 



In labore requies, 

In aestu temperies, 
In rletu solatium. 



Thou in toil art comfort 
sweet, 

Pleasant coolness in the heat; 
Solace in the midst of woe. 



O Lux beatissima 
Reple cordis intima 

Tuorum fidelium. 



Light immortal! Light divine! 
Visit Thou these hearts of 
Thine! 

And our inmost being fill: 



Sine tuo numine, 



If Thou take Thy grace away, 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 283 



Nihil est in homine, 
Nihil est innoxium. 

Lava quod est sordidum, 

Riga quod est aridum, 

Sana quod est saucium. 

Flecte quod est rigidum, 
Fove quod est frigidum, 
Rege quod est devium. 

Da tuis ndelibus 
In te confldentibus 
Sacrum septenarium. 

Da virtutis meritum, 
Da salutis exitum, 
Da perenne gaudium. 
Amen. Alleluia. 



Nothing pure in man will stay; 
All his good is turn'd to ill. 

Heal our wounds — our 

strength renew 
On our dryness pour Thy 

dew; 

Wash the stains of guilt 
away. 

Bend the stubborn heart and 
will; 

Melt the frozen, warm the 
chill; 

Guide the steps that go 
astray. 

Thou, on those who evermore 
Thee confess and Thee adore, 
In Thy sevenfold gifts de- 
scend: 

Give them comfort when they 
die, 

Give them life with Thee on 
high, 

Give them joys which never 
end. 

Amen. Alleluia. 



Gospel. John xiv. 23, 31. At that time: Jesus said to His 
disciples: If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My 
Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make 
Our abode with him: he that loveth Me not, keepeth not My 
words. And the word which you have heard is not Mine: 
but the Father's Who sent Me. These things have I spoken 
to you, abiding with you. But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, 
Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all 
things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall 
have said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give 
to you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let 



284 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 

not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. You have 
heard that I have said to you: I go away, and I come again 
to you. If you loved Me, you would indeed be glad, because 
I go to the Father: for the Father is greater than I. And 
now I have told you before it come to pass : that when it shall 
come to pass, you may believe. I will not now speak many 
things with you. For the prince of this world cometh, and 
in Me he hath not anything. But that the world may know 
that I love the Father: and as the Father hath given Me 
commandment, so do I. 

Offert. Ps. lxvii. Confirm, O God, what Thou hast 
wrought in us, from Thy holy temple which is in Jerusalem: 
kings shall offer presents to Thee. Alleluia. 

Secret. Sanctify, we beseech Thee, O Lord, these obla- 
tions, and purify our hearts by the light of the Holy Ghost. 
Through, etc. 

Comm. Acts ii. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, 
as of a mighty wind coming where they were sitting, Alleluia: 
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and published 
the wonderful works of God. Alleluia. 

P. Comm. May the pouring forth of the Holy Ghost into 
our hearts, cleanse them, O Lord, and render them fruitful 
by the dew of His grace. Through, etc. 

Mass for the Holy Souls in Purgatory on page 982, after 
the Burial Service. 

XLueebay— /Ifeaes of tbe 1bol£ Bngels* 

Ordinary of the Mass. 

PROPER PARTS. 



Introit. *-r> ENEDI- 
43 CITE 
Dominum omnes angeli ejus: 
potentes virtute qui facitis 
verbum ejus, ad audiendam 
vocem sermonum ejus. Alle- 
luia. Alleluia. Ps. cii. Bene- 
dic anima mea Domino: et 
omnia quae intra me sunt, 
nomini sancto ejus. 



BLESS the Lord all ye 
His angels: you that 
are mighty in strength, and 
execute His word, hearken- 
ing to the voice of His orders. 
Alleluia. Alleluia. Bless the 
Lord, O my soul: and let all 
that is within me bless His 
holy name. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 285 



Coll. Deus qui miro. O God, Who disposest the ser- 
vices of angels and men in a wonderful order; mercifully 
grant that those who ever stand before Thee, ministering to 
Thee in heaven, may also protect our life here upon earth. 

Less. Apoc. v. 11-14. Audivi vocem angelorum. — And I 
beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about 
the throne, and the living creatures and the ancients: and 
the number of them was thousands of thousands, saying 
with a loud voice : The Lamb that was slain is worthy to re- 
ceive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and 
honor, and glory, and benediction. And every creature, 
which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, 
and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them: I heard 
all saying: To Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the 
Lamb, benediction and honor and glory and power for ever 
and ever. And the four living creatures said: Amen. And 
the four-and-twenty ancients fell down on their faces: and 
adored Him that liveth for ever and ever. 



Grad. Ps. cxlviii. Lau- 
date Dominum de ccelis: 
laudate eum in excelsis. V. 
Laudate eum omnes angeli 
ejus: laudate eum omnes 
virtutes ejus. Alleluia. Alle- 
luia. V. Ps. cxxxvii. In 
conspectu angelorum psallam 
tibi: adorabo ad templum 
sanctum tuum, et confitebor 
nomini tuo. Alleluia. 



Praise ye the Lord from 
the heavens: praise ye Him 
from the high places. Praise 
ye Him, all His angels: 
praise ye Him, all His hosts. 
Alleluia. Alleluia. I will 
sing praise to Thee in the 
sight of the angels: I will 
worship toward Thy holy 
temple, and I will give glory 
to Thy name. Alleluia. 



After Septuagesima, Alleluia and V. are omitted, and the fol- 
lowing is said: 



Tract. Ps. cii. Bene- 
dicite Dominum omnes an- 
geli ejus: potentes virtute, 
qui facitis verbum ejus. V. 
Benedicite Domino • omnes 
virtutes ejus: ministri ejus, 
qui facitis voluntatem ejus. 
V. Benedicite Domino om- 



Bless the Lord, all ye His 
angels: ye that are mighty 
in strength, and execute His 
word, hearkening to the voice 
of His orders. Bless the 
Lord, all ye His hosts: ye 
ministers of His that do His 
will. Bless the Lord, all His 



286 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 



nia opera ejus: in omni loco works: in every place of His 
dominationis ejus, benedic dominion, O my soul, bless 
anima mea Domino. thou the Lord. 



In Paschal time, instead 
Alleluia, alleluia. V. In con- 
spectu angelorum psallam 
tibi: adorabo ad templum 
sanctum tuum, et confitebor 
nomini tuo. Alleluia. V. 
Matt, xxviii. Angelus Do- 
mini descendit de ccelo, et 
accedens revolvit lapidem, 
et sedebat super eum. Alle- 
luia. 



of the Gradual is said : 

Alleluia, alleluia. I will 
sing praise to Thee, in the 
sight of the angels: I will 
worship toward Thy holy 
temple, and will give glory 
to Thy name. Alleluia. An 
angel of the Lord descended 
from heaven: and coming, 
rolled back the stone, and 
sat upon it. Alleluia. 



Gosp. John i. 47-51. Vidit Jesus Nathanael venientem. — 
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and He saith of him; 
Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile. Na- 
thanael saith to Him: Whence knowest Thou me? Jesus 
answered, and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, 
when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee. Nathanael 
answered Him, and said: Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, 
Thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered, and said to him: 
Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, 
thou believest: greater things than these shalt thou see. 
And He saith to him. Amen, amen, I say to you, you shall 
see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending 
and descending upon the Son of man. 



Off. Stetit angelus juxta 
aram templi, habens thuri- 
bulum aureum in manu sua; 
et data sunt ei incensa multa: 
et ascendit fumus aromatum 
in conspectu Dei. Alleluia. 



An angel stood near the 
altar of the temple, having 
a golden censer in his hand; 
and there was given to him 
much incense : and the smoke 
of the perfume ascended be- 
fore God. Alleluia. 



Sec. We offer to Thee, O Lord, the sacrifices of praise, 
humbly beseeching Thee that by the suffrages of angels in our 
behalf, Thou wouldst graciously accept them, and grant 
that they may conduce to our salvation. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 287 



Comm. Angeli, archangeli, Angels, archangels, 

throni et dominationes, thrones and dominations, 

principatus et potestates, vir- principalities and powers, 

tutes ccelorum, cherubim at- the virtues of the heavens, 

que seraphim Dominum be- cherubim and seraphim, 

nedicite in aeternum. bless ye the Lord for ever. 

P. Comm. Being replenished, O Lord, with heavenly bene- 
diction, we suppliantly beseech Thee, that, by the aid of the 
holy angels and archangels, what we celebrate by our un- 
worthy office may be conducive to our salvation. 

TOeDneaDag*— Motive /Ifcass of QU ;josepb* 

Ordinary of the Mass. 

PROPER PARTS. 
INTROIT. 'TTpDJUTOR /£* HE Lord is 0Ur hel P er 

fV ^J-» etprotec- and protector: in Him 

tor noster est Dominus: in eo our heart shall rejoice, and 

laetabitur cor nostrum, et in in His holy name we have 

nomine sancto ejus speravi- trusted. Alleluia, alleluia, 

mus. Alleluia, alleluia. (Ps. Give ear, O Thou that rulest 

ixxxii.) Ps. lxxix. Qui regis Israel: Thou that leadest 

Israel intende: qui deducis Joseph like a sheep, 
velut vem Joseph. 

Coll. Deus qui. O God, Who by Thy unspeakable provi- 
dence, didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be the 
spouse of Thy most holy Mother; grant that, as we venerate 
him for our protector on earth, we may deserve to be aided 
by his intercession in heaven. 

Epistle. Gen. xlix. Joseph is a growing son, and comely 
to behold; the daughters run to and fro upon the wall. But 
they that held darts provoked him, and quarrelled with him, 
and envied him; his bow rested upon the strong, and the 
bands of his arms and his hands were loosed by the hands 
of the mighty One of Jacob: thence he came forth a pastor, 
the stone of Israel. The God of thy father shall be thy 
helper, and the Almighty shall bless thee with the blessings 
of heaven above, with the blessings of the deep that lieth 
beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 



288 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week, 



The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the blessings 
of his fathers until the desire of the everlasting hills shall 
come. May they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon 
the crown of the Nazarite among His brethren. 



Gead. Domine praevenisti 
eum in benedictionibus dulce- 
dinis: posuisti in capite ejus 
coronam de lapide pretioso. 
V. Vitam petiit a te, et tri- 
buisti ei longitudinem dierum 
in saeculum saeculi. Alleluia. 
Alleluia. V. Fac nos innocu- 
am, Joseph, decurrere vitam: 
sitque tuo semper tuta patroci- 
nio. Alleluia. 



O Lord, Thou hast pre- 
vented him with blessings of 
sweetness; Thou hast set on 
his head a crown of pre- 
cious stones. V. He asked life 
of Thee, and Thou hast given 
him length of days for ever and 
ever. Alleluia. Alleluia. V. 
Obtain for us, O Joseph, that 
we may lead an innocent life; 
and may it ever be safe through 
thy patronage. Alleluia. 



After Septuagesima. 



Tract. Beatus vir qui ti- 
met Dominum: in mandatis 
ejus cupit nimis. Potens in 
terra erit semen ejus, ge- 
neratio rectorum benedicetur. 
Gloria, et divitiae in domo 
ejus, et justitia ejus manet in 
saeculum saeculi. 



Blessed is the man that 
feareth the Lord; he delights 
exceedingly in His command- 
ments. His seed shall be 
mighty upon the earth; the 
generation of the righteous 
shall be blessed. Glory and 
wealth shall be in his house; 
and his justice remaineth for 
ever and ever. 



Gospel. Luke iii. At that time: It came to pass, when 
all the people were baptized, that Jesus, also being baptized 
and praying, heaven was opened: and the Holy Ghost de- 
scended in a bodily shape as a dove upon Him; and a voice 
came from heaven: Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am 
well pleased. And Jesus Himself was beginning about the 
age of thirty years, being, as it was supposed, the son of Joseph. 

Offert. Ps. cxlvii. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem, be- 
cause He hath strengthened the bolts of thy gates: He hath 
blessed thy children within thee. 

Sec. Supported by the patronage of the spouse of Thy 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 289 

most holy Mother, we beseech Thy clemency, O Lord, that 
Thou wouldst make our hearts despise all earthly things, 
and love Thee, the true God, with perfect charity. 

Comm. Matt. i. Jacob au- But Jacob begat Joseph, 

tern genuit Joseph virum the husband of Mary, of 

Mariae, de qua natus est whom was born Jesus, Who is 

Jesus, qui vocatur Christus. called Christ. 

P. Comm. Divini. Refreshed at the fountain of divine 
blessing, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that as Thou 
makest us rejoice in the protection of blessed Joseph, so by 
his merits and intercession Thou wouldst make us partakers 
of celestial glory. 

Spiritual Communion. 

S~\ JESUS, my divine Saviour, like a meek and gentle 
lamb Thou didst offer Thyself upon the cross as 
a sacrifice for the whole world, and in Thine own most 
precious blood didst wash away our sins. On our altars 
Thou dost renew the sacrifice of the cross, and givest 
Thyself, moreover, to us as the food of our souls. I 
may not now receive Thee really in the Blessed Sac- 
rament, but my soul sighs and longs for Thee, and 
therefore I beseech Thee in Thy love and mercy to 
unite Thyself to me, at least in a spiritual manner. 
Thou didst condescend to heal so many, when they but 
touched the hem of Thy garment. Permit me now, 
good Master, gentle Saviour, to touch Thee in spirit 
and with confidence that my poor soul may be freed 
from all its ills. Come to me, Jesus, come, and re- 
main with me always; let me nevermore be separated 
from Thee by sin! I thank Thee for all Thy graces 
and blessings. I love Thee above all things and with 
my whole heart. Bless me, that I may persevere in Thy 
service to the end of my life. 

Dear St. Joseph! how great, how innumerable were 
the graces wiiich thou didst receive, when the divine 
Child dwelt under thy roof ! How inexpressible was the 
happiness of thy heart, when thou didst carry Him in 



290 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 



thy arms! Pray for me, holy foster-father of Jesus, my 
Saviour, that this spiritual communion may be most 
salutary to me, that the strength of the Most Holy Sac- 
rament may be my support in all the trials and tempta- 
tions of life, that it may strengthen me in all good, and 
help me to win the crown of eternal glory. 

SburaDa^— /Ifcass of tbe MeeseD Sacrament.* 

Ordinary of the Mass. 

PROPER PARTS. 

Introit. ^NlBAVITeos E fed them with the fat of 

ex adipe «-L& wheat, Alleluia; and 

frumenti, Alleluia; et de petra filled them with honey out of 

melle saturavit eos. Alleluia, the rock. Alleluia, Alleluia, 

Alleluia. Ps. lxxx. Exultate Alleluia. Rejoice to God our 

Deo adjutori nostro; jubilate Helper; sing aloud to the God 

Deo Jacob. of Jacob. 

Coll. Deus qui. O God, Who under a wonderful Sacra- 
ment hast left us a memorial of Thy Passion; grant us the 
grace, we beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of 
Thy body and blood, that we may ever feel within us the fruit 
of Thy redemption. 

Epist. 1 Cor. xi. 23-29. Fr. ego enim. — Brethren, I have 
received of the Lord, that which also I have delivered to you, 
that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, 
took bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said, Take ye, and 
eat; this is My body which shall be delivered for you; this 
do for the commemoration of Me. In like manner also the 
chalice, after He had supped, saying, This chalice is the new 
testament in My blood; this do ye, as often as you shall 
drink, for the commemoration of Me. For as often as you 
shall eat this bread, and drink this chalice, you shall show 
the death of the Lord until He come. Therefore, whosoever 
shall eat this bread, or drink of the chalice of the Lord un- 
worthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the 
Lord. But let a man prove himself; and so let him eat of 
that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth 

* For Mass of the Sacred Heart, see "Mass in Union with the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus" page 331. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 291 



and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to 
himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. 



Grad. Ps. cxliv. Oculi 
omnium in te sperant Domine, 
et tu das illis escam in tem- 
pore opportuno. V. Aperis 
tu manum tuam, et imples 
omne animal benedictione. 
Alleluia, Alleluia. V. Caro 
mea vere est cibus, et sanguis 
meus vere est potus: qui 
manducat meam carnem et 
bibit meum sanguinem, in 
me manet, et ego in eo. 



The eyes of all hope in 
Thee, O Lord, and Thou 
givest them meat in due sea- 
son. V. Thou openest Thy 
hand, and fillest every living 
creature with Thy blessing. 
Alleluia, Alleluia. V. My flesh 
is meat indeed, and My blood 
is drink indeed: he that 
eateth My flesh and drinketh 
My blood, abideth in Me, 
and I in him. 



After Septuagesima Alleluia and V. in the Grad. are omitted r 
and the following Tract is said: 



Tract. Mai. 1. Ab ortu 
solis usque ad occasum, mag- 
num est nomen meum in 
Gentibus. V. Et in omni 
loco sacrificatur, et offertur 
nomini meo oblatio munda: 
quia magnum est nomen me- 
um in Gentibus. V. Prov. 
IX. Venite, comedite panem 
meum: et bibite vinum, quod 
miscui vobis. 

In Paschal time, instead 

Alleluia, Alleluia. V. Luc. 
xxiv. Cognoverunt discipuli 
Dominum Jesum fractione 
panis. Alleluia. V. Caro mea 
vere est cibus, et sanguis meus 
vere est potus: qui manducat 
meum carnem, et bibit meum 
sanguinem, in me manet et 
ego in eo. Alleluia. 



From the rising of the sun, 
even to the going down, My 
name is great among the 
Gentiles. And in every place 
there is sacrifice, and there is 
offered to My name a clean 
offering: for My name is 
great among the Gentiles. 
Come, eat My bread, and 
drink the wine which I have 
mingled for you. 

of the Grad. is said : 

Alleluia, Alleluia. The dis- 
ciples knew the Lord Jesus in 
the breaking of bread. Alle- 
luia. My flesh is meat indeed, 
and My blood is drink indeed: 
he that eateth My flesh, and 
drinketh My blood, abideth 
in Me and I in him. Alleluia. 



292 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 

* Gosp. John vi. 56-59. In illo Caro mea. — At that time, 
Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: My flesh is meat 
indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My 
flesh, and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him. 
As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father, 
so he that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me: This 
is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your 
fathers did eat manna and are dead. He that eateth this 
bread shall live for ever. 

Off. Lev. xxi. Sacerdotes The priests of the Lord 

Domini incensum et panes offer incense and loaves to 

ofTerunt Deo, et ideo sancti God, and therefore they shall 

erunt Deo suo, et non pollu- be holy to their God, and shall 

ent nomen ejus. Alleluia. not defile His name. Alleluia. 

Sec. We beseech Thee, O Lord, mercifully to grant to Thy 
Church the gifts of unity and peace, which are mystically 
designated under the gifts we offer. 

Preface. Quia per incarnati, as in Ordinary. 



Comm. i Cor. xi. Quo- 
tiescumque manducabitis pa- 
nem hunc, et calicem bibetis, 
mortem Domini annuntiabi- 
tis donee veniat: itaque qui- 
cumque manducaverit panem, 
vel biberit calicem Domini 
indigne, reus erit corporis et 
sanguinis Domini. Alleluia. 



As often as ye shall eat 
this bread, and drink the 
chalice, ye shall show forth 
the death of the Lord, until 
He come: therefore whoso- 
ever shall eat this bread or 
drink the chalice of the Lord 
unworthily, shall be guilty of 
the body and blood of the 
Lord. Alleluia, 



P. Comm. Fac nos. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, 
that we may be filled with the everlasting fruition of Thy 
divinity, which is prefigured by the temporal reception of Thy 
precious body and blood. 



* On the Feast of u Corpus Christi" is recited, before the 
Gospel, the Sequence: "Lauda Sion." It is appended at the end 
of this Mass. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 293 



SEQUENCE. 



•j^AUDA Sion Salvatorem, 

Lauda Ducem et Pastorem, 

In hymnis et canticis. 

Quantum potes, tantum aude : 

Quia major omni laude, 
Xec laudare sumcis. 



Laudis thema specialis, 
Panis vivus et vitalis 

Hodie proponitur 

Quern in sacrae mensa ccenae 

Turbae fratrum duodenae 
Datum non ambigitur. 

Sit laus plena, sit senora, 

Sit jucunda, sit decora 

Mentis jubilatio. 
Dies enim solemnis agitur, 
In qua mensae prima recolitur 

Hujus institutio. 

In hac mensa novi Regis 
Novum pascha novae legis 

Phase vetus terminat. 
Vetustatem novitas, 

Umbram fugat Veritas, 
Noctem lux eliminat. 




ION, lift thy voice and 
sing; 



Praise thy Saviour and thy 
King ;> 

Praise with hymns thy Shep- 
herd true: 
Strive thy best to praise Him 
well, 

Yet doth He all praise excel: 
None can ever reach His 
due. 

See to-day before us laid 
The living and life-giving 
bread! 

Theme for praise and joy 
profound! 
The same which at the sacred 
board 

Was, by our incarnate Lord,- 
Giv'n to His apostles round.. 

Let the praise be loud and 
high: 

Sweet and tranquil be the joy 
Felt to-day in every breast, 
On this festival divine, 
Which records the origin 
Of the glorious Eucharist. 

On this table of the King, 
Our new paschal offering 

Brings to end the olden rite. 
Here, for empty shadows 
fled, 

Is Reality instead; 

Here, instead of darkness, 
light. 



294 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 



Quod in ccena Christus gessit, 
Faciendum hoc expressit 

In sui memoriam. 
Docti sacris institutis, 

Panem, vinum in salutis 
Consecramus hostium. 



Dogma datur Christianis 

Quod in carnem transit panis 

Et vinum in sanguinem. 

Quod non capis, quod non 
vides, 

Animosa flrmat fides, 
Praeter rerum ordinem. 



Sub diversis speciebus, 

Signis tantum et non rebus, 

Latent res eximiae. 

Caro cibus, sanguis potusi. 

Manet tamen Christus totur 
Sub utraque specie. 

A sumente non concisus, 
Non confractus, non divisus, 
Integer accipitur. 

Sumit unus, sumunt mille! 
Quantum iste, tantum ille: 
Nec sumptus consumitur. 



His own act, at supper seated, 
Christ ordain' d to be repeated, 

In His memory divine; 
Wherefore now, with adora- 
tion, 

We the Host of our salvation 
Consecrate from bread and 
wine. 

Hear what holy Church main- 
taineth, 

That the bread its substance 
changeth 
Into flesh, the wine to 
blood. 

Doth it pass thy comprehend- 

Faith, the law of sight tran- 
scending 
Leaps to things not under- 
stood. 

Here beneath these signs are 
hidden 

Priceless things, to sense for- 
bidden. 
Signs, not things, are all we 

see: 

Flesh from bread, and blood 

from wine. 
Yet is Christ in either sign, 
All entire, confessed to be. 

They too / who of Him partake 
Sever not, nor rend, nor break; 
But, entire, their Lord re- 
ceive. 

Whether one or thousands eat, 
All receive the self -same meat, 
Nor the less for others 
leave. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week, 



2 95 



Sumunt boni, sumunt mali: 
Sorte tamen inaequali, 

Vitae, vel interitus. 
Mors est malis, vita bonis: 

Vide paris sumptionis 
Quam sit dispar exitus. 



Both the wicked and the good 
Eat of this celestial food; 

But with ends how opposite ! 
Here 'tis life; and there 'tis 
death; 

The same, yet issuing to each 
In a difference infinite. 



Fracto demum Sacramento, 
Ne vacilles, sed memento, 

Tantum esse sub fragmento, 
Quantum toto tegitur. 

Nulla rei fit scissura, 
Signi tantum fit fractura, 

Qua nec status, nec statura 
Signati minuitur. 



Nor a single doubt retain, 
When they break the Host in 
twain, 

But that in each part remains 
What w^as in the whole 
before ; 

Since the simple sign alone 
Suffers change in state or 
form, 

The signified remaining one 
And the same for evermore. 



Ecce panis angelorum, 
Factus cibus viatorum: 

Vere panis filiorum, 

Non mittendus canibus, 

In figuris praesignatur, 

Cum Isaac immolatur: 
Agnus paschae deputatur 
Datur manna patribus. 



Lo! upon the altar lies, 
Hidden deep from human 

eyes, 

Bread of angels from the skies, 
Made the food of mortal 
man: 

Children's meat to dogs de- 
nied; 

In old types resignified; 
In the manna heaven-supplied 
Isaac, and the paschal lamb. 



Bono pastor, panis vere, 
Jesu nostri miserere: 
Tu nos pasce, nos tuere: 

Tu nos bona fac videre 

In terra viventium. 
Tu, qui cuncta scis et vales, 
Qui nos pascis hie mortales 



Jesu! Shepherd of the sheep! 
Thou Thy flock in safety keep. 
Living bread! Thy life sup- 

Strengthen us, or else we die; 

Fill us with celestial grace: 
Thou, Who feedest us below! 
Source of all we have or know! 



296 Mass Devotions /or Each Day in the Week. 



Tuos ibi commensales, Grant that with Thy saints 

above, 

Coheredes, et sodales, Sitting at the feast of love, 

Fac sanctorum civium. We may see Thee face to 

Amen. face. ' Amen. 

Mass oj the Sacred Heart. See p. 331. 

ffri^ap.— Votive /Ifcass of tbe fl>as5totu 

Ordinary of the Mass. 

PROPER PARTS. 

Ixtroit. ^p^UMILIAVIT f£THE Lord Jesus Christ 
semetipsum V^J humbled Himself unto 
Dominus Jesus Christus us- death, even the death of the 
que ad mortem, mortem au- cross; wherefore God also 
tern crucis; propter quod et hath exalted Him, and hath 
Deus exaltavit ilium, et dona- given Him a name which is 
vit illi nomen, quod est super above every name. The mer- 
omne nomen. (Phil, ii.) Ps. cies of the Lord I will sing 
lxxxviii. Misericordias Do- for ever: to generation and 
mini in aeternum cantabo: generation, 
in generationem et genera- 
tionem. 

Coll. O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst descend from 
heaven, from the bosom of the Father, and didst shed Thy 
precious blood for the remission of our sins, we humbly be- 
seech Thee that, placed at Thy right hand in the day of judg- 
ment, we may be found worthy to hear these words: Come, ye 
blessed. Amen. 

Less. Zach. xii. 10, xiii. 6-7. Hcec dicit Don. Efjundam. — 
Thus saith the Lord: I will pour out upon the house of 
David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of 
grace, and of prayers: and they shall look upon Me, Whom 
they have pierced: and they shall mourn for Him as one 
mourneth for an only son, and they shall grieve over Him as 
the manner is to grieve for the death of the first-born. In 
that day there shall be a great lamentation in Jerusalem, and 
it shall be said: What are these wounds in the midst of Thy 
hands? And He shall say: With these I was wounded in 
the house of them that loved Me. Awake, O sword, against 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 297 



My shepherd, and against the man that cleaveth to Me, saith 
the Lord of hosts: strike the. shepherd, and the sheep shall be 
scattered, saith the Lord almighty. 



Grad. Ps. lxviii. Impro- 
perium expectavit cor meum 
et miseriam: et sustinui, qui 
simul mecum contristaretur, 
et non fuit: consolantem 
me quaesivi, et non inveni. 
V. Dederunt in escam me- 
am fel, et in siti mea potave- 
runt me aceto. Alleluia, Alle- 
luia. V. Ave Rex noster: tu 
solus nostros es miseratus 
errores: Patri obediens, duc- 
tus es ad crucifigendum, ut 
agnus mansuetus ad occi- 
sionem. Alleluia. 



Tract. Is. liii. Vere lan- 
guores nostros ipse tulit, et 
dolores nostros ipse porta vit. 
V. Et nos putavimus eum 
quasi leprosum, et percus- 
sum a Deo et humiliatum. 
V. Ipse autem vulneratus est 
propter iniquitates nostras, 
attritus est propter scelera 
nostra. V. Disciplina pacis 
nostrae super eum: et livore 
ejus sanati sumus. 



My heart hath expected re- 
proach and misery: and I 
looked for one that would 
grieve together with Me, and 
there was none: I sought one 
that would comfort Me, and I 
found none. V. They gave 
Me gall for My food, and in 
My thirst they gave Me vinegar 
to drink. Alleluia, Alleluia. 
V. Hail, Thou, our King: 
Thou alone hast had compas- 
sion on our errors : obedient to 
the Father, Thou wert led 
to be crucified, like a meek 
lamb to the slaughter. Alle- 
luia. 

Surely He hath borne our 
infirmities, and carried our 
sorrows. V. And we have 
thought Him as it were a 
leper, and as one struck by 
God and afflicted. V. But 
He was wounded for our 
iniquities, He was bruised 
for our sins. V. The chas- 
tisement of our peace was 
upon Him: and by His 
bruises we are healed. 



In Paschal time instead 0} the Gradual is said: 



Alleluia, Alleluia. V, Ave 
Rex noster: tu solus nostros es 
miseratus errores: Patri obe- 
diens, ductus es ad crucifigen- 
dum, ut agnus mansuetus 
ad occisionem. Alleluia. V. 



Alleluia, Alleluia. V. Hail, 
Thou, our King: Thou alone 
hast compassion on our errors : 
obedient to the Father, Thou 
wert led to be crucified, like 
a meek lamb to the slaughter. 



298 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 

Tibi gloria, hosanna: tibi Alleluia. V. To Thee be 
triumphus et victoria: tibi glory, hosanna: to Thee be 
summae laudis et honoris triumph and victory: to- Thee 
corona. Alleluia. a crown of highest praise 

and honor. Alleluia. 

Gosp. John xix. 28-35. In Mo, — sciens Jesus. — At that 
time: Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished 
that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. Now 
there was a vessel set there full of vinegar. And they put- 
ting a sponge full of vinegar about hyssop, put it to His 
mouth. Jesus therefore when He had taken the vinegar, 
said: It is consummated. And bowing His head, He gave 
up the ghost. Then the Jews (because it was the parasceve), 
that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the Sab- 
bath-day (for that was a great Sabbath-day), besought Pilate 
that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken 
away. The soldiers, therefore, came: and they broke the 
legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. 
But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that He 
was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of 
the soldiers with a spear opened His side, and immediately 
there came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath 
given testimony, and his testimony is true. 

Off. Insurrexerunt in me Wicked men rose up 

viri iniqui: absque miseri- against Me: without mercy 

cordia quaesierunt me inter- they sought to kill Me: and 

ficere: et non pepercerunt in they did not spare to spit in 

faciem meam spuere: lanceis My face: they wounded Me 

suis vulneraverunt me, et con- with their spears, and all My 

cussa sunt omnia ossa mea. bones were shaken. 

Sec. May the sacrifice offered to Thee, O Lord, through 
the Passion of Thy ofily-begotten Son interceding for us, 
ever enliven and defend us. 

Preface. Qui salutem, as in Ordinary. 

Comm. Ps. xxi. Foderunt They have pierced My 

manus- meas et pedes meos: hands and My feet; they have 

dinumeraverunt omnia ossa numbered all My bones, 
mea. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 299 



P. Comm. Domine Jesu. O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the 
living God, Who at the sixth hour didst ascend the tree of the 
cross for the redemption of the world, and didst shed Thy 
precious blood for the remission of our sins; we humbly be- 
seech Thee, grant that after our death we may joyfully enter 
the gates of paradise. 

Saturday— Motive /Ifoasa of tbe ITmmacuiate Concep- 
tion of tbe 36lessefc liMrgtn /lfoat£. 

Ordinary of the Mass. 

PROPER PARTS. 



Introit. /^(AUDENS 

gaudebo in 
Domino, et exultabit anima 
mea in Deo meo: quia in- 
duit me vestimentis salu- 
tis; et indumento justitiae 
circumdedit me, quasi spon- 
sam ornatam monilibus 
suis. (Is. lxi.) Ps. xxix. Ex- 
altabo te, Domine, quo- 
niam suscepisti me: nec 
delectasti inimicos meos 
super me. 



I WILL greatly rejoice 
in the Lord, and my 
soul shall be joyful in my 
God; for He hath clothed me 
with the garments of salva- 
tion, and with the robe of 
justice hath He covered me, 
as a bride adorned with her 
jewels. I will exalt Thee, O 
Lord; for Thou hast upheld 
me, and hath not made my 
enemies to rejoice over me. 



Coll. Dens qui. O God, who, by the Immaculate Con- 
ception of the Virgin, didst prepare a worthy habitation 
for Thy Son; we beseech Thee that, as by the foreseen 
death of this Thy Son, Thou didst preserve her from all 
stain of sin, so Thou wouldst enable us, being made pure 
by her intercession, to come unto Thee. 

Less. Prov. viii. 22-35. Dominus possedit. — The Lord 
possessed me in the beginning of His ways, before He made 
anything, from the beginning. I was set up from eternity, 
and of old, before the earth was made. The depths were 
not as yet, and I was already conceived; neither had the 
fountains of waters as yet sprung out; the mountains with 
their huge bulk had not as yet been established: before the 



300 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 



hills I was brought forth; He had not yet made the earth, 
nor the rivers, nor the poles of the world. When He pre- 
pared the heavens, I was present: when, with a certain law 
and compass, He enclosed the depths; when He established 
the sky above, and poised the fountains of waters; when He 
compassed the sea with its bounds, and set a law to the 
waters that they should not pass their limits; when He bal- 
anced the foundations of the earth; I was with Him, form- 
ing all things, and was delighted every day, playing before 
Him at all times, playing in the world: and my delights 
were to be with the children of men. Now, therefore, ye 
children, hear me: blessed are they that keep my ways. 
Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed 
is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my 
gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors. He that shall 
find me shall find life, and shall have salvation from the 
Lord. 



Grad. Benedicta es tu 
Virgo Maria a Domino Deo 
excelso prae omnibus mulieri- 
bus super terram. V. Tu 
gloria Jerusalem tu laetitia 
Israel, tu honorificentia popu- 
li nostri. Alleluia, Alleluia. 
V. Tota pulchra es, Maria, 
et macula originalis non est 
in te. Alleluia. 



O Virgin Mary, blessed art 
thou of the Lord most high, 
above all the women of the 
earth. V. Thou art the glory 
of Jerusalem, thou art the 
joy of Israel, thou art the 
honor of our people. Alle- 
luia, Alleluia. V. Thou art 
all fair, O Mary, and the 
original stain of sin is not in 
thee. Alleluia. 



After Septuagesima the Alleluia and V. are omitted, and the 
following is said : 



Tract. Fundamenta ejus 
in montibus Sanctis: diligit 
Dominus portas Sion super 
omnia tabernacula Jacob. V. 
Gloriosa dicta sunt de te, 
CivitasDei. V. Homo natus 
est in ea, et ipse fundavit earn 
Altissimus. 



Her foundations are on the 
holy mountains: the Lord 
loveth the gates of Sion more 
than all the dwellings of Jacob. 
V. Glorious things are said of 
thee, thou City of God. V. 
A man shall be born in her, 
and the Most High Himself 
hath established her. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 301 



In Paschal time, instead 0} the Gradual the following is said: 

Alleluia. Alleluia. V. Tu Alleluia. Alleluia. Thou 

gloria Jerusalem, tu laetitia art the glory of Jerusalem, 

Israel, tu honorincentia po- thou art the joy of Israel, 

puli nostri. Alleluia. V. thou art the honor of our 

Tota pulchra es, Maria, et people. Alleluia. Alleluia, 

macula originalis non est in Thou art all fair, O Mary, 

te. Alleluia. and the original stain of sin 

is not in thee. Alleluia. 

Gosp. Luke i. 26-28. In illo tempore missus est angelus. 
— At that time, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city 
of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man 
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the vir- 
gin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said 
unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed 
art thou among women. 

Off. Ave Maria, gratia Hail, Mary, full of grace; 

plena; Dominus tecum: be- the Lord is with thee : blessed 

nedicta tu in mulieribus. art thou among women. 

Alleluia. Alleluia. 

Sec. Receive, O Lord, the saving Host which we offer to 
Thee in the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary; and grant that as we profit by that pre- 
venting grace which freed her from all stain of sin, so by her 
intercession we may be delivered from all our sins. 

Preface. Et te in Conceptione Immaculata. Ordinary. 

Comm. Gloriosa dicta sunt Glorious things are said of 
de te, Maria, quia fecit tibi thee, O Mary; for He that is 
magna qui potens est. mighty hath done for thee 

great things. 

P.-Comm. Sacramenta. May the sacraments we have re- 
ceived, O Lord our God, repair in us the wounds of that 
sin, from which thou didst singularly preserve the Im 
maculate Conception of blessed Mary. 



302 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 
/llbase of tbe Seven Colors of tbe JBlesseD Vngirx 

(For Passion Week and for Days of Special Devotion to Our 
Lady of Sorrows.) 

Ordinary of the Mass. 

PROPER PARTS. 



Introit. ^ TAB ANT 
juxta cru- 
cem Jesu, mater ejus, et soror 
matris ejus Maria Cleophae, 
et Salome, et Maria Mag- 
dalene (John xix.j. V. Mu- 
lier, ecce films tuus, dixit 
Jesus; ad discipulum autem, 
Ecce mater tua. 



HERE stood by the cross 
of Jesus, His Mother, 
and His Mother's sister, Mary 
of Cleophas, and Salome, and 
Mary Magdalen. Woman, 
behold thy son, said Jesus; 
and to the disciple, Behold 
thy Mother. 



Coll. Deus in cujus. O God, at Whose Passion, accord- 
ing to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of sorrow did pierce 
through the most sweet soul of the glorious Virgin and 
Mother Mary; mercifully grant, that we, who devoutly cele- 
brate her transfixion and suffering, may, through the media- 
tion of the glorious merits and prayers of all the saints who 
faithfully stand beneath Thy cross, obtain the blessed fruit of 
Thy Passion. 

Lesson. Judith xiii. 22-25. The Lord hath blessed thee 
by His power, because by thee He hath brought our enemies 
to naught. Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord, the 
most high God, above all women upon the earth. Blessed 
be the Lord Who made heaven and earth: because He hath 
so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not 
depart out of the mouth of men, who shall be mindful of the 
power of the Lord for ever; for that thou hast not spared thy 
life, by reason of the distress and' tribulation of thy people, 
but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God. 

Grad. Dolorosa et lacry- Sorrowful and sad art thou, 

mabilis es virgo Maria, stans O Virgin Mary, standing by 

juxta crucem Domini Jesu the cross of the Lord Jesus, 

Filii tui Redemptoris. thy Son, Our Redeemer. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 303 



Tract. Stabat sancta 
Maria, coeli Regina, et mundi 
domina, juxta crucem Do- 
mini nostri Jesu Christi do- 
lorosa. V. Lam. 1. O vos 
omnes, qui transitis per viam, 
attendite et videte si est dolor, 
sicut dolor meus. 



Holy Alary, the Queen of 
heaven, and Mistress of the 
world, stood by the cross 
of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
full of sadness. V. O all 
you that pass by the way, 
attend and see if there be 
sorrow like to my sorrow. 



TABAT Mater dolorosa, 

Juxta crucem lacrymosa, 

Dum pendebat Filius. 
Cujus animam gementem, 

Contristatam, et dolentem, 
Pertransivit gladius. 



:nce. 

T the cross her station 
keeping, 
Stood the mournful Mother 
weeping, 
Close to Jesus to the last: 
Through her heart, His sor- 
row sharing, 
All His bitter anguish bearing, 
Now at length the sword 
had passed. 



6 




O quam tristis et afflicta 

Fuit ilia benedicta 
Mater Unigenitil 
Quae mcerebat, et dolebat, 
Pia Mater dum videbat 

Nati pcenas inclyti. 



Oh, how sad and sore dis- 
tressed 

Was that Mother highly blest 

Of the sole-begotten One I 
Christ above in torment hangs, 
She beneath beholds the 
pangs 

Of her dying, glorious Son. 



Quis est homo, qui non fleret 

Matrem Christi si videret 
In tanto supplicio ? 

Quis non posset contristari, 
Christi Matrem contemplari 
Dolentem cum Filio ? 



Is there one who would not 
weep 

Whelmed in miseries so deep 
Christ's dear Mother to 
behold? 
Can the human heart refrain 
From partaking in her pain, 
In that Mother's pain un- 
told? 



304 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 



Pro peccatis suae gentis, 

Vidit Jesum in tormentis, 
Et flagellis subditum. 

Vidit suum dulcem natum 
Moriendo, desolatum, 
Dum emisit spiritum. 

Eia Mater, fons amoris, 

Me sentire vim doloris. 
Fac, ut tecum lugeam 

Fac ut ardeat cor meum 

In amando Christum Deum, 

Ut sibi complaceam. 

Sancta Mater istud agas, 

Crucifixi nge plagas 

Cordi meo valide. 
Tui Nati vulnerati, 

Tarn dignati pro me pati 
Pcenas mecum divide. 

Fac me tecum pie fiere, 
Crucinxo condolere, 

Donee ego vixero. 
Juxta crucem tecum stare, 

Et me tibi sociare, 

In planctu desidero. 



Bruised, derided, cursed, de- 
filed, 

She beheld her tender Child, 
All with bloody scourges 
rent: 

For the sins of His own nation 
Saw Him hang in desolation, 
Till His spirit forth He sent. 

O thou Mother ! fount of 
love, 

Touch my spirit from above. 
Make my heart with thine 
accord: 

Make me feel as thou hast 
felt: 

Make my soul to glow and 
melt 

With the love of Christ, my 
Lord. 

Holy Mother ! pierce me 

through. 
In my heart each wound 

renew 

Of my Saviour crucified: 
Let me share with thee His 
pain, 

Who for all my sins was slain, 
Who for me in torments 
died. 

Let me mingle tears with thee, 
Mourning Him Who mourned 

for me, 
All the days that I may live. 
By the cross with thee to 

stay, 

There with thee to weep and 
pray, 

Is all I ask of thee to give. 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 305 



Virgo virginum praeclara, 
Mihi jam non sis amara, 
Fac me tecum plangere. 

Fac ut portem Christi mortem, 
Passionis fac consortem, 
Et plagas recolere. 

Fac me plagis vulnerari, 

Fac me cruce inebriari, 

Et cruore Filii. 
Flammis ne urar succensus 
Per te, Virgo, sim defensus 

In die judicii. 

Christe, cum sit hinc exire, 

Da per Matrem me venire 

Ad palmam victoriae. 
Quando corpus morietur, 
Fac ut animae donetur 

Paradisi gloria. 

Amen. 



Virgin of all virgins best! 
Listen to my fond request: 
Let me share thy grief 
divine; 

Let me, to my latest breath, 
In my body bear the death 
Of that dying Son of thine. 

Wounded with His every 
wound, 

Steep my soul till it hath 
swooned 

In His very blood away; 
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh, 
Lest in flames I burn and die, 

In His awful judgment-day. 

Christ, when Thou shalt call 

me hence, 
Be Thy Mother my defence, 
Be Thy cross my victory; 
While my body here decays, 
May my soul Thy goodness 

praise, 

Safe in paradise with thee. 

Amen. 



Gospel. John xix. 25, 27. At that time: There stood by 
the cross of Jesus, His Mother and His Mother's sister, Mary 
of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus therefore 
had seen His Mother and the disciple standing, whom He 
loved, He saith to His Mother: Woman, behold thy son; 
after that, He saith to the disciple: Behold thy Mother. And 
from that hour the disciple took her to his own. 



Off. Recordare virgo Ma- 
ter Dei, dum steteris in con- 
spectu Domini, ut loquaris 
pro nobis bona, et ut avertas 
indignationem suam a nobis. 



Be mindful, O Virgin 
Mother of God, when thou 
standest in the sight of the 
Lord, to speak good things 
for us, and to turn away His 
anger from us. 



306 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week, 

Sec. We offer to Thee prayers and sacrifices, Lord 
Jesus Christ, humbly beseeching Thee, that we who cele- 
brate in our prayers the transfixion of the most sweet soul of 
blessed Mary Thy Mother, by the multiplied and most loving 
intercession of her and her holy companions under the cross, 
may have our reward with the blessed, through the merits of 
Thy death. 

II. of Fer. Grant that we may, O merciful God, ever 
deserve to minister worthily at Thy altars; and to be saved 
by a constant participation thereof. 

Preface of B. V. M. Et te in transfixione, Ordinary. 

Comm. Felices sensus be- Happy senses of the blessed 
atae Mariae virginis, qui sine Virgin Mary, which, without 
morte meruerunt martyrii pal- dying, deserved the palm of 
mam sub cruce Domini. martyrdom beneath the cross 

of Our Lord. 

P. Comm. Sacrificia. O Lord Jesus Christ, may the sacri- 
fices of which we have partaken, in the devout celebration of 
the transfixion of Thy Virgin Mother, obtain for us of Thy 
clemency every salutary blessing. 

.Spiritual (Eonrmumou at .f&ass* 

PIRITUAL communion, a practice earnestly recom- 
mended at every visit to the Blessed Sacrament, 
consists, according to St. Thomas, in an ardent desire of 
receiving Jesus Christ, and in welcoming Him with 
loving embrace, as though we received Him sacra- 
mentally. This exercise, devoutly practised, has an 
especial efficacy for inflaming us more and more with 
the fire of divine love and uniting us ever more closely 
with Christ our Lord. 

The fittest time for making spiritual communion is 
during the holy Mass, and when we visit Our Lord Jesus 
in the Blessed Sacrament. " Whenever you hear Mass," 
says St. Teresa, " endeavor also to make a spiritual 
communion, and from this you will gain the greatest 




Mass Devotions for' Each Day in the Week. 307 

spiritual profit. " The faithful who assist at the holy 
sacrifice offer, along with the priest, before the throne 
of grace, not only prayers and praises, but the sacred 
Victim also; and holy Church desires that all the faith- 
ful assisting at the sacrifice should partake together 
with the priest of the most holy body of Jesus Christ. 
We find the holy Fathers most bitterly regretting the 
time when, the piety of Christians waxing cold, they 
began to give up the saintly custom of communicating 
daily at the Mass. The prayers recited by the priest in 
preparation and thanksgiving after holy communion 
are equally adapted to the use of the faithful assisting 
at Mass. These and similar reasons show most clearly 
that if the faithful who are present at Mass can not 
communicate sacramentally, they ought at least to 
endeavor to communicate spiritually, that is, in heart 
and will. 

Christians should also make a spiritual communion 
when they visit the Most Holy Sacrament. The prin- 
cipal motive for which Jesus vouchsafes to remain 
amongst us in the" Blessed Sacrament is to communicate 
Himself to our souls. So great a condescension on the 
part of Our Lord requires our cooperation. But how 
can we respond to such an admirable invention of love, 
except by an ardent longing to be united to Him, and 
to receive Him into our heart at least when we find our- 
selves in His sacred presence? 

In order, then, that you, O devout soul, may be well 
disposed for this holy exercise, begin by making an act 
of sincere contrition for all your sins, thus, as it were, to 
remove the dust from that chamber into which you desire 
your Lord to enter. Having done this, next excite 
yourself to a lively faith in the presence of Jesus Christ 
in this Divine Sacrament. 

Consider briefly the majesty and grandeur of that God 
Whom you behold hidden beneath the eucharistic veil; 
ponder on the strength of that love and that infinite 



308 Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 

goodness which leads Him to desire earnestly to be 
united with so unworthy a creature; break forth into 
accents of humility and longing desire; of humility 
when you look upon your own un worthiness ; of desire 
when you behold the infinite bounty of your Lord. 
Seeing, then, that you can not now unite yourself to Him 
really by sacramental communion, join yourself to Him 
at least in heart and affection, and say to Him in words 
of burning love: "Come, my dearest Jesus, come into 
this poor heart of mine; come and satiate my desires, come 
and sanctify my soul ; come, my sweetest Jesus, come to 
my bosom; come and remain with me always" 

Imagine, then, that Mary, our most holy Mother, or 
some other of your patron saints or your good angels, 
presents to you the sacred particle; receive Him from 
their hands, clasp Him to your bosom, press Him to 
your heart; after which, breaking forth in accents of 
thanksgiving, praise, and adoration, as also of reparation, 
beseech Him to bestow upon you those graces of which 
you find yourself most in need; ask Him that you may 
always do His holy will and become a saint. 

You will thus, besides the present advantage which 
you draw from the spiritual communion, be most hap- 
pily disposed to receive with increased devotion the 
real body of your adorable Redeemer, when you ap- 
proach the eucharistic table. For, as wood which is 
kept warm and near the fire is the better prepared for 
burning, so a heart which is constantly kept warm with 
love towards Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is easily 
caught by the sacred flame of love when it approaches 
to that furnace of charity, ever burning in these divine 
mysteries. 

Example* 

WHAT THE SAINTS THOUGHT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION. 

HE Council of Trent recommends spiritual communion to 
the faithful, and St. Thomas says they are considered 



Mass Devotions for Each Day in the Week. 309 

to be communicated spiritually, and not sacramentally, who 
desire to receive this Sacrament; so that, as Scaramelli says, 
they do not only receive Jesus spiritually, but this very Sac- 
rament spiritualty. St. Alphonsus, in his sweet little treatise 
on visiting the Blessed Sacrament, says that Our Lord showed 
to Sister Paula Maresca two precious vessels, one of gold and 
the other of silver, in the former of which He preserved her 
sacramental communions, and in the latter her spiritual com- 
munions. Joanna of the Cross affirmed that she was often 
visited in spiritual communion with the same graces she 
received in sacramental, and, with a sigh, she exclaimed: 
"O rare method of communicating, where neither leave of con- 
fessor nor of superior is needed, but only Thine, O my God! " 
The blessed Agatha of the Cross so pined with love of the 
Blessed Sacrament that it is said that she would have died 
if her confessor had not taught her the practice of spiritual 
communion, and then she used to make two hundred spiritual 
communions every day. Surin and Scaramelli both assert 
that some souls receive sometimes greater graces in a spiritual 
than in a sacramental communion; this is, of course, rare, 
and when it happens it is not through defect of the Sacrament, 
but defect of fervor in themselves. 

St. Teresa, addressing her spiritual children, says: " When- 
ever, my daughters, you hear Mass and do not communicate, 
you can make a spiritual communion, which is a practice of 
exceeding profit, and you can immediately afterwards recol- 
lect yourselves, just as I advised you when you communicate 
sacramentally; for great is the love of Our Lord which is in 
this way infused into the soul. For when we prepare our- 
selves to receive Him, He never fails to give Himself to us 
in many modes which we comprehend not." 

We read in the life of St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi that it 
was the custom in her monastery that when daily communion 
was hindered by the illness of the priest or any other cause, 
the nuns should communicate spiritually. The usual signal 
for communion was given in the morning, and all being 
assembled, they prayed for half an hour, and then made a 
spiritual communion. It was on one of these days that the 
saint was communicated by St. Albert the Carmelite, saying 
the "Conjiteor" and the "Domine, non sum dignus" and 
doing all that she was accustomed to do when receiving com- 



310 A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious, 

munion: and she afterwards declared that she had seen the 
same saint with the pyx in his hand, going to communicate 
the other nuns. Her enlarged charity ardently desired that 
others also, and especially those of her own monastery, should 
have a great hunger for that Most Holy Sacrament. 

It is said of St. Angela Merici that when she was forbidden 
daily communion, she supplied it by fervent spiritual com- 
munions in the Mass, and often felt her heart as completely 
inundated by grace as if she had made a sacramental com- 
munion, and she left as one of her legacies to her Order an 
earnest recommendation of this devotion. 

Father Squillante, of the Naples Oratory, in the life of 
Sister Mary of Santiago, of the Third Order of St. Dominic, 
which rivals Carmel as a mystical garden of delights to the 
heavenly Spouse, tells us that her love of the Blessed Sac- 
rament was such that she had at last come to make a spiritual 
communion at almost every breath she drew, so that in her 
were fulfilled the words of Jeremias that in the desire of her 
heart she snuffed up the wind of her love, and that none 
turned her away. 

Nothing can show the power of spiritual communion with 
Jesus more wonderfully than the innumerable times in 
which the desire of communion has enabled the soul to 
receive the real communion by some stupendous miracle, 
as is related of St. Catharine of Sienna and other saints, and 
eminently in the case of St. Juliana of Falconieri, commu- 
nicated through her breast without manducation; that is, 
her communion was real, without being either spiritual or, 
strictly speaking, sacramental, as theologians make man- 
ducation necessary to sacramental communion. — (Fr. Faber.) 

H flDetbofc of Ibeadng flDass for IReUQtous,* 

AN OFFERING OF THE MASS. 

TERNAL Father, I offer Thee this most holy and 
sublime sacrifice of the Mass, in union with Jesus 
Christ, Thy beloved Son, Who is both Priest and Vic- 




* Adapted exclusively for Religious. 



A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 311 

tim; in union with all the merits of His Passion; in 
union with His blessed Mother Mary, that my soul 
may be animated with the sentiments of her immaculate 
heart, when she stood at the foot of the cross; in union 
with the Church triumphant in heaven, militant on 
earth, and suffering in purgatory: 1. In honor of Thy 
supreme majesty; 2. In thanksgiving for all Thy 
graces and blessings, especially for the favor of having 
called me to the religious life; 3. In satisfaction for my 
own sins, and in reparation for all the offences ever 
committed against Thee; 4. To obtain of Thy good- 
ness and mercy all the graces necessary for my eternal 
salvation. 

I rejoice exceedingly that by means of this august 
sacrifice Thou shalt receive a worthy tribute of adora- 
tion, thanksgiving, reparation, and prayer. And as, in 
this sacrifice, the great mystery of the cross is renewed 
for Thy glory and my sanctification, deign, O Lord, to 
apply its merits to my soul. Holy Spirit! sanctify me, 
purify my mind and inflame my heart with divine charity, 
so that I may live holily and die happily as a true Re- 
ligious. 

AT THE INTROIBO. 

Introibo ad altar e Dei; Ad Deurn, qui Imtificat juven- 
1 litem meant. 

I AM already admitted into the house of the Lord: 
the religious state is that house: God, by a love 
of predilection, has called me to it. I dwell in it. Ah ! 
if I but knew my happiness! And, O my God! what 
will it avail me to be a Religious, if I be not a holy Re- 
ligious? Make me worthy, O my God! of being ad- 
mitted into Thy eternal tabernacles, that I may bless 
Thee and glorify Thee for evermore with the angels 
and saints. 



312 A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 



AT THE CONFITEOR AND KYRIE ELEISON. 

TERNAL Father, look at the face of Thy Christ 
(Ps. lxxxiii. 10) ; look at the wounds of Thy Son, 
which cry to Thee for pity. Have mercy upon me; for 
their sake pardon me the outrages that I have com- 
mitted against Thee! I do not deserve to be called a 
Religious. I am a sinner, a great sinner, but I am 
sorry for all my offences. Thou art good, O my God, 
and Thy mercy is above all Thy works. 

O God, most worthy of love, and true lover of my 
soul, for the love of this, Thy Son, so beloved by Thee, 
have mercy on me. I ask Thee to give me but Thy 
love and Thy grace. Help me to do Thy holy will. 
Draw me wholly to Thyself. Burn up, O Thou con- 
suming fire, all that Thou seest impure in my soul, and 
that hinders me from belonging to Thee alone. 

AT THE GLORIA. 

Gloria in excelsis Deo. Ad major em Dei gloriam. 

LORY be to God! Yes, O my God! I desire to 
glorify Thee by the purest intentions in all my 
actions. Oh! that I could make Thee known to every 
creature and loved by every heart. I shall endeavor 
especially to make Thee loved by the Religious with 
whom I have the happiness of living, by zealously pray- 
ing for them, by ever giving them a good example in 
obedience and detachment, and by showing in my con- 
versation great meekness, humility, and charity. I 
praise Thee, I thank Thee, I bless Thee, I adore Thee. 
I love Thee, O my God, for Thou art good and worthy 
of all love. "What shall I render to the Lord for all 
the things that He hath rendered to me? I will take 
the chalice of salvation. I will pay my vows to the Lord 
before all His people. Precious in the sight of the Lord 
is the death of His saints." (Ps. cxv. 3, 4, 5.) 





A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 313 



AT THE COLLECTS. 

Oremus. 

I IMPLORE of Thee, O Lord, all that Thy minister 
prays for; I beseech Thee to bless our holy Father, 
the Pope, our bishops, our priests, our Community, all 
Religious, that they may do Thy will and glorify Thee; 
convert all sinners and heretics; pity those who are in 
their last agony, and have mercy on the holy souls in 
purgatory. Bless all my relatives and benefactors, 
and all those for whom I have promised to pray. Grant 
me the grace to become a holy Religious. I offer all 
these prayers to Thee, eternal Father, through Our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

AT THE EPISTLE. 

I AM much in need of being instructed. If I thor- 
oughly knew my God. the obligations of my state, 
the grandeur and the holiness of the religious life, how 
could I sin, how could I ever be lukewarm ? The saints 
in heaven can not offend God. They know Him per- 
fectly. Instruct me, then, O my Lord! Grant that I 
may know Thee in order that I may love Thee. Let 
me know and realize how amiable Thou art, because 
of Thy infinite perfections and Thy innumerable bene- 
fits; and how ungrateful I have been in not loving Thee 
better, after having chosen Thee for my portion, in 
embracing the religious life. Honor, wealth, pleasure, 
the goods of this earth — what are they, in view of death, 
and in view of the everlasting joys and rewards of heaven ? 
But I love Thee, O my God, for Thy own sake alone: 

* Xot with the hope of gaining aught, 
Not seeking a reward; 
But, as Thyself hast loved me 
O ever-loving Lord." 



314 A Me/hod of Hearing Mass for Religious. 



With St. Francis of Assisi, I pray: "May I die to 
myself, O Lord, for love of Thee. Who hast vouchsafed 
to die for love of me!" 

AT THE GOSPEL. 

OMY Jesus! Thou art my Master, Thou art the 
sovereign truth, Thou art the true light that has 
come down from heaven to enlighten those who sit in 
darkness. Speak: I am Thy servant, and I listen for 
the purpose of knowing and obeying Thy will. What 
wilt Thou have me to do ? I am ready to do all things. 
But, alas! I know what I have to do. Thou com- 
mandest me to renounce my will, to carry my cross 
every day of my life, to follow Thee by endeavoring to 
imitate Thee. Thou requirest me to love Thee, and to 
love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. Thou 
wishest me to testify my love to Thee, in combating my 
inclinations, in observing Thy holy commandments 
with fidelity, and in fulfilling the counsels of Thy Gos- 
pel. How can I hesitate? I hive already promised 
it, I have bound myself to it. I renew my vows. Alas! 
I regret that I have not been faithful to them! With 
the powerful aid of Thy grace, I shall be faithful, most 
faithful, to the Holy Rule. 

AT THE CREDO. 

I BELIEVE in Thee, O my God! I believe all Thou 
hast taught by Thy holy Church, because Thou 
hast promised to preserve it from all error. I believe 
in it most firmly, because Thou art Truth itself, Who 
"neither canst deceive nor be deceived. Gladly w r ould 
I shed my blood for this faith! 

I believe in Thee, O adorable Trinity, Father, Son, 
and Holy Ghost ! I believe in Thee, O only-begotten 
Son of the Father! I believe that Thou becamest man; 
that Thou didst suffer and die for my salvation. I 



A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 315 

believe that Thou art in heaven, and in the Most Holy 
Sacrament of the Altar, where Thou intercedest for me. 
Increase my faith, and deign to enlighten those who 
are in the darkness of error. 

And do Thou, O Holy Ghost, Whom I adore as my 
true God, receive my heartfelt thanks for the consola- 
tion and the strength which come to my soul through 
the Bread of life and the holy sacrifice. I offer Thee 
my whole heart, O Holy Spirit, divine Consoler, and 
thank Thee most heartily for all the benefits that Thou 
dost unceasingly bestow upon the world. I beseech 
Thee to bless me with a lively faith in the Holy Eucha- 
rist. Keep my soul ever bright for the coming of the 
Bridegroom. Grant me Thy sevenfold gift, in order 
that I may with ardent love follow Christ, and with 
perseverance walk in the way of salvation. 

AT THE OFFERTORY AND LAVABO. 

f*\ MY God! would that I were able to offer Thee 
something worthy of Thy divine majesty and of 
Thy innumerable benefits. Of myself I have nothing, 
and yet what I shall offer Thee is a treasure of infinite 
value; it is Thy only Son Jesus Christ, the object of 
Thy complacency. I offer Him, then, to Thee, O 
great God! I offer to Thee all His virtues, all His 
sentiments, all His words, all His actions, all His 
prayers, all His fasts, all His tears, all His sufferings, 
all the drops of His blood, all His adorable mysteries. 
I offer all the merits of the august Virgin, of the 
saints of heaven, of the souls in purgatory, and of the 
just on earth. In union with Jesus, I offer Thee all 
that I am, and all that I have: my soul, my body, my 
senses, my thoughts, my desires, my words, my actions, 
my sufferings, my labors, my life, and my death. I 
desire no longer to belong to myself. I am Thine and 
Thine forever. What an anomaly is a Religious who 
is not Thine, O Lord! As this bread is about to be 



31 6 A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 

changed into the body of Jesus Christ, so change me, O 
Lord! convert me, and cause me to become a holy Re- 
ligious. 

O Lord, Thou art sanctity itself, and I belong to 
Thee; there should be no stain in me. Purify me, 
wash me in the blood of Jesus Christ, my Saviour; let 
grief and anguish wound my heart; let me never again 
be separated from Thee by sin. 

AT THE ORATE FRATRES AND SECRETA. 

f\ LORD, we join our prayers to those of the priest 
at the altar. God of infinite sanctity, grant that 
he may be invested with that holiness which Thou dost 
look for in Thy ministers. Bless him, that he may be 
a man according to Thine own Heart. May this clean 
oblation, which he is offering, be acceptable to Thee; 
may it be for the glory of Thy name, for the sanctifica- 
tion of my soul, and for the welfare of Thy Church. 
Give me, O Lord, the innocence and simplicity of a child, 
so that I may merit Thy fatherly favors and blessings. 

AT THE PREFACE. 

I LONG to praise and thank Thee, my God, for ever 
and ever. What an ingrate I should be were I 
insensible of God's love for me! In His goodness He 
has chosen me, unworthy as I am, to be His spouse, 
and to serve Him apart from the world in His " enclosed 
garden," as His favored handmaid. And I have ren- 
dered myself so unworthy of His favors by my negli- 
gences and offences! It is but meet and just that I 
testify my gratitude and my devotedness in every place 
and at every instant. May my whole life in future be 
a song of praise, and all my actions continual thanks- 
givings. O angels and saints, let me unite my praise 
with yours! Ah! when shall I sing with you in glory 
an everlasting cantxle of thanksgiving and love, in honor 
of the endless mercy and goodness of my God ? 



A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 317 



Zbc Canon of tbe dlbaes. 

AT THE COMMEMORATION OF THE LIVING. 

HE sacrifice of Jesus Christ is offered up for the 
whole Church: I pray, then, O my God! for all 
hose who compose it. Bless our chief Pastor, N. N., 
our bishops, and our priests. Bless in particular our 
Superior. May all ecclesiastics be holy; grant that the 
members of all Religious Orders may live conformably 
to their holy profession; and that all Christians may 
live and die as true disciples of Jesus Christ. Convert 
all sinners, and may the just obtain the grace of per- 
severance. I particularly recommend to Thee all my 
relations and those who have authority over me, my 
benefactors and those who have asked my prayers, those 
who have offended me and whom I have offended. 
May the Community to which I have the honor of be- 
longing, be always dear to Thee, and cease not to re- 
ceive from Thee abundant blessings. Thou canst do 
all things, O Lord! Make, then, of us as many saints 
as we are Religious. 

At this moment I have need of being profoundly 
recollected. Jesus is about to descend on the altar; 
there He will perform the office of Mediator for me. 
He will pay for me the heavy debt I have contracted to 
divine justice. Come, O Lord Jesus! come, O Spouse 
of my soul! Let me taste the sweetness of Thy presence. 
O my soul, behold thy King! Behold, He comes to thee 
full of tenderness and compassion! He veils the splen- 
dor of His majesty, that thou mayest approach Him 
with more confidence. Adoring angels surround His 
altar-throne. Wonderful condescension! Miracle of 
God's love! 

AT THE ELEVATION OF THE HOST. 

ESUS, my Lord, my Saviour, is here. I adore 
Thee, true God and true man. "Thou, O 



318 A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 



Christ, art the King of glory; Thou art the everlasting 
Son of the Father!" For love of me Thou hast hum- 
bled Thyself. O my divine Spouse! I thank Thee, 
I love Thee. 

AT THE ELEVATION OF THE CHALICE. 

r\ PRECIOUS blood of my Redeemer, shed for my 
salvation, I adore thee! Cleanse me from every 
stain of sin. " Eternal Father! I offer Thee the pre- 
cious blood of Jesus, in satisfaction for my sins, and for 
the wants of holy Church.' ' 

Indulgence of 100 days, each time. — Pius VII., Sept. 22, 181 7. 

AFTER THE ELEVATION AND AT THE MEMENTO FOR 
THE DEAD. 

HE heavens are opened; the Holy of holies has 
come down to us. This altar is now the throne 
of Jesus, the King of glory, the joy of the angels and the 
crown of the saints! How meekly, how humbly hast 
Thou come to us, good Lord! 

Profoundly I adore Thee, and bless Thee, and praise 
Thee! 

And what dost Thou ask of me, my Lord, in Thy 
great condescension? 

Only my heart. Praise and honor are pleasing to 
Thee only when they spring from pure hearts; there- 
fore I beseech Thee, O Jesus, by Thy infinite purity 
and holiness, to cleanse my heart more and more from 
every stain of sin and every evil incHnation. Give me 
the heart of a perfect Religious, pure, unselfish, and 
entirely devoted to Thy interests. Take my heart into 
Thy Sacred Heart, that it may there be purified, like gold 
in the furnace, from the dross of worldly attachments 
and sensual desires. Thou hast said: "I am come to 
cast fire on the earth, and what do I desire but that it 
be enkindled ?" May my heart, O Lord, respond to 



A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 319 

the intensity of Thy love. I love Thee, and I desire to 
love Thee daily more and more. O Sacred Heart of 
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, sanctify my heart, 
make it like to Thine, that it may be pleasing to Thee, 
and that I may remain united with Thee for ever. Have 
mercy, also, on the poor, holy souls in purgatory; wash 
them, cleanse them in that precious blood which Thou 
didst shed upon the cross and which is now here present 
on the altar. 

Be to them a merciful and kind Samaritan, and heal 
with Thy sacred blood, which is indeed a heavenly oil, 
their burning wounds. O adorable Jesus, look down 
with pity upon these poor, suffering souls. They loved 
Thee whilst they lived on earth ; they repent and lament 
that they were guilty of grieving and offending Thee, 
and they ardently long to love Thee more perfectly and 
to praise Thee unceasingly in heaven. 

Oh, do Thou satisfy their longing desires to behold 
Thee face to face, and in Thine infinite mercy deliver 
them from their terrible sufferings and receive them 
into Thine eternal kingdom. 

Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord! And let per- 
petual light shine upon them. 

AT THE PATER NOSTER. 

C\ MY God! Thou art my Father, and Father of all; 

from the summit of heaven where Thou reignest 
and art the supreme happiness of the blessed, look down 
on the prayer of Thy daughter and spouse. May Thy 
namz he sanctified. I desire to become a saint, and to 
lead my Sisters to sanctity. May Thy kingdom come. 
Reign in me now by Thy grace, that I may one day 
reign with Thee in heaven. May Thy will be done, I 
desire what Thou desirest; I desire only what Thou 
desirest; I desire it only because Thou desirest it. I 
desire to do Thy will with the same love and perfection 



320 A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious \ 



as the angels and saints do it in heaven. Give us this 
day our daily bread; take this religious house under Thy 
special protection, O Lord. Forgive us our trespasses, 
as we forgive those who trespass against us. 

I love without exception, for the love of Thee, all my 
enemies, and all for whom I have had any antipathy. 
Remember, O Lord! that Thou hast said, " Pardon, 
and you shall be pardoned. " Lead us not into tempta- 
tion. O my God! do not allow me to be tempted, or, 
if I shall be tempted, let me not yield to the temptation. 
Remove from me the occasions of sin, and come to my 
assistance, in order that I may not expose myself to it. 
Deliver us from evil. Sin is the greatest of ah evils; 
purify me from those I have committed, and suffer me 
not to commit any more. After life, preserve me from 
hell, so often deserved by me for my sins; and even from 
purgatory, where the souls therein detained, undergo 
most cruel torments in seeing themselves separated 
from Thee. Amen. May it be so. I implore all these 
things with fervor, through the merits of Jesus Christ, 
for myself, for all Religious, for all the faithful. 



Lamb of God! Who hast condescended to be im- 
molated in order to expiate our crimes, to reconcile 
us with Thy Father, to merit heaven for us, have pity 
on all men, for whom Thou hast shed Thy blood; and 
particularly have compassion on Thy servants conse- 
crated to Thee in the religious state; have mercy on 
me. 

AT THE DOMINE, NON SUM DIGNUS AND AT HOLY 
COMMUNION. 



*T^ORD Jesus, I am not worthy to take my place at 
the table of angels; nevertheless I desire most 
ardently to receive Thee O divine Spouse of my soul, 



AT THE AGNUS DEI. 




A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 321 

bless me with those dispositions which the reception of 
the Most Adorable Sacrament requires, so that when I 
shall approach the holy table, I may do so in a manner 
most agreeable to Thee, and most salutary to myself. 
I conjure Thee to purify my heart, to come and dwell 
therein, until the day that I shall have the happiness to 
receive Thy sacred body in the Blessed Sacrament. 
Come, Lord Jesus; come to me at least spiritually; I 
love Thee with my whole heart. Come, give me, if not 
Thy sacred flesh, at least Thy love, Thy grace, Thy 
spirit, Thy heart; grant. that I may be transformed into 
Thee; and that I may live Thy life. 

Imagine that the Blessed Virgin or your guardian angel 
is presenting to you the sacred Host. Keep closely united 
to Jesus Christ, as if you had really received Him, and say 
in thanksgiving: 

I ADORE and love Thee, O my Jesus, Who art 
truly the Life of my soul. I entreat Thee to 
remain in my heart and to sanctify my whole life, so 
that I may have the happiness to possess Thee eternally. 

infinite Charity! I have immolated myself entirely to 
Thee: grant that I may never forget that I no longer 
belong to myself, but to Thee, my God! Yes, I am dead; 
my life shall be hidden with Jesus Christ in God. May 

1 ever be a living victim in Thine eyes ; always agreeable 
to Thee. Yes, O my God! I will unceasingly sacrifice 
myself in union with Jesus Christ, to honor Thy Majesty, 
to thank Thee for Thy benefits, to appease Thy justice, 
to draw down on myself, and all this Community, and 
on Thy Church, those graces which Thou seest are 
necessary for us. Oh! how happy am I in being con- 
secrated to Thee, and separated from the world where 
so many dangers present themselves! In religion, I have 
only to please Thee, the God of my heart. Keep me, 
Lord, keep me in Thy Heart! O Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
most obedient to Thy Father's will, turn our hearts to 



322 A Method of Hearing Mass for Religious. 

Thyself, that we may ever do those things which are 
pleasing to Thee. O heart of Mary, Mother of Jesus, 
and my Mother, keep me, guard me as thine own, help 
me, that I may imitate thy virtues, and thus become 
ever more pleasing to thy divine Son. 

AT THE BLESSING. 

OMOST august Trinity! now that Thy minister 
is about to bless me in Thy name, pour out on 
me Thy most abundant benedictions. Bless me now; 
bless me every day of my life, and at the moment of my 
death; bless all those with whom I have the happiness 
of living, in order that we may never cease to sing, one 
day, canticles of praise and love to Thy mercy and Thy 
glory, in that kingdom which Thou hast prepared for 
us in Thy boundless love. 

IN CONCLUSION. 

I CANNOT leave Thy temple, O Lord, without 
expressing to Thee my gratitude for the great 
blessings and holy inspirations that have come to me 
through this Mass. My God, I thank Thee with all 
my heart. Love for love, eternal love for Thy bound- 
less love to me. Pardon, O Lord, the coldness and dis- 
tractions of which I have been guilty during the holy 
sacrifice. I am sorry for these offences, and for all the 
sins of my whole life, because Thou art infinitely good 
and sin displeases Thee; henceforth I shall endeavor 
more earnestly to please Thee in all things. 

I leave for a time, dear Jesus, this place of benedic- 
tions which Thou hast chosen for Thy dwelling; yet, 
though I can not be always bodily present in this holy 
place, to commune with Thee in the Sacrament of Thy 
love, I shall ever be there in thought and desire, and I 
shall return with joy as soon as possible, for my delight 
is to be before Thy altars. Let me not forget Thee 



Mass by Way of Meditation on the Passion, 323 



during my occupations. I consecrate all my work to 
Thee; I wish by it to please Thee alone. My watch- 
word shall be: "Ad major em Dei gloriam et in honor em 
BeatcE Maria Virginis!" Give me Thy grace, that I 
may do Thy will and love Thee daily more and more. 
O my Well-Beloved! O Sacred Heart of Jesus! O ten- 
der Spouse of my soul! have mercy on me. Keep me 
near Thee; draw me ever closer to Thee. O Mary, my 
good Mother, I implore thy protection. Angels and 
saints of heaven, intercede for this poor unworthy hand- 
maid of the Lord, who hopes one day to be associated 
with you in glory. 

Ejaculations. 

BIAT, laudetur atque in /T|AY the most just, most 
asternum superexaltetur r -* ** high} and most ami- 
justissima, altissima et amab- able will of God be done in 
ilissima voluntas Dei in om- all things, be praised and 
nibus. magnified for ever. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius VII., May 19, 1818. 

/X\Y God, grant that I may love Thee, and may the 
^ * only reward of my love be to love Thee always- 
more and more. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 15, 
1800. 



/IDetbot) of Ibearfna /IDass bp Map of 
/IDefcitation on tbe passion, 

^^HIS method is intended for those who prefer meditation 
to the recital of vocal prayers. 
The Mass is divided into four parts: the first, from the 
beginning to the Gospel; the second, to the Elevation; the 
third, to the Communion of the priest; and the fourth to 
the end. 



324 Method of Hearing Mass by 

In the first part we may consider and honor the Heart of 
Jesus, praying in His agony at the approach of His Passion, 
especially in the Garden of Olives. 

In the second we honor the Heart of Jesus humbled and 
suffering in the various tribunals of Jerusalem, until the 
time of the scourging at the pillar. 

In the third we honor the Heart of Jesus suffering in the 
scourging and crowning with thorns, and follow Him in the 
path of suffering until His last sigh on the cross. 

In the fourth we honor the Heart of Jesus hidden and 
buried in the sepulcher. 

This manner of hearing has four very precious advan- 
tages: The priest is followed throughout the sacrifice, which is 
a very holy and meritorious way of assisting at Mass. The 
Heart of Jesus is honored in every stage of His Passion. We 
enter into the interior sentiments of His adorable Heart and 
endeavor to make them our own. 

The Mass thus becomes a prayer, and at the same time a 
very useful and salutary meditation. 

FROM THE COMMENCEMENT OF MASS TO THE GOSPEL. 

»J« YN the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

The Heart of Jesus Praying and Suffering. 

HOU prayest, Thou dost suffer, O my sweet Saviour, 
Thy Heart experiencing a mortal sadness ; suffer me 
to unite myself to Thy sorrows, and give me a share in 
Thy deep affliction. Everything that presented itself 
to Thy mind plunged Thy Heart in a sea of bitterness; 
for Thou didst behold the deplorable state of the world, 
the crimes and excesses of mankind, die torrent of iniqui- 
ties which deluged the earth, the multitude of souls which 
would perish and be cast into hell, the glory of Thy 
heavenly Father, outraged, the reproach of Thy Passion 
and sufferings, and their uselessness with regard to so 
many sinners, who, notwithstanding the shedding of 
Thy blood for them, would be lost for ever. 



Way of Meditation on the Passion. 325 

my Saviour, am I not also a cause of sorrow to 
Thee? Thou lamentest over me, Thou seest the sad 
state of my soul, my tepidity and negligence, my unfaith- 
fulness and resistance to Thy grace, the little sorrow I 
have conceived, my little care for amendment, the dan- 
ger to which I am exposed of dying in so sad a state. 
Thou lamentest all this, and I am not touched; Thou 
art afflicted, and I am insensible. Heart of my God, 
Thou prayest and I know not how to pray; if I pray, 
it is with so little attention, fervor, or devotion, that my 
prayers deserve not to ascend to the throne of Thy 
mercy. My God, teach me how to pray, that at least, 
in virtue of Thy sacrifice which I offer Thee, my prayer 
may be pleasing in Thy sight. Yes, my God, in this 
holy confidence I offer Thee the homage of prayer for 
the salvation of my soul, whose misery and extreme 
necessity Thou knowest. 

1 beseech Thee also to remember all those for whom 
I ought to pray — my relations, that we may be united 
much more strongly by the bonds of grace than by those 
of blood ; my friends, that Thou mayest be the bond and 
center of our friendship; my benefactors, beseeching 
Thee to render them a hundredfold the goods which I 
have received; and the vengeance which I desire for my 
enemies is, that Thou wouldst visit them with Thy 
graces. I pray to Thee also, in a particular manner, 
O my God, for the Church, my tender mother, for the 
Sovereign Pontiff, and all Religious. Shed over all Thy 
abundant benedictions; give to all of us hearts accord- 
ing to Thy Heart, uniting us all in the same holy fellow- 
ship. Bless in particular our own Religious Community. 

Heart of Jesus, praying and suffering, I adore thee, 
and beseech thee to unite my prayers with thine. 

Heart of Jesus, lamenting and agonizing, I adore 
thee, and beseech thee to inspire my heart with the 
same sentiments. 

Heart of Jesus, offering thyself in sacrifice to the 



326 



Method of Hearing Mass by 



eternal Father, I adore thee, and beseech thee to offer 
me in sacrifice with thyself. 

FROM THE GOSPEL TO THE ELEVATION. 

The Heart of Jesus Humbled and Annihilated. 

/~\ MY sweet Saviour! with what floods of bitterness 
is not Thy Sacred Heart deluged! With what 
torrents of humiliation is it not overwhelmed! Led, or 
rather dragged from tribunal to tribunal, from one indig- 
nity to another, before judges who are Thy enemies, 
tied and bound as a slave, accused as a criminal, Thou 
art judged and condemned as a malefactor, a seducer, a 
disturber of the public peace. 

At the house of Caiphas Thou art given up to insults, 
and the injuries and affronts of a troop of soldiers, who 
make Thee undergo the most infamous treatment. 

Before Annas Thy face is dishonored by a shameful 
blow, the most audacious outrage that can be perpe- 
trated amongst men. 

By Herod Thou art covered with a white robe in sign 
of mockery. Thou art treated as a fool before his whole 
court, who turn into contempt and insult the esteem and 
admiration of which Thou hast been the object. 

By Pilate Thou art placed on a level with a robber and 
a malefactor, and Thou hast the sorrow to see this infa- 
mous wretch preferred before Thee. 

Dragged through the streets of Jerusalem, Thou wast 
obliged to undergo the yells, the cries, and imprecations 
of the immense populace there assembled, who load 
Thee with curses and maledictions. O King of glory, 
what a flood of humiliations overwhelmed Thy Heart! 
but w T hat marvellous virtue Thou dost display! what 
meekness, what patience, and charity ! Thou dost pray 
for those who outrage Thee. Thou offerest Thy suffer- 
ings for those who persecute and afflict Thee. 

O adorable Saviour, this sacrifice of Thy Heart was 



Way of Meditation on the Passion. 327 

necessary in order to repair the glory of Thy outraged 
Father, to humble the proud exaltation of our minds, 
to confound the detestable pride with which our hearts 
are swelled, to make us know the inestimable value of 
humiliations, to give us in Thy Passion a touching ex- 
ample to which we can have nothing to oppose. Even 
on our very altars, to what a condition dost Thou reduce 
Thyself for the love of us! And yet, O my God, how 
astonishing and deplorable it is, that notwithstanding 
so striking an example, pride should still hold dominion 
over us; for, alas I how much of vanity, self-love, and 
sensitiveness do we not possess! 

My divine Saviour, how much have I not to reproach 
myself with on this point! I seek only the applause and 
esteem of men, as if Thine were not sufficient. I can 
suffer and endure nothing for Thee, Who hast under- 
gone so much for me; the least humiliation afflicts and 
dejects me; my spirit is rebellious, my heart swells, my 
whole soul is disturbed and agitated; a cowardly and 
worthless human respect makes me betray my duty and 
Thy interests. Oh, how can I call myself Thy disciple, 
and acknowledge Thee for my Master and my God? 
Was it necessary, then, O my Saviour and my Lord, 
that Thou alone shouldst drink of the chalice of 
humiliations? No, my adorable Master, I will share 
it with Thee, I will receive it from Thy hands, I will 
have a part in Thy abasements; and if I have not the 
courage to meet humiliations, I will at least accept with 
submission those which Thou shalt send me. From 
henceforth I offer Thee the sacrifice of my pride and my 
vanity, in order to unite myself to Thee in Thy annihila- 
tions. 

If nature rebels, or self-love complains, I will follow 
Thy example and implore Thy grace. This divine ex- 
ample, drawn from Thy Heart and passing into mine, 
will render the chalice of Thy humiliations precious, 
even consoling to me, and one drop of its bitterness will 



328 



Method of Hearing Mass by 



be sweeter to me than all the deceitful and guilty pleas- 
ures of this blind and perverse world. 

O Heart of Jesus, saturated with indignities, make 
me share in thy chalice. 

O Heart of Jesus, steeped in an ocean of sorrows, 
steep my heart in thy tears. 

O Heart of Jesus, plunged in an abyss of humiliations 
and suffering, destroy my self-love and pride. 

FROM THE ELEVATION TO THE COMMUNION OF THE 
PRIEST. 

The Heart of Jesus Suffering and Expiring on the Cross. 

AS it necessary, O my Jesus, that, after having 
given up Thy Sacred Heart to the greatest humili- 
ations, Thy body should be delivered to excessive tor- 
ments? To what a condition art Thou reduced by the 
terrible scourging! Thy body is bruised, torn, and covered 
with wounds. Thou art bathed in the streams of Thy 
adorable blood, and yet they cease not to strike Thee, 
and to exercise over Thee all the fury, cruelty, and hatred 
of which they are capable. 

But, O my God, in the midst of these excessive suffer- 
ings of Thy body, what are the emotions of Thy Heart ? 

Thou dost suffer with patience, O sweet Saviour, 
submitting Thyself to Thy heavenly Father, offering to 
Him Thy torments, begging of Him the forgiveness of 
our sins, regarding Thyself as a victim sacrificed for our 
salvation, beholding those streams of blood with resig- 
nation, and even with joy, in order that our sins might 
be washed away, and that the voice of this adorable 
blood, rising even to heaven, might obtain grace and 
mercy for us. 

Thou sufferest everything for me, O adorable Heart 
of my Saviour, and yet the least suffering is a torment 
to me; I fear even the very name of suffering and pain. 
I care so much for my body, seeking its ease and guard- 



Way of Meditation on the Passion, 329 

ing it so carefully, without remembering that it is a body 
of sin, which I ought to subject to the rigors of penance. 
Ah ! my Saviour, do I not see that by my care in avoid- 
ing suffering I increase Thine, rendering those suffer- 
ings useless for my salvation? 

All Thy sufferings in this cruel scourging, O my 
Saviour, nevertheless are little else than the commence- 
ment of Thy torments. Thy sacrifice must be consum- 
mated. I behold Thee loaded with Thy cross, taking 
the way to Calvary. Suffer me, O my God and Saviour, 
to follow Thee in spirit, and step in Thy bleeding foot- 
steps. What do I see, great God, what marvelous 
spectacle does faith present to me ? A suffering God I a 
dying God ! a God dying in excess of pain ! a God dying 
for the love of those who cause His death! At such a 
sight what can I say; how can my heart express the sen- 
timents with which it is filled? 

* Ah! my Saviour, how eloquently dost Thou preach 
upon Thy cross the great truths of faith which Thou hast 
announced to us! How dost Thou make known the 
greatness of the inexorable justice of God, the excellence 
and the price of our souls, but, above all, the malice 
and enormity of sin, the severity and horror of the punish- 
ments which are reserved for it in eternity. And they 
are my sins, O Heart of my God, which Thou bewailest, 
which Thou dost lament upon the cross. They are my 
sins which led Thee there, which fastened Thee to its 
wood, which have shed Thy sacred blood, and caused 
Thy death; and I, my Saviour, am not filled with sor- 
row at the foot of Thy cross. Should I not weep with 
sorrow for having offended my God, caused the suffer- 
ings of Jesus, rendered myself responsible for His blood, 
and guilty of His death ? Thy Heart is still open for me 
upon Thy cross, O Jesus. Thy arms are extended ten- 
derly to receive me, and I return to Thee with sincerity 
and sorrow. 

Every day Thou renewest on our altars, in an un- 



330 Mass by Way of jtteditation on the Passion. 

bloody manner, the bloody sacrifice which Thou didst 
once offer upon Calvary. It is this sacrifice that I offer 
Thee, as Thou didst offer it to Thy heavenly Father. 
Suffer me to unite to Thy sacrifice the sacrifice of myself, 
and especially that of a contrite and humble heart. I 
beg of Thee to give me a heart broken with sorrow to 
offer to Thee, and thus render the victim worthy of 
Thee, worthy to be sacrificed to Thee. 

FROM THE COMMUNION OF THE PRIEST TO THE END OF 

MASS. 

The Heart of Jesus Concealed and Buried in the Sepulcher, 

BELOVED Saviour, Thy body is placed in the 
sepulcher, the last of the humiliations which 
Thou hadst to undergo in this world, for humiliation was 
to accompany Thee even to the tomb. O my soul, what 
a state of abasement for God made man is this, to be in* 
the world as not there, hidden in the bosom of the earth, 
surrounded by the shades of death, given up to obscurity 
in the region of darkness, absolutely destitute of every- 
thing, for even the tomb in which Jesus reposes is not His, 
thus verifying the words He had said of Himself: "The 
birds of the air have their nests; but the Son of man 
hath not where upon to lay His head." Yet in this 
state of humiliation Thou, my Jesus, dost preserve all 
Thy power. 

Behold, my soul, the great example given us for our 
imitation. St. Paul tells us that we are dead, that our 
life must be " hidden with Jesus Christ in God." Yes, 
my divine Saviour, in Thy tomb I will learn detachment 
from the world, forgetfulness of the world, death to the 
world and to myself, the nothingness of earthly things, 
the love of retirement, and strict union with God; for 
Thou shalt take the place of all, O Jesus, when for Thee 
I have quitted all with heart and mind. 

O my God, vouchsafe to accept these resolutions; I 



Holy Mass in Union wiih the Sacred Heart. 331 



renew them in this holy sacrifice, and I offer them to 
Thee in union with Thine own. I beg of Thee to give 
me the grace to preserve them in my soul as long as I 
live, and grant that I may persevere in them until death. 

O adorable Heart of my Saviour, Thou wast not always 
in humiliation, suffering, and sorrow. After so many 
trials and conflicts, Thou didst ascend into heaven, the 
conqueror of Thy enemies; triumphing over the world, 
death, and all the powers of hell, Thou art exalted in 
glory, and seated at the right hand of the heavenly 
Father. 

Heart of my God, I rejoice in Thy glory and Thy 
triumph. Shall I one day share Thy glory and Thy 
happiness? It is only through Thee and Thy merits 
that I can hope for and merit this grace. I beseech 
Thee to give it me in virtue of the sacrifice which I offer 
Thee. Thou hast offered Thyself for me upon our 
altars; receive me one day in Thy sacred tabernacle, in 
order that I may praise Thee for ever with Thy elect; 
and as a pledge of this happiness, vouchsafe to ratify 
in heaven the blessing which Thy priest gives us on 
earth, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Ube 1bolp /IDass in lUmon wttb tbe Sacrefc 
Ibeart of 3es\\s. 

3f or tbe ffeast of tbe SacreD Ibeart of Jesus an& for 
tbe JFtrst jfrtDa^s of JEacb /Iftontb, 

Special parts, i.e., Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gradual, Gos- 
pel, Offertory, Secret, Communion, and Post-Communion 
from the proper Mass: 

Miser ebitur of the Roman Missal. 

PREPARATORY PRAYER. 

TERNAL Father, I offer Thee the sacrifice which 
Thy divine Son made of Himself on the cross, 




332 



The Holy Mass in Union with 



and which He now renews on our altars. I offer it in 
the name of all mankind, with the Masses which are now 
being celebrated, and which will be celebrated through- 
out the world, in order to adore Thee and render Thee 
all possible honor and glory; to thank Thee for Thy 
innumerable benefits, to appease Thy justice provoked 
by our sins; to give Thee the satisfaction Thou dost 
expect; also to obtain grace for myself, for Thy Church, 
for my friends and relations, for the whole world, in 
particular for Reagious and for the souls in purgatory. 

I wish to assist at this holy Mass with the disposi- 
tions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when she stood on 
Mount Calvary, in the shadow of the cross, offering the 
sufferings of her Son for the redemption of the world. 

Lord Jesus Christ! I desire to offer myself, in union 
with Thy Sacred Heart, for all the intentions for w r hich 
Thou now offerest Thyself to God, Thy Father. 

AT THE CONFITEOR. 

r\ DIVINE Jesus, Thou art the Victim, laden with 
all the iniquities of the world; Thou hast wept 
for our sins, and expiated them by Thy Passion and 
death. I come to mingle my tears with Thine; I con- 
fess to Thee, O Lord, in the presence of Mary, ever 
virgin, and of all the angels and saints, that I have sinned 
exceedingly in thought, word, and deed; that it is my 
ingratitude which pierced Thy Heart, and put Thee to a 
cruel death. O God, my Saviour, through Thy tears, 
through Thy agony in the Garden of Olives, through 
Thy precious blood and the wound in Thy Sacred Heart, 

1 beseech Thee to pardon me, and to grant me the remis- 
sion of all my sins. 

at the introit (Miserebitur) . 

E shall be merciful, according to the multitude of 
His mercies; for He hath not from His Heart 




the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 



333 



laid low nor cast off the children of men; the Lord is 
good unto them that hope in Him, to the soul that seeketh 
Him. Alleluia, Alleluia. The mercies of the Lord I 
will sing for ever, unto generation and generation. 



AT THE KYRIE. 

KYRIE eleison; *~| — ' ORD, have mercy; 
Christe eleison; « ■ * Christ, have mercy; 

Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. 

BATHER in heaven, have mercy on us, the work 
of Thy hands! 
Heart of Jesus, have pity on us, for whom thou hast 
shed thy most precious blood! 

Holy Spirit, have compassion on us, and sanctify us. 



AT THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. 

LORY be to God on high, and on earth peace to 
men of good will. We praise Thee; we bless 
Thee; we adore Thee; we glorify Thee; we give Thee 
thanks for Thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King,, 
God the Father almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten 
Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of 
the Father, Who takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy on us; Thou Who takest away the sins of the 
world, receive our prayers; Thou Who sittest at the 
right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For Thou 
only art holy: Thou only art the Lord: Thou only, O 
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the 
glory of God the Father. Amen. 




AT THE COLLECT. 

RANT, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we, 
who, glorying in the Most Sacred Heart of Thy 
beloved Son, commemorate the singular benefits of His 
love towards us, may rejoice alike in their action and in 
their fruit. 




334 



The Holy Mass in Union with 



f~\ GOD, the protector of those that hope in Thee, 
without Whom nothing is sure, nothing is holy; 
multiply upon us Thy mercy, that, Thou being our 
Ruler and Guide, we may so pass through temporal gifts 
that we lose not those which are eternal. Through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

AT THE EPISTLE. 

(Lesson of the Feast of the Sacred Heart.) 

I WILL give thanks to Thee, O Lord, for Thou wast 
angry with me: Thy wrath is turned away, and 
Thou hast comforted me. Behold, God is my Saviour, 
I will deal confidently, and will not fear: because the 
Lord is my strength and my praise, and He is become my 
salvation. You shall draw waters with joy out of the 
Saviour's fountains: and you shall say in that day: 
Praise ye the Lord, and call upon His name: make His 
inventions known among the people: remember that 
His name is high. Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath 
done great things: show this forth in all the earth. Re- 
joice and praise, O thou habitation of Sion, for great is 
He that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel. 
(Isaias xii. 1-6.) 

Grad. O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see 
if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow. V. Having 
loved His own who were in the world, He loved them unto 
the end. Alleluia, Alleluia. Learn of Me, because I am 
meek and humble of Heart: and ye shall find rest to 
your souls. Alleluia. 

AT THE GOSPEL. 

VfT that time, Jesus, knowing that all things were 
now accomplished that the Scripture might be 
fulfilled, said: I thirst. Now there was a vessel set 
there full of vinegar. And they putting a sponge full 
of vinegar about hyssop, put it to His mouth. Jesus, 



the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 



335 



therefore, when He had taken the vinegar, said: It is 
consummated. And bowing His head, He gave up the 
ghost. Then the Jews (because it was the parasceve) 
that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the 
Sabbath-day (for that was a great Sabbath-day) besought 
Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they 
might be taken away. The soldiers therefore came : and 
they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was 
crucified with him. But after they were come to Jesus, 
when they saw that He was already dead, they did not 
break His legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear 
opened His side, and immediately there came out blood 
and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony; 
and his testimony is true. (John xix. 28-35.) 

AT THE CREDO. 

I BELIEVE, O my God, the truths which Thou hast 
revealed to Thy Church. I desire to live and die 
in this faith. Grant, O Lord, that my life may be con- 
formable to my faith; that my faith may be animated 
by good works; and that, in particular, I may live in 
imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, according to the 
spirit of my vows. Sweet Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom 
cornel May est Thou reign in all hearts. Put into 
my heart Thy spirit — the spirit of meekness, humility, 
obedience, poverty, and chastity. Jesus, meek and 
humble of Heart, make my heart like unto Thine. 

AT THE OFFERTORY. 

BLESS the Lord, O my soul; and never forget all 
He hath done for thee ; Who satisfieth thy desire 
wdth good things. Alleluia. (Psalm cii. 2-5.) 

AT THE SECRET. 

Y^EFEND us, O Lord, who offer to Thee Thy holo- 
caust; and that our hearts may be more fer- 



33^ 



The Holy Mass in Union with 



vently prepared for it, enkindle within them the flames 
of Thy divine charity. 

*T~jOOK down graciously, Lord, upon the offer- 



ings of Thy suppliant Church, and grant that 



IT is truly meet and just, right and available to sal- 
vation, that we should always and in all places give 
thanks to Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal 
God, Who hast appointed the salvation of mankind to 
be wrought on the wood of the cross ; that from whence 
death came, thence life might arise, and that he who 
overcame by the tree might also by the tree be overcome. 
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, through Whom the 
angels praise Thy majesty, the dominations adore it, 
the powers tremble before it; the heavens, the heavenly 
virtues, and blessed seraphim, with common jubilee, 
sjlorifv it. Together with whom we beseech Thee that 
we may be admitted to join our humble voices, saying: 
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. Heaven and 
earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. 
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. 



/~\ GOD, infinitely holy, if my sins provoke Thee, 
and make me hateful in Thy sight, look upon 
the Lamb without spot, that taketh away the sins of 
the world, and, beholding His merits, remember not 
my ingratitude. Behold the Sacred Heart of Thy 
divine Son! This Heart, infinitely merciful, prayed for 
me on Calvary, and will soon renew the sacrifice of 
itself for me upon the altar. Eternal Father, I offer Thee 
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, in satis- 




they may sanctify and save Thy people. 



AT THE PREFACE. 



AT THE CANON. 



the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 



337 



faction for my sins and for the wants of the holy Catho- 
lic Church. 

Remember, O good and gentle Jesus, that none who 
had recourse to Thy Sacred Heart, implored its assistance, 
or cried for pardon, were ever abandoned. Animated 
with this confidence in Thy goodness and mercy, O 
Divine Heart, and groaning beneath the weight of my 
iniquities, I prostrate myself before Thee. Have pity 
on me, and listen to my -prayers. Our Father in heaven, 
Who has deigned to give Thee to us for our salvation, will, 
through Thee, and united with Thee, receive our prayers. 
Through Thy merits we hope to obtain the pardon of 
our sins, the special graces that we ask for now, and, 
above all, the grace of perseverance, that with the angels 
and saints we may praise Thee now on earth, and bless 
Thee for ever in heaven. 

O sweetest Heart of Jesus, I implore, 
That I may ever love Thee more and more. 

AT THE MEMENTO OF THE LIVING. 

OST merciful Father! in the name of Jesus, in 
memory of His Passion and death, and of His 
Heart, wounded for love of us, we beseech Thee to pro- 
tect Thy holy Church. Sanctify and exalt it as the 
spouse of Thy divine Son. Bless His Holiness, our chief 
Pastor, our bishops, and our priests. 

Remember also, O Lord, my parents, my relatives, 
my friends, my benefactors, and all those who have 
asked me to pray for them, and for whom I have prom- 
ised to pray. Bless them, and by Thy grace advance 
them in the way of salvation. 

O good and loving Jesus, take to Thy Sacred Heart all 
who belong to the Apostleship of Prayer, all who are de- 
voted to Thy interests. Thy kingdom come! Strengthen 
Thy faithful servants, that by their fidelity and zeal they 
may compensate Thee for the outrages which are inflicted 




338 



The Holy Mass in Union with 



upon Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love by those who 
unfortunately do not love Thee. 

AT THE ELEVATION. 

Cast a look of adoration and love upon the sacred Host 
when it is elevated by the priest; then incline your head 
devoutly and say: 

I SEE upon the altar placed 
The Victim of the greatest love; 
Let all the earth below adore, 

And join the heavenly choirs above: 
Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore. 
Oh! make us love Thee more and more. 

Jesus', dear Pastor of the flock, 

That crowds in love about Thy feet, 

Our voices yearn to praise Thee, Lord, 
And joyfully Thy presence greet: 

Sweet Sacrament, we Thee adore. 

Oh! make us love Thee more and more. 

Ejaculations. 

/TV\Y the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacra- 
1 » ment be praised, adored, and loved with grate- 
ful affection, at every moment and in all the world, to 
the end of time. 

^UCHARISTIC Heart of my Jesus, whose blood 
^-4 is the life of my soul, I will no longer live, but 
live thou alone in me! 

AT THE MEMENTO OF THE DEAD. 

O FATHER of mercies, in the name of Thy beloved 
Son, in memory and in virtue of the wound of 
His Sacred Heart, His bitter Passion, and His cruel 
death, in consideration also of the dolors of the immacu- 
late heart of Mary, of all the loving transports of the 



the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 



339 



saints, and of all the torments of the martyrs, I beseech 
Thee to have pity on the souls of the faithful departed; 
particularly on the souls of our friends, relatives, bene- 
factors, and the associates of the League of the Sacred 
Heart. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and may 
perpetual light shine upon them. O Jesus, mercy! 
Blessed be Thy Sacred Heart, and may Thy precious 
blood, shed for us in Thy Passion, obtain for us that 
heavenly inheritance, where we shall dwell with Thee 
in honor and glory, and bless Thee for ever. 

AT THE PATER NOSTER. 

Recite slowly and devoutly the sublime prayer which 
Jesus Himself taught His disciples. Surely nothing better can 
be substituted here. 

/^VUR Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy 
name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done 
on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily 
bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those 
who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil. Amen. 

AT THE COMMUNION. 

Y heart hath expected reproach and misery; and 
I looked for one that would grieve together with 

me, but there was none; and for one that would comfort 
me, and I found none; Alleluia. (Psalm lxviii. 21.) 

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION.* 

Y good Lord, my dear Jesus! I am sorry for hav- 
ing wounded Thy loving Heart by my sins, 

because Thou art infinitely good, and sin displeases 

* This Mass in honor of the Sacred Heart may be used profit- 
ably, whenever we assist at the holy sacrifice; hence an act of 
spiritual communion is here inserted for those days on which 
we do not approach the holy table. 





340 The Holy Mass in Union with 

Thee. Like the beloved disciple, let me rest upon Thy 
Heart, and let me grieve, together with Thee, for the 
outrages that are committed against Thee in the Sacra- 
ment of Thy love. I give Thee my heart and my love, 
if my poor love can comfort Thee. I love Thee above 
all things, and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. 
Since I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally, 
come at least spiritually into my heart, and nourish my 
soul unto life everlasting. Let my soul, O Lord, feel 
Thy sweetness. Let me taste how sweet Thou art, O 
Lord, that, being allured by Thy love, I may never sin 
by running passionately after worldly pleasures. "Thou 
art the God of my heart, and the God that is my por- 
tion for ever." Oh, Thou Lamb of God, Who takest 
away the sins of the world, take away from me what- 
ever may hurt me and displease Thee. Give me but 
Thy love and Thy grace! May the sweet flame of Thy 
love consume my soul, that so I may die to the world 
for the love of Thee, as Thou hast vouchsafed to die 
upon the cross for the love of me. 

PRAYERS AFTER COMMUNION. 

BEING fed with peaceful delights and life-giving 
sacraments, we suppliantly beseech Thee, O 
Lord our God, that Thou, Who art meek and humble 
of heart, wouldst make us clean from the stain of every 
vice, and cause us to abhor more steadfastly the vanities 
of the world. 

AY we be renewed, O Lord, by the sacred mysteries 
we have received; and may they expiate bur 
sins, and prepare us for Thy eternal mercies. Amen. 

AT THE BLESSING. 

BLESSED be the Sacred Heart of Jesus! Bless us, 
O Lord, as Thou didst bless the little children, 




the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 



34 1 



and again Thy disciples at Thy glorious ascension into 
heaven, so that we may persevere in Thy grace, and be 
numbered on the last day among the elect, whom Thou 
wilt call the blessed of Thy Father, and invite into Thy 
eternal kingdom. 

AT THE LAST GOSPEL. 

V. The beginning of the holy Gospel, according to St. John. 
R. Glory be to Thee, O Lord. 

IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 
with God, and the Word was God: the same was 
in the beginning with God. All things were made by 
Him, and without Him was made nothing that was 
made : in Him was life and the life was the light of men : 
and the light shine th in darkness, and the darkness did 
not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, 
whose name was John. This man came for a witness 
to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe 
through him. He was not the light, but was to give 
testimony of the light. That was the true light which 
enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. He 
was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and 
the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and 
His own received Him not. But as many as received 
Him, He gave them power to be made the sons of God: 
to them that believe in His name, who are born, not of 
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 
but of God. And the Word was made flesh (here 
the people kneel), and dwelt among us: and we saw His 
glory, the glory as it were of the Only-begotten of the 
Father, full of grace and truth. 
R. Thanks be to God. 

AFTER MASS. 

The Anima Christi, as on page 213; prayers ordered 
by Pope Leo XIII. to be said after every Low Mass, as 
on page 228. 



342 



A Mode of Hearing Mass 



a /IDofce of Tbearmg ZlDass for tbe ffaitbful 

2>epartet>- 

MAKE YOUR INTENTION. 

f*\ GOD of all mercy, I come to offer Thee the blood 
of the Lamb without spot, for the souls which 
Thou lovest, and which long and sigh for the blessed- 
ness of seeing Thee and glorifying Thee in heaven. 
Just, indeed, are Thy punishments; yet, we beseech 
Thee, open to them this day the boundless treasure of 
the satisfaction of Thy divine Son; and bestow upon 
them in this holy sacrifice wherewithal to discharge 
the debt which they still owe to Thy sovereign justice. 

If you intend to communicate, and wish to offer your 
communion for particular souls, say: 

I beseech Thee, O Lord, to apply to the souls of N.N. 
the indulgences which I hope to be able to obtain by 
the communion I am about to receive. 

A PRAYER BEFORE MASS. 

r\ ETERNAL God, Who, besides the general pre- 
cepts of charity, hast commanded a particular 
respect to be shown to parents, priests, kindred, and 
benefactors, and by the institution of the sacrifice of 
the Mass hast left us the means of testifying our love 
and gratitude toward them even after death, vouchsafe 
that the Mass I this day offer in union with Thy minister, 
for the souls of N.N. may shorten their sufferings, if 
they be still detained in the purifying flames of purgatory. 

As there may be many of my friends, relatives, bene- 
factors, spiritual or temporal, or ancestors, tormented in 
these intense flames, who were the instruments of Thy 
providence in bestowing on me existence, education, and 
innumerable other blessings, grant that I may be the 



For the Faithful Departed. 343 



means of obtaining for them a speedy release from their 
excessive sufferings, and a free admittance to Thy eter- 
nal joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

AT THE BEGINNING OF MASS. 

r\ ALMIGHTY God, with Whom the spirits of the 
just live, and in Whose holy custody are deposited 
the souls of all that depart hence in an inferior degree of 
grace, and are therefore detained in a state of suffering; 
as we bless Thee for the saints already admitted into 
Thy glory, so we humbly offer up our prayers for the 
afflicted souls who continually sigh after the days of 
their deliverance. 

If among them be the souls of those for whom we this 
day petition, vouchsafe to pardon their sins, that they 
may behold Thee, and in Thy glorious light eternally 
rejoice. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

IXTROIT. 

RANT them, O Lord, eternal rest, and let per- 
petual light shine upon them. Ps. A hymn 
becometh Thee, O Lord, in Sion. and a vow shall be 
paid to Thee in Jerusalem; hear my prayer; all flesh 
shall come to Thee. Grant them, etc. 
Lord, have mercy on them. 
Christ, have mercy on them. 
Lord, have mercy on them. 

COLLECTS. 

/~\ GOD, Whose property is always to have mercy 
and to spare, we humbly beseech Thee for the 
soul of Thy servant X., that Thou wouldst not deliver 
it up into the hands of the enemy, nor forget it unto the 
end, but command it to be received by Thy holy angels, 
and to be carried to paradise, its true country, that, as 




344 



A Mode of Hearing Mass 



in Thee it hoped and trusted, it may not have to endure 
the pains of hell, but come to the possession of eternal 
joys. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

f~\ GOD, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faith- 
ful, grant unto the souls of Thy servants de- 
parted the remission of all their sins, that by pious sup- 
plications they may obtain the pardon which they have 
always desired. Grant this, O God, Who livest and 
reignest for ever and ever. Amen. 

EPISTLE, 
(i. Thess. iv. 12-16.) 

BRETHREN: And we will not have you ignorant 
concerning them that are asleep, that you be 
not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope. 

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even 
so them who have slept through Jesus, will God bring 
with Him. 

For this we say unto you in the word of the Lord, that 
we who are alive, who remain unto the coming of the 
Lord, shall not prevent them who have slept. 

For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven 
with commandment and with the voice of an archangel, 
and with the trumpet of God: and the dead who are in 
Christ shall rise first. 

Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken 
up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, inta 
the air, and so shall we be always with the Lord, 

GRADUAL. 

TERNAL rest grant to them, and may perpetual 
light shine upon them. V. (Ps. cxi. 7.) The 
just shall be in everlasting remembrance; he shall not 
fear the evil hearing. 




For the Faithful Departed. 345 



TRACT. 

ELEASE, O Lord, the souls of all the faithful 
departed from the bonds of their sins. V. And 
by the assistance of Thy mercy, may they escape the 
sentence of Thy justice. V. And enjoy the bliss of 
eternal light. 

THE SEQUENCE. 

{Dies Im. See page 986.) 

THE GOSPEL. 

T that time Jesus said to the multitude of the 
Jews: Amen, amen, I say unto you that the 
hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the 
voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. 
For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given 
to the Son also to have, life in Himself; and He hath 
given Him power to do judgment, because He is the 
Son of man. Wonder not at this, for the hour cometh 
wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of 
the Son of God; and they that have done good shall 
come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they that 
have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. 

THE OFFERTORY. 

OLORD Jesus Christ, King of glory! deliver the 
souls of all the faithful departed from the pain- 
ful prison of purgatory. We offer Thee, eternal Father, 
a sacrifice of praise and of prayer : accept it on behalf of 
the souls we commemorate this day, and let them pass 
from death to life. 

Here make an offering also of your own death and suffer- 
ings in union with the holy sacrifice, thus: 

O my God, I offer Thee also the hour of my death 
and all the pains I am destined to suffer from this moment 





346 



A Mode of Hearing Mass 



until my last breath, for Thy glory, and in union with 
the bitter pains of Jesus' Passion and death. 

AY the most just, most high, and most adorable 
will of God be done in all things, be praised and 
magnified for ever. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius VII., May 19, 1818. 

OMNIPOTENT Lord! Who dost permit evil that 
good may spring from it, listen to the humble 
prayers, by which we ask of Thee the grace of remain- 
ing faithful to Thee, even unto death. Grant us also, 
through the intercession of Mary ever blessed, that we 
may always conform ourselves to Thy most holy will. 

SECRET. 

AVE mercy, we beseech Thee, O Lord, on the 
souls of Thy servants (name them), for whom 
we offer this Victim of praise, humbly beseeching Thy 
majesty that by this sacrifice they may arrive at rest 
eternal, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PREFACE. 

IT is truly just and salutary, to return Thee thanks 
at all times, and in all places, O almighty Father, 
eternal God. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, and 
through His merits, we hope for a glorious resurrection; 
so that if the sentence of death alarm and deject, the 
promise of immortality consoles and animates us; for 
to Thy faithful servants death is only a passage from 
this life to a better one. Therefore we unite with all 
the blessed citizens of the heavenly country in singing 
a hymn to Thy glory, and saying without ceasing : Holy, 
holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth: heaven and earth 
are full of Thy glory. Blessed is He that cometh in the 
name of the Lord; His blood pleads for pardon, and 
His voice rises ever to the throne of mercy in behalf 
of the faithful. Amen. 





For the Faithful Departed. 



347 



THE CANON. 

E therefore suppliantly beseech Thee, O Father 
of mercies, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our 
Lord, graciously to accept and bless this holy sacrifice 
which we offer Thee for the peace and prosperity of 
the holy Catholic Church, for Thy servant, our father, 
Pope N., for our bishop and clergy, and for all Thy 
faithful Catholic people: for the living, that they may 
prepare for death; and for the dead, that they may 
obtain eternal rest. 

£ recommend to Thee, O Lord, the souls of Thy 
servants N.N., and as, in mercy to them, Thou 
didst become man, so now vouchsafe to admit them into 
the number of the blessed. Remember, O Lord, that 
the souls for whom we pray are Thy creatures, not made 
by strange gods, but by Thee, the only true and living 
God, for there is no other God but Thee ; none that can 
work wonders like unto Thine. 

Let their souls find comfort and mercy in Thy sight, 
and remember not their former sins, nor any of those 
faults they may have fallen into through human frailty, 
or the violence of temptation; for though they sinned, 
they still retained a true faith in Thee, O Holy Trinity, 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and a lively zeal for Thy 
honor; they faithfully adored Thee and died in favor 
with Thee, O divine Lord, as well as in peace and 
charity with all mankind. 

Remember not, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the sins 
and ignorance of their youth, but according to Thy 
great mercy, be mindful of them in Thy glory. May 
the heavens be now opened to receive them. May the 
archangel St. Michael, chief of the heavenly host, con- 
duct them. May the holy angels of God meet and 
accompany them into the city of the heavenly Jerusalem. 
May blessed Peter, the apostle to whom were given the 



348 



A Mode of Hearing Mass 



keys of heaven, receive them. May holy Paul, the 
apostle who was a vessel of election, help them. May 
St. John, the beloved disciple to whom God revealed 
the secrets of heaven, intercede for them. May all the 
holy apostles, to whom was given the power of binding 
and loosing, pray for them. May all the blessed and 
chosen servants of God intercede for them, that being 
delivered from present confinement and suffering, they 
may be admitted into the kingdom of heaven, through 
the assistance and merits of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, Who livest, etc. 

And now, all-powerful God, at this awful moment, 
when, by the words of consecration, Thy divine Son is 
actually present, I offer up to Thee this same beloved 
Son, Who died for mankind. I humbly entreat Thee, 
through the infinite merits of His death, to show com- 
passion and mercy to the souls for whose repose the holy 
sacrifice is this day offered. 

AT THE ELEVATION. 

x\IL! most blessed Jesus, eternal Son of the most 
high God ! Oh, deign to be merciful to those for 
whom we pray ; Thou Who didst expire on the cross for 
their sake, give rest to their souls. 

*ip^ AIL ! sacred blood, that flowed for the sins of the 

world; wash away whatever stains may render 
Thy servants unfit to be admitted into heaven. O 
good and merciful God, look on the face of Thy Christ, 
in Whom Thou art always well pleased, and permit the 
souls for which He suffered to rest eternally in Thy 
divine presence. 

AFTER THE ELEVATION. 

*T~!ORD Jesus Christ, w T e earnestly entreat Thee by 
«-■— * Thy bitter agony and prayer in the garden to 




For the Faithful Departed. 349 



become an advocate with Thy eternal Father on behalf 
of Thy servants N.N. Lay before Him, we conjure 
Thee, all thGse drops of blood which in Thy anguish of 
spirit flowed from Thy sacred body, and offer them as 
a sacrifice of atonement, that thereby the souls of N.N. 
may be discharged from all the punishment still due to 
divine Justice for their sins. 

^T^ORD Jesus, Who wast pleased to suffer death on 

* the cross for the redemption of mankind, we 
humbly beseech Thee to offer up all the anguish and pain 
which Thou didst endure, especially at the moment of 
Thy death, on behalf of Thy servants, that Thy precious 
merits may be accepted for the repose of their souls. 

*~T~!ORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the pre- 

* cious body and blood of Thy divine Son Jesus, 
w T hich He gave with His own hand upon the eve of His 
Passion to His beloved apostles to be their meat and 
drink, and which He left to His whole Church to be a 
perpetual sacrifice and life-giving food of His own faith- 
ful people, deliver the souls in purgatory, and espe- 
cially that one which was most devoted to this mystery 
of infinite love; that, with Thy divine Son, and with 
Thy Holy Spirit, it may ever praise Thee for this Thy 
wondrous love in Thy eternal glory. Amen. 

*"r"!ORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the pre- 
cious blood which Thy divine Son shed on the 
cross from His most sacred hands and feet, deliver the 
souls in purgatory, and especially that soul for which I 
am most bound to pray; that the blame rest not with 
me that Thou bringest it not forthwith to praise Thee 
in Thy glory and to bless Thee forever. Amen. 

"T^ORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the pre- 
r*-^ cious blood, which gushed forth from the side 
of Thy divine Son Jesus, in the sight and to the extreme 



35° 



A Mode of Hearing Mass 



pain of His most holy Mother, deliver the souls in pur- 
gatory, and especially that one amongst them, which 
was ever the most devout to our blessed Lady; that it 
may soon attain unto Thy glory, there to praise Thee 
in her, and her in Thee, w T orld without end. Amen. 

Have mercy, also, O Lord, in a particular manner 
upon all the souls in purgatory, who once belonged to 
this House, and upon all who were members of our 
Congregation. 

Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let per- 
petual light shine upon them. Amen. 

PATER XOSTER. 

/~\ DIVINE Jesus! at Whose name every knee doth 
bend, in heaven, on earth, and in hell! Sovereign 
Judge of the living and the dead! may Thy name be 
honored by the deliverance of the souls for whom we 
pray. May the gates of heaven be open to receive 
them, and may Thy will, which desires the salvation of 
all men, be this day perfectly done in their regard. 
Grant that, after having been fed on the bread of sor- 
row, they may be fed with the living Bread of heaven 
in the possession of Thyself. We implore Thy forgive- 
ness of the sins of our parents, friends, and benefactors, 
particularly of the sins to which we unhappily have been 
accessory. Preserve us from those avenging flames, 
which we have but too well merited by our repeated 
abuse of grace, our tepidity in Thy service, and our neg- 
ligence in resisting temptation. Deliver us from sin, the 
greatest of all evils, and enable us to feel and under- 
stand that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands 
of the living God. Amen. 

AT THE AGNUS DEI. 

*T~1AMB of God, Who takest away the sins of the 
«-■— * world, grant them rest. Lamb of God, Who 



For the Faithful Departed, 



35 1 



takest away the sins of the world, grant them rest. Lamb 
of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant 
them everlasting rest. 

AT THE COMMUNION. 

I MOST ardently desire, O my adorable Saviour, 
that Thou wouldst honor this day the dwelling of 
my heart by Thy divine presence. With what confi- 
dence could I then implore rest and eternal peace for 
the suffering souls of purgatory whom Thou lovest, 
though Thy justice forces Thee to banish them for a 
time from their heavenly inheritance. Look, neverthe- 
less, O merciful Redeemer, on the work of Thy hands; 
hasten the happy hour of their deliverance. Grant me 
the graces of a spiritual communion, that I may sub- 
missively accept and patiently bear all that is disagree- 
able and painful to inclination, and thus avert a long 
separation from Thee after the close of my mortal life. 
Amen. 

POST-COMMUNION. 

RANT, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that our 
humble prayers on behalf of the souls of Thy 
servants, both men and women, may be profitable to 
them ; so that Thou mayest deliver them from all punish- 
ment due to their sins, and make them partakers of 
the redemption Thou hast purchased for them. Who 
livest, etc. 

AT THE LAST GOSPEL. 

|T\AY now the bright company of angels meet your 
souls, O departed servants of the Lord; may 
the holy apostles receive you; may the triumphant 
army of glorious martyrs, confessors, and virgins wel- 
come you; and may peace and joy be your portion for- 
ever in the company of all the saints. May you behold 




352 Mode of Hearing Mass in Honor 

this day your blessed Redeemer face to face in the gar- 
den of paradise, and rejoice forever in the Beatific Vision 
— the happiness of the elect. 

A PRAYER AFTER MASS. 

ND now, O God, having recommended to Thy 
mercy the souls of Thy departed servants, grant 
we may ever remember that we are most certainly to 
follow them. Give us grace to prepare for our last hour 
by a good life, that so death, however sudden it may be, 
may not find us unworthy of admittance into eternal 
glory. Open likewise the eyes, and soften the hearts 
of all sinners; inspire them, we humbly beseech Thee, 
with a true sense of their dreadful danger, that by a 
timely consideration of the uncertainty of life, and the 
certainty of death, they may be sincerely converted, 
and, obtaining pardon for their sins in this life, be happy 
with Thee forever in the next. Amen. 




/IDofce of Ibeadng /IDaas in Ibonor of tbe 

IN the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

A PRAYER BEFORE MASS. 

/~\ MY God, I humbly prostrate myself before Thee, 
to assist at the holy sacrifice of the Mass, and to 
adore my sovereign Lord in the great mystery of the 
Passion and death of Thy holy Son. I praise and 
glorify Thee in union with the holy and immaculate 
Virgin Mary, whom Thou hast sanctified and preserved 
from all stain of original sin, and hast ordained to be 
the Mother of Thy only-begotten Son, my Lord and 



of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 



353 



Redeemer. Grant that I and all these faithful here 
present may assist at the celebration of this mystery of 
love with humility and purity of heart, with that rever- 
ence, fervor, and devotion with which Mary, the blessed 
Mother of Jesus Christ, prayed to Thee during the 
many years she remained in the Temple; but particu- 
larly when she received the message of the angel, who, 
in Thy name, saluted her — "full of grace, and blessed 
amongst women." 

O holy Mary, Mother of God, and Queen of heaven 
and earth! to thee we, poor banished children of Eve, 
have recourse. I intend to assist at this holy sacrifice 
in thanksgiving to God the Father, for having predes- 
tined thee His chosen daughter; to the eternal Son 
for having made thee His beloved Mother; to the Holy 
Ghost for having sanctified thee His cherished spouse. 
Pray for me and for all thy servants. Obtain that I 
may participate in the fruits of the Passion and death 
of thy beloved Son, Our Lord and Redeemer, on Whose 
mysteries I am going to meditate during this holy sacri- 
fice of the Mass. Amen. 

O Mary, refuge of sinners, conceived without sin, 
pray for us who have recourse to thee! 

AT THE BEGINNING OF MASS. 

r\ INFINITE Creator and merciful God! Thou 
hast been pleased, by the incarnation of Thy 
only-begotten Son, to repair the losses caused by the 
disobedience of our first parents; Thou didst send the 
angel Gabriel to that chosen maid who, by becoming 
the Mother of the Redeemer, crushed the infernal ser- 
pent's head, and brought salvation to all mankind. Do 
Thou, O Lord, Who displayed Thy infinite power in 
forgiving and showing mercy to poor sinners, give ear 
to our humble prayers, and grant that we, who firmly 
believe that Thy eternal Son became man in the chaste 



354 



Mode of Hearing Mass in Honor 



womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that she is, there- 
fore, truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her 
prayers. I adore Thee, O my God, in this profound 
mystery, the fruits whereof were first felt by the pre- 
cursor, who, at the words of Mary's salutation to St. 
Elizabeth, was sanctified in his mother's womb. Let 
us give praise to God, for He is good, and His mercy 
endure th for ever. My soul doth magnify the Lord; my 
spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour. But I am unworthy, 
O Lord, of Thy favors. How can I dare to appear 
before Thee, O my God? 

I confess to almighty God, to the blessed and immacu- 
late Mary, ever virgin, to St. Michael the archangel, 
to John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and 
Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned in thought, 
word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, 
through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech 
the blessed and immaculate Mary, ever virgin, blessed 
Michael the archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the 
holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray 
to the Lord our God for me. 

May the almighty God have mercy on me, forgive 
me my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. Amen. 

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant me par- 
don, absolution, and remission of all my sins. Amen. 

To thee, O merciful Queen of heaven and earth, I 
have recourse. It has never been heard of that any 
one invoked thee and was forsaken. Plead for me 
before thy divine Son and obtain for me the pardon of 
my sins. 



AT THE INTROIT. 



*"pi AIL, holy Mother, who didst bring forth the King 
who reigns over heaven and earth forever! 
Hail, Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee; 
blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the 



of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



355 



fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, 
pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. 
Amen. 

AT THE KYRIE ELEISON. 

LORD, have mercy on me! O Jesus, have mercy 
on me! O Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, a 

sinner ! 

O Mary, refuge of sinners, pray for me! 

AT THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. 

LORY be to God on high, and peace on earth to 
men of good-will. O my God, I unite my 
praises with those which the heavenly spirits sang to 
Thee on that night, when Thy beloved Son, made man, 
was born of the Virgin Mary in the stable of Bethlehem. 
My heart is full of gladness, because for my salvation 
the Word of God was made man, and dwelt among men. 
Glory, praise, and adoration be to God the Father, to 
God the Son, and to God the Holy Ghost; three Per- 
sons in one God. O holy Virgin Mary, thou art the 
glorious Mother of my Redeemer. Remember the joy 
thy immaculate and maternal heart did feel when for 
the first time thou didst behold, adore, and embrace 
thy God and thy infant Son in the stable of Bethlehem. 
O blessed Mother of God, pray to thy Son, that I may 
be made partaker of the joy of heaven. Amen. 

COLLECT OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. — FROM THE VOTIVE 
MASS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 

Let us pray. 




y^RANT, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we 
Thy servants may enjoy perpetual health of 
mind and body; and by the glorious intercession of the 



356 Mode of Hearing Mass in Honor 

blessed Mary, ever virgin, may be delivered from pres- 
ent sadness and enjoy eternal gladness. Through Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, etc. 



FOR THE CHURCH. 



ERCIFULLY hear, O Lord, the prayers of Thy 
Church, that all opposition and error being re- 
moved, she may serve Thee with undisturbed devotion. 




FOR THE POPE. 



r\ LORD God, the Pastor and Ruler of all the faith- 
ful, look down on Thy servant N., whom Thou 
hast appointed pastor over Thy Church, and grant, we 
beseech Thee, that he may edify, both by word and 
example, those who are under his charge, and that with 
the flock entrusted to him he may arrive at eternal hap- 
piness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 



AT THE EPISTLE. 

r\ ALMIGHTY and merciful God, Who never 
ceasest to direct our hearts to the knowledge of 
Thy law, to instruct us through the ministry of Thy holy 
Church, grant that we may faithfully attend to the 
lessons of salvation which Thou givest us. May Thy 
holy word fructify in the soil of our hearts; may our 
souls be guided by Thy holy law and directed to the 
possession of Thee. O God, have mercy on us, and 
bring us to Thee, as by the appearance of a miraculous 
star Thou didst bring the Wise Men to the stable of 
Bethlehem, where they found and adored the Saviour 
in the arms of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His holy Mother, 
and offered Him, with their hearts, their mysterious 
presents. O blessed Mary, obtain for us the grace to 
follow the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, and amid 



of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



357 



the perils that beset our path in this world, to direct 
our steps in the way of salvation. O Alary, guide us to 
Jesus, 

. . . by the light of thee, 
Bright Star of the Sea! 

AT THE GOSPEL. 

Y dear \ Redeemer, I give Thee thanks for the 
inestimable favor Thou hast bestowed upon me, 
by calling me to the knowledge of Thy holy Gospel, 
and making me a child of the one holy Catholic and 
Apostolic Church. I believe and confess all and each 
of the articles of faith which Thou hast revealed to Thy 
Church, and which the same Church proposes and 
teaches. I am ready, if it be Thy will, to shed the last 
drop of my blood for my faith. I return Thee thanks 
for that love which prompted Thee to leave to Thy 
Church in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar Thy body 
and blood, Thy soul and divinity. I believe, O Lord, 
that Thou art really present in the Holy Eucharist. When 
with the eyes of faith I see my Lord upon the altar, I 
can say: "Now, O Lord, let Thy servant depart in 
peace, for my eyes have seen Thy salvation/' O sweet 
Alary, thou didst bring thy holy Son to the Temple, and 
didst offer Him to the eternal Father. The holy man 
Simeon received Jesus in his arms from thy hands. Oh, 
bring my Saviour into my poor heart, that I may love 
nothing else but Him and thee. x\men. 

AT THE OFFERTORY. 

HOLY Father, almighty and eternal God, accept 
from the hands of Thy minister the unspotted 
Host which he offers Thee in the name of the Church, 
for the honor, glory, and adoration of Thy divine Majesty, 
in memory of the nativity, life, sufferings, death, Resur- 




358 Mode of Hearing Mass in Honor 

rection, and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and in 
honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of all the saints. 
In the spirit of humility and contrition of heart I now 
offer to Thee, O Lord, this bread and wine, which, 
through the words of benediction, w r hich Christ our 
Lord instituted at the Last Supper, will be changed into 
the body and blood of Thy divine Son, our Saviour. 
Come, O almighty and eternal God, the Sanctifier, and 
bless this sacrifice prepared for the praise and glory 
of Thy holy name. Receive, O Lord, this sacrifice to 
the praise and glory of Thy infinite Majesty, to our 
benefit, and to that of the whole Church, and also to the 
honor of the blessed Mother of Jesus Christ, that she 
may vouchsafe to intercede for us in heaven whose mem- 
ory we celebrate on earth. Through Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

O merciful God, direct and assist me in the dangers 
of this life, as Thou didst direct Mary, the blessed 
Mother of Jesus, and her pure spouse, St. Joseph, in 
their flight into Egypt. O Lord, save Thy servants, 
who repose all their confidence in Thee, and who honor 
Thy blessed Mother. 

SECRET. 

AY this oblation procure us peace and happiness 
here and hereafter, through the intercession of 
the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

FOR THE CHURCH. 

ROTECT us, O Lord, while we assist at Thy 
sacred mysteries, that being employed in acts 
of religion w r e may serve Thee both in body and 
mind. 





of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



359 



FOR THE POPE. 

BE appeased, O Lord, with the offering we have 
made, and cease not to protect Thy servant, 
N., whom Thou hast been pleased to appoint pastor 
over Thy Church. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

AT THE PREFACE. 

IT is truly meet, and just, and right, and available to 
salvation, that we should always, and in all places, 
give thanks to Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, 
eternal God, and bless and glorify Thee, on the venera- 
tion * of the blessed Mary, ever virgin, who, by the over- 
shadowing of the Holy Ghost, conceived Thy only- 
begotten Son, and, her virginity still remaining, brought 
forth the eternal Light of the world, Jesus Christ our 
Lord. By whom the angels praise Thy Majesty, the 
dominations adore it, the powers tremble before it, the 
heavens, the heavenly virtues and blessed seraphim 
with common jubilee, glorify it. Together with whom 
we beseech Thee that we may be admitted to join our 
humble voices, saying: 

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; the heavens 
and the earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the 
highest. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the 
Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 

AT THE CANON. 

r\ ALMIGHTY God, Thy beloved Son and my 
Lord Jesus Christ has commanded me, by His 
word and example, to be always occupied with the 
things that are Thine. It was in the Temple that His 
blessed Mother and St. Joseph found Him on the third 
day after His departure from them. Grant that I may 



* Name the particular festival. 



360 Mode of Hearing Mass in Honor 

never depart from Thee by sin. But if I ever have 
the misfortune of forfeiting Thy holy grace, I will sue 
again for mercy in the Sacrament of Penance. Pray 
for me, O glorious Mother of God, and be my advocate 
before thy Son. At thy suggestion He changed, in Cana 
of Galilee, water into wine; beg of Him to change my 
heart too, to purify and sanctify it, that it may be worthy 
of Him for ever. 

my God, when Mary pronounced these words: 
" Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me 
according to thy word," Thy only-begotten Son became 
incarnate in her womb. In like manner at the words 
of consecration, which are about to be pronounced by 
Thy minister, the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, descends 
on our altars, and miraculously changes the substance 
of bread and wine into His body and blood, soul and 
divinity. I humbly adore Thee, O loving Saviour, in 
this mystery of Thy love. Through that divine charity 
which moved Thee to utter those consoling words a 
few moments before the institution of this Sacrament: 
"With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with 
you before I suffer," I beg of Thee to have mercy on 
me, and to forgive me my sins. Help me in my necessi- 
ties, strengthen me against the enemies of my soul, and 
grant me the grace I stand in need of to secure my 
eternal salvation. 

1 pray to Thee also, O Lord, for Thy holy Church, 
for our holy father the Pope, for our bishops, and all 
pastors of souls; for our Superior and for all the mem- 
bers of our Order, for my parents, relatives, benefac- 
tors, friends, and enemies. Grant Thy particular 
blessings to the pious clients of Thy blessed Mother. 
Bless the poor, the sick, and those who are in their 
agony. Have mercy on those who have recommended 
themselves to my prayers, who pray for me, and finally 
on all those for whom I am in justice or charity bound 
to pray. Grant peace and concord to all Christian 



of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



361 



princes and people. Convert poor sinners, enlighten 
infidels, and bring back heretics from the ways of error. 
May all be united in one fold, under one Shepherd, 
Jesus Christ, the true Pastor of our souls. 

Holy Mary, thy divine Son now comes upon the 
altar. Present to Him my lowly adoration. O my 
Jesus, come; come, my Saviour. Receive the prayers 
I offer Thee through the hands of Thy blessed Mother. 
Come, O Lord Jesus. With the angels, who are prostrate 
before the altar, I exclaim: Holy, holy, holy, Hosanna 
to Him that cometh from the highest heavens — ever 
blessed be His name'. 

AT THE ELEVATION OF THE HOST. 

f \ JESUS Christ, Thou art the true Son of God. I 
adore Thee in this holy Sacrament. Be Thou 
propitious to me and forgive me my sins. 

AT THE ELEVATION OF THE CHALICE. 

f~\ ADORABLE blood, which Jesus, the true Son 
of God and true Son of Mary, has shed for me 
on the cross! I adore Thee, O my Redeemer, and I 
hide myself in Thy sacred wounds, from which the 
price of my redemption flowed. O Jesus, grant that I 
may live for Thee and die for Thee. Help, O Lord, 
Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy 
precious blood. 

AFTER THE ELEVATION. 

An Act of Adoration. 

r\ MERCIFUL Father, look down from Thy 
heavenly throne on the holy and immaculate 
Victim now reposing on this altar. Thou hast given 
us Thy only Son, and with Him and through Him Thou 
hast bestowed on us all the treasures of Thy grace. In 
this holy sacrifice Thou hast furnished us with the means 



362 



Mode of Hearing Mass in Honor 



of offering Thee the adoration Thou deservest. Jesus 
Christ here present adores Thee for us. Accept His 
adoration, which is worthy of Thy sovereign Majesty. 
Ah! how happy am I to have wherewith to discharge 
my obligation toward Thy divine Majesty. This 
oblation is infinitely more pleasing in Thy sight than 
those of Thy servant Abel, of Abraham, the father of 
the faithful, or of Melchisedech, the high priest, who 
offered bread and wine as the figure of the sacrifice of 
Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 

AN ACT OF THANKSGIVING. 

^TjXCEPT, O most merciful God, the sacrifice of 
<sJ'-*^ Thy Son in thanksgiving for all the benefits 
Thou hast granted me. Thou hast created me to Thine 
own image and likeness. Thou hast redeemed me 
with Thy Son's precious blood. Thou hast called 
me to the true faith, and preserved me from eternal 
death, which I so often deserved for my sins. Thou 
hast called me as one of Thy favored children to follow 
Thee more closely in the way of the evangelical counsels. 
What return shall I make Thee for these and all Thy 
favors? I offer Thee Thy only Son, Who, before He 
instituted this Most Holy Sacrament, lifted up His eyes, 
and gave thanks to Thee, His Father almighty. I 
offer Him now immolated on this altar; and thus I 
make an adequate thanksgiving for all the blessings 
Thou hast bestowed on me and on all mankind. 

AN ACT OF ATONEMENT. 

ESUS, my Saviour! By Thy Passion and death 
Thou hast purchased for me the rewards of 
eternal life, and Thou still continuest to offer Thyself 
a holocaust of propitiation in the holy sacrifice of the 
Mass. Therefore, I offer Thee to Thy eternal Father 



of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



363 



as an atonement for my innumerable sins. O heavenly 
Father, by the sacrifice of Thy Son Thou hast cancelled 
the handwriting of the decree which stood against me, 
and hast fastened it to the cross. No longer does the 
blood of calves or other victims propitiate Thee to peni- 
tent sinners; Jesus is our atonement. His precious 
blood, like that of Abel, cries out to Thee for mercy. 
Look on Thy divine Son; forgive me my sins, which I 
detest from the bottom of my heart. Have mercy on 
me a sinner; forgive me through the merits of Jesus 
Christ. 

AN ACT OF SUPPLICATION. 

MY God, I am unworthy to appear before Thee. 
I acknowledge my misery and poverty. Thou 
art the fountain of all grace, and the source of all good. 
Thy beloved Son has commanded me to pray to Thee, 
and to call Thee by the consoling name of Father. There- 
fore I prostrate myself with confidence before Thee, and 
present to Thee my humble supplication through the 
same Lord Jesus Christ, Who makes intercession for 
me. Grant me a lively faith, a firm and constant hope, 
and an ardent charity toward Thee and my neighbor. 
Save my soul. Give me strength to vanquish my 
spiritual enemies. Grant me a humble resignation to 
Thy holy will in the adversities of this life; and, above 
all, the gifts of final perseverance in Thy love and ser- 
vice. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Have mercy also, O Lord, on the souls of the faithful 
departed — on those of my parents, benefactors, rela- 
tives, friends, and on all those for whom I am bound to 
pray. Remember, O Lord, those who while living were 
most devoted to Thy blessed Mother; grant them all 
rest from their torments, and bring them to heaven. 
I apply to the souls in purgatory the holy indulgences 
granted to the faithful who assist at the holy sacrifice of 
the Mass, and I intend to enter into the dispositions 



3 6 4 



Mode of Hearing Mass in Honor 



necessary to gain them, through Thy grace and 
mercy. 

Our Father, Who art in heaven, etc. 

O my Redeemer! Thou hast commanded me by 
word and example to forgive my enemies. I forgive 
them from the bottom of my heart for the love of Thee. 
Grant them, O Lord, all the graces and blessings that 
are necessary for their spiritual and temporal welfare. 
Now, my Saviour, as I have done what Thou hast com- 
manded, do Thou fulfil what Thou hast promised, and 
forgive me my sins. 

Thou didst not forget me, O sweet Jesus, even in Thy 
agony. Before expiring on the cross Thou didst leave me 
Thy sorrowful and afflicted Mother to be my Mother 
also. " Behold thy Son— behold thy Mother." I re- 
turn Thee thanks, O my Saviour, for this inestimable 
favor. And thou, my tender Mother, thou hast begotten 
me at the foot of the cross. I am the child of thy sorrow. 
Take me under thy protection. Conduct me to Jesus. 
Teach me to love Him. O Mother, O tender Mother! 
how happy am I in the glorious privilege of being thy 
child. O Marv, show that thou art mv Mother. 

AGNUS DEI. 




AMB of God, Who takest away the sins of the 
1 world, have mercy on me. (Three times.) 



SPIRITUAL COMMUNION. 

JESUS! Thou hast given us in the Holy Eucharist 
Thy body and blood to be our spiritual nourish- 
ment, through which we may have life everlasting. 
W^ould that I were worthy to receive Thee this day in 
the holy communion! I desire, with all my heart, to 
receive the living Bread which came down from 
heaven. 



of the Blessed Virgin Alary. 



365 



O Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter 
under my roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be 
healed. (Three times.) Let me taste, at least, the 
sweetness of a spiritual communion. Come to me, 
Jesus, my Lord, my Master. Come and refresh my 
soul. Strengthen me, that in union with Thee I may 
do perfectly the heavenly Father's will. Let me never 
be separated from Thee by sin. 

Soul of Jesus, sanctify me. Body of Jesus, save me. 
Blood of Jesus, wash me. Water out of the side of 
Jesus, purify me. Passion of Jesus, comfort me. O 
good Jesus, hear me. Hide me within Thy sacred 
wounds. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, receive me. O 
immaculate heart of Mary, plead for me, and love me. 

O sweet Mother, obtain for me the grace of receiving 
the holy communion with worthy dispositions, especially 
in my last sickness, when I shall be called to appear 
before the tribunal of God, that, through the merits of 
my Saviour's death and Passion, and thy intercession, 
I may have life everlasting. Amen. 

AFTER COMMUNION. 

Y loving Saviour, after having suffered for three 
hours the most cruel agony; after having accom- 
plished all that had been foretold of Thee, Thou didst 
expire on the cross. All nature trembled at Thy death. 
The rocks were split asunder — and yet, alas, my un- 
grateful heart is insensible. I have, by my sins, been 
Thy heartless executioner. O my Redeemer, how 
can I dare to stand before Thee? But Thou didst 
pardon the penitent thief; and this inspires me with 
the hope that Thou wilt pardon me also, and admit me,, 
like him, to the enjoyment of Thy happy kingdom. 

O Mary, Queen of martyrs, through the sorrow which 
overwhelmed thy heart at the foot of the cross, while 
thou wert witnessing the last painful act of Our Saviour's 




366 



Mode of Hearing Mass in Honor 



Passion — through the anguish thou didst feel when 
thou didst accompany His sacred body to the tomb, and 
the desolation thou didst experience on thy return, I 
beseech thee to obtain that His Passion and thy sorrows 
may be ever engraven on my heart, that I may never 
cease to deplore my sins, which were the cause of His 
death and of thy anguish. 

AT THE POST-COMMUNION. 

AVING received, O Lord, what is calculated to 
advance our salvation, grant that we may be 
always protected by the patronage of the blessed Mary, 
ever virgin, in whose honor we have offered this sacrifice 
to Thy divine majesty. 

FOR THE CHURCH. 

E beseech Thee, O Lord, not to leave exposed 
to the perils of human life those whom Thou 
hast permitted to partake of these mysteries. 

FOR THE POPE. 

E beseech Thee, O Lord, that the participation of 
this Divine Sacrament may protect us from all 
dangers, and redound to the safety and defence of Thy 
servant, N., whom Thou hast appointed pastor over Thy 
Church, together with the flock committed to his charge. 
Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

AT THE BENEDICTION . 

OLY and adorable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, to Thee be honor, praise, and glory. 
May this blessing, which I humbly receive from the 
hands of Thy minister, be an anticipation of that one 
which I trust Thou wilt give me after my death, and on 
the day of judgment. May the blessing of God the 





of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



367 



Father, of God the Son, and of God the Holy Ghost 
come upon me now and for evermore. Amen. 

AT THE LAST GOSPEL. 

f\ MY God, I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, and 
I love Thee with all my heart. May Thy holy 
Gospel be propagated throughout the world. Assist 
the ministers whom Thou hast appointed to carry the 
light of faith to unbelievers, or to revive it among luke- 
warm Christians. Grant to all the clergy that spirit of 
zeal, fortitude, and knowledge which Thou didst impart 
to Thy holy apostles on the day of Pentecost. Thou 
hast commanded us, O Lord, to pray to the Lord of 
the harvest that He may send laborers to work in His 
vineyard. Wherefore I humbly beseech Thee, Who 
didst open the prophets' mouths, and didst call the 
apostles to announce Thy word, to send us worthy pas- 
tors, and to grant that they may edify the flock, destroy 
errors and abuses, root out vice, dispel ignorance, and 
establish Thy reign in the souls Thou hast redeemed 
with Thy blood. Bless all Religious, that they may 
be faithful to their holy calling, and advance with all 
zeal possible Thy kingdom on earth. Reign Thou, O 
Christ, over all Religious, and over all men by Thy 
love, and inspire them all with a love of Thy kingdom 
and fidelity in Thy services. O Word of God made 
flesh, grant us the grace that we may be admitted to 
the kingdom of Thy glory. Amen. 

A PRAYER AFTER MASS. 

I GIVE Thee thanks, O my God, for having per- 
mitted me to assist at this holy sacrifice. I hum- 
bly ask pardon for all the negligences and distractions 
I may have given way to. Eternal praise be given to 
Thy holy name for all the privileges bestowed on the 



368 Mass in Honor of the Blessed Virgin. 

Blessed Virgin Mary, whom Thou didst preserve from 
the stain of original sin, and didst make worthy to be 
the Mother of Our Redeemer. Thou didst place her 
on a throne of glory to be Queen of heaven and earth. 
I rejoice at her glory, because she is the Mother of Jesus, 
and my Mother also. O loving Mother, protect thy 
children, and conduct them to heaven. O holy Mary, 
succor the distressed; strengthen the weak; comfort the 
afflicted; pray for the people; intercede for the clergy; 
make supplication for devout women, and in particular 
for Religious. May all experience thy assistance, re- 
joice in thy glory, and praise God with thee for evermore. 

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 

RANT, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that we Thy 
servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind 
and body; and, by the glorious intercession of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, may be delivered from present 
sorrow and attain to eternal joy. Through Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

Ejaculations. 

Y Queen! my Mother! remember I am thine own. 
Keep me, guard me, as thy property and pos- 
session. 

Indulgence of 40 days each time. — Pius IX., Aug 5, 1851. 

C\ MARY, who didst come into this world free from 
stain! obtain of God for me that I may leave it 
without sin. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., March 27, 1863. 




Devotions for Confession. 



369 



Bevottons for Confession* 

BEFORE CONFESSION. 

Y Lord and my God! Prostrate before Thee, full 
of shame and confusion, I acknowledge I have 
broken my solemn promise to Thee, my loving Father — 
that promise on account of which Thou hast so often 
forgiven me in the past. 

O good Jesus, Saviour of the world, who gavest Thy- 
self to the death of the cross to save sinners, look upon 
me, a miserable sinner, who implores Thy mercy. Spare 
me, Thou Who art my Saviour, and pity my sinful soul; 
loose its chains, heal its sores. Lord Jesus, I earnestly 
desire to return to Thee, and I am sorry with my whole 
heart that I have ever offended Thee. 

Help me now, my dear heavenly Father, for I am 
weak, and wounded, and wretched; but I come full of 
confidence to Thee, for Thou art my strength; out of 
Thee there is no rest, without Thee there is no hope, 
therefore I put my whole trust in Thee. 

O my God, make known to me the wounds which sin 
has made in my soul. Come to my aid, O Lord; with- 
out Thee I can not discover them. O eternal light, dis- 
pel my darkness. Heart of Jesus, enlighten me; show 
me my faults, make known to me my sins. Grant that 
I may see them all as Thou Thyself dost behold them, 
and give me courage and strength to lay them bare 
without reserve and with a truly contrite heart. 

O most gracious Virgin Mary, beloved Mother of 
Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, intercede for me, that I 
may make a good confession. Obtain for me true 
sorrow for my sins, that they may be ail washed away 
in the precious blood of thy dear Son Jesus, and a firm 
purpose not to offend Him in the future. 




37o 



Devotions for Confession. 



praters to tbe 1boly (Sbost before Confession. 

Veni, Creator Spirihis and Veni, Sancte Spiritus, as 
on pp. 551-553. 

OOME, Holy Ghost, enlighten my mind and in- 
flame my heart, so that I may confess my sins 
worthily, and, being truly penitent, may amend my 
life, and henceforth serve Thee faithfully and glorify 
Thee with all the powers of my soul and of my body. 
Our Father, Hail Mary. 

To God the Father glory be, 
And to His sole-begotten Son; 

The same, O Holy Ghost, to Thee, 
While everlasting ages run. 

preparatory prayers* 

DORABLE Majesty, God almighty, I believe 
that Thou art here present. I adore Thee 
and thank Thee for all the benefits which I have re- 
ceived from Thee, particularly for having created me 
to Thine own image and likeness; for having permitted 
me to be born in the bosom of the Catholic Church 
and adopted as one of Thy children, in the Sacrament of 
Baptism; for having preserved me to the present time 
and saved me from hell by Thy sufferings and death; 
for having so often washed me from my sins in the 
Sacrament of Penance, and so often fed me with Thy 
body and blood in the holy communion; for having 
called me to the religious state by a particular pre- 
dilection. O my God, one life is too short to love Thee, 
an eternity is too short to thank Thee for so many bene- 
fits! O Holy Ghost, Source of light, vouchsafe to shed 
a ray thereof upon my heart; come and assist me to 
know my sins; show them to me, O Lord, as distinctly 
as I shall know them when I depart this life, when I 
shall have to appear before Thee to be judged. Amen. 




Devotions for Confession, 



37i 



JBiamen tor Contesstoiu* 

" ^i H0U shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole 

heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy 
whole mind. This is the greatest and first command- 
ment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love 
thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments 
dependeth the whole law and the prophets. " (Matt, xxii.) 

AGAINST GOD. 

1. *Tp^ AVE I performed the penance enjoined in my last 

* confession? 

2. Have I neglected any spiritual duty through sloth, or 
without leave, viz., Meditation, Mass, Communion, Examen, 
Rosary, etc. ? 

3. Have I discharged those duties carelessly and with 
wilful distractions? 

4. Have I yielded to diffidence in God's mercy, and dejec- 
tion of mind? 

5. Have I spoken with levity or disrespect of anything 
belonging to religion? 

vows. 

1. ^p^AVE I received or disposed of anything without 

permission? Of what value? 

2. If tempted against the virtue of purity did I neglect to 
pray ? 

3. Have I disobeyed any order or murmured against 
any direction? 

4. Have I neglected or carelessly discharged my appointed 
duties in the service of the children, the sick, the poor, etc. ? 

AGAINST MY NEIGHBOR. 

1. *Tp^AVE I wilfully entertained feelings of jealousy, 
r*-£ aversion, resentment, or contempt? 

2. Have I held uncharitable conversations, or been unkind 
in act or manner? 



* Consult the Index for other Examinations of Conscience. 



37 2 



Devotions for Confession. 



3. Have I judged or suspected others rashly? 

4. Have I yielded to impatience or irritability in word or 
manner ? 

5. Have I told lies? 

AGAINST MYSELF. 

1. AVE I yielded to thoughts or feelings of vanity, 

pride, or impatience? 

2. Have I yielded to sensuality, sloth, or idleness? 

3. Have I neglected or carelessly done my appointed work ? 

4. Have I indulged idle, useless thoughts ? 

ACT OF CONTRITION. 

C\ MY God, I love Thee above all things. I hope, by 
the merits and Passion of Jesus Christ, to ob- 
tain pardon of my sins. I grieve from the bottom of 
my heart for having by them offended Thy infinite 
goodness. I detest them more than all imaginable 
evils. I unite my grief for them to that by which Jesus 
Christ was oppressed in the Garden of Olives. I firmly 
resolve, by the assistance of Thy grace, nevermore to 
offend Thee. 

(Whenever you will have said this prayer, with the requisite 
determination of avoiding all sin, go in peace to confession, with- 
out scruple and without fear. — St. Ligouri.) 

B /Ifcore BetaileD /llbetboD of Examination. 

Sacraments. — Defective examination of conscience; want 
of contrition and purpose of amendment. 

Equivocation. — Dissimulation in accusing one's self; neg- 
lecting the penance or deferring it too long; paying no atten- 
tion to the advice of the confessor; receiving holy commun- 
ion without preparation; neglecting thanksgiving. 

Meditation. — Want of promptitude and recollection on 
first awaking; neglecting the remote or immediate prepara- 
tion; not giving all the time prescribed to it; not following 
method in making it. 



Devotions for Confession. 



373 



Holy Mass. — Dissipation at the moment of preparation; 
losing part of it by one's own fault; wilful distraction (say 
if it was on a day of obligation). 

Examination of Conscience. — Not giving the time pre- 
scribed to it, or passing all the time in distraction; not making 
an exact search for one's faults; giving way to discourage- 
ment; being vexed, instead of exciting one's self to contrition. 

Spiritual Reading, Prayers, Divine Office. — Not giving the 
prescribed time to it; reading through curiosity, without 
choice, without preparation; saying morning and evening 
prayers, Rosary, and other prayers hastily or without atten- 
tion; distractions, carelessness during the offices of . the 
Church; want of attention at sermons and instructions; 
want of confidence in God; want of perfect resignation to 
His holy will; coldness, indifference ; seldom calling to 
mind God's presence; irreverence toward the Blessed Sac- 
rament. 

Obedience. — Contempt, criticising, censures, judgments 
against Superiors; want of respect, whether in speaking to 
them, or of them; interior or outward murmuring; disobey- 
ing the command, or not complying with the desire mani- 
fested, or the advice given by them; criticising the com- 
mand; obeying through compulsion, or in a manner entirely 
human, without viewing the matter in the light of faith; 
want of indifference for employments, places, etc. ; breaking 
the rules. 

Poverty. — Giving or receiving without permission; lend- 
ing or taking without permission; having anything super- 
fluous either in what belongs to one's office, or in anything 
else; being out of temper when deprived of such things, or 
in want of anything; not taking care of things which are 
given for one's use or for one's work; breaking, tearing, soil- 
ing, or losing by too much haste, carelessness, or frivolity. 

Chastity. — Transgressions of the rules of modesty. 

Charity. — Detractions, aversions, contempt of one's neigh- 
bors, indiscreet reports; sharp words, railleries; rough or 
impatient words; want of complaisance, meekness, and 
gentleness; rash judgments and unjust suspicions, whether 
communicated to others or not; envy, jealousy, conten- 
tions, reproaches, antipathy, sourness, impatience; particu- 
lar friendships. 



374 



Devotions for Confession. 



Humility. — Voluntary thoughts of pride or vanity; exces- 
sive self-love; preferring one's self before others; being 
vexed at their success; speaking in one's own praise; speak- 
ing with haughtiness and disdain; proud, disdainful, imperi- 
ous in gestures, gait, or looks; excusing one's self, flying 
from humiliations, avoiding them by every means, even by 
falsehood and evasions; being excessively taken up with 
one's self; acting through human respect, or to attract the 
esteem of others. 

Mortification. — Following one's own ill-humor or caprice; 
gratifying the senses, as the eyes, by dissipation or curiosity; 
the hearing, by the desire to hear or know unprofitable things; 
the smell, by taking pleasure in sweet scents, and showing 
great dislike for bad; the taste, by eating with sensuality or 
gluttony. 

Employments. — Discharge them faithfully; conscientious 
regard for particular rules of one's employment. 

Instruction of Youth. — Acquitting one's self of it negligently, 
without viewing it in the light of faith; want of application 
to study; not preparing lessons of catechism and other 
branches of knowledge; want of careful watchfulness, of 
firmness, of sweetness of temper, and of patience; antip- 
athy, undue preference; little or no zeal for the instruction 
of children, for the reformation of their hearts, for their perse- 
verance in good; too great familiarity with them, or their 
relatives. 

Domestic Employments. — Want of subordination to Superi- 
ors, or to those in the higher offices; acting too much upon 
one's own ideas; acting with too great haste; having little 
or no zeal and care for one's employment; not actuating one's 
work with a spirit of faith. 

Care of the Sick. — Watchfulness; punctuality; diligence; 
kindness; patience; supernatural motive in all actions, 

/Ifoeans of BrrMng at perfection* 

In General. — Simple submission to God, and simple 
attention to His presence. 

i. In Behavior. — Uniformity, straightforwardness, 
modesty, prudence, meekness, firmness. 



Devotions for Confession. 



375 



2. In Conversation. — Cheerfulness without dissipa- 
tion, prudence in words, forgetfulness of self, chariness 
in giving advice. 

3. In Fault. — -Humble and sincere acknowledgment, 
profound sorrow without discouragement, recourse to 
God, trust in His mercy. 

4. In the Use of the Sacraments. — Purity of heart and 
intention, detachment from sensible devotion, lively 
faith, practical fervor. 

5. With God. — Filial confidence, striving to do His 
will, calmly waiting the manifestation of His will, obedi- 
ence, prompt, generous, unreserved. 

6. With our Neighbor. — Cordial readiness to oblige, 
forbearance, complaisance without servility, deference 
without flattery, condescension without human respect. 

7. With Ourselves. — Strict justice, self-denial, prac- 
tical and persevering patience under all trials. 

8. For our Body. — Moderate care, discreet rigor, 
sobriety in all things. 

9. For our Imagination. — Unruffled calm at its wan- 
derings, contempt for its illusions, and diversion of the 
mind in its importunities. 

10. For our Mind. — Wise distrust of one's lights, 
happy ignorance of one's merit, holy use of one's talents. 

11. For our Heart. — Fidelity- in banishing from it 
every kind of trouble, watchfulness over all its move- 
ments, sacrifice of all that is contrary to the good pleas- 
ure of God. 

12. Life of Faith. — That is to say, entire conformity 
with Jesus Christ in thoughts, feelings, language, works, 
and continual and universal dependence on His holy 
Spirit. Happy the 'soul which is faithful to the prac- 
tice of these means! In her God is well pleased; she 
enjoys God; she finds, all in God; she secures the 
eternal possessions of God. 



376 



Devotions for Confession, 



Anterior practice* 




EASE not to withdraw from creatures until you 
, find yourself alone with God. 



Interior Occupation for the Days oj Recollection. — Every 
month, if possible, devote half an hour to examining 
the state of your soul. Employ in this way the time of 
meditation, if you have no other moments at your dis- 
posal. Examine yourself particularly on these three 
essential points: ist. Spiritual Exercises; 2d. The Holy 
Rule; 3d. The Predominant Failing. 

I. SPIRITUAL EXERCISES. 

i st. (\N awaking, have you, by a fervent act of 
love, cast yourself into the Sacred Heart of 

Jesus ? 

2d. Have you been exact in reciting the customary 
prayers while dressing? In recalling to mind the sub- 
ject of your meditation ? In rejecting every idle thought ? 

3d. With what respect and diligence have you hastened 
to the chapel to begin your prayer ? 

4th. How do you prepare for meditation? How do 
you exercise the power of your soul during it? Do 
you try to awaken corresponding sentiments in your 
heart? Do you form practical and detailed resolutions 
upon the fault which you wish to extirpate, or the virtue 
w T hich you have proposed to acquire? Do you fore- 
see occasions of avoiding the one and practising the 
other? When you finish meditation do you take care 
to look back upon the manner in which you have per- 
formed it, and to choose a good thought on which you 
may dwell during the day? 

5th. Besides the general intentions, do you propose 
to yourself some particular end when you assist at the 
holy Mass? 



Devotions for Confession, 



377 



6th. Do you neglect the means proposed to make 
the remembrance of the presence of God easy for you 
during the day ? Such as ejaculatory prayers, and 
examining yourself after every action? 

7th. Do you make your examination according to 
the method prescribed, and with the intention of deriv- 
ing benefits from it? 

8th. How do you spend the time of the visit to the 
Blessed Sacrament? 

9th. Do you honor the mysteries in saying your beads ? 
Do you take care to form some particular intention? 

10th. Do you make spiritual reading with attention? 

nth. While undressing, do you call to mind the 
subject of the meditation prepared for the next day? 
Do you take care to say the prayers recommended? 
Do you reject all distractions? Do you retire to rest 
in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and go to sleep occupied 
with some good thought? 

12th. What fruit do you derive from confession? 
With what care do you prepare for it? Do you spend 
a sufficient time in recollection afterward? 

13th. How do you prepare for holy communion on 
the previous evening and in the morning? How do 
you make your thanksgiving? 

14th. Are you careful to direct your intentions for 
the indulgence? 

2. THE HOLY RULE. 

i st. >/j j'HAT is your conduct as to obedience? Do 
you endeavor to make it prompt, entire, 
and blind ? Do you consider Jesus Christ in the person 
of your Superiors, Whose place they hold ? 

2d. Do you fulfil your office and your occupa- 
tion with zeal, and according to the view of your 
Superior ? 

3d. Are you careful to ask the smallest permission? 



37« 



Devotions for Confession. 



4th. What are your dispositions with respect to 
poverty? Are you content to feel some of its effects? 
Do you practise it, as much as possible, in those things 
of which you have the use, and in the care of things 
entrusted to you? 

5th. How do you observe the rules of modesty? 

6th. Have you for all your Sisters a truly fraternal 
charity, that proves itself in thoughts, words, and deeds ? 
Do you render willingly to your Sisters the service which 
they may ask of you? 

7 th. What is your exactness and punctuality to the 
sound of the bell; your fidelity in keeping silence, and, 
in a word, in the entire perfect observance of the Holy 
Rule? 

8th. Observe the faults you have committed and 
make a special resolution on those points wherein you 
have found yourself most deficient. 

3. PREDOMINANT FAULT. 

Of whatever kind it may be, examine yourself on these four 
points : 

1 st. *T~\0 you, as far as possible, make this fault, 
' or its opposite virtue, the subject of your 
particular examen ? 

2d. Are you constant and earnest in your efforts to 
overcome the difficulties which you meet with in this 
combat ? 

3d. Are you careful to humble yourself for your 
faults, and to give a faithful account of them? 

4th. Are your faults as frequent as those of the pre- 
vious month? 



Devotions for Confession. 



379 



J&czts of 1boi£ Scripture to jEjctte Sorrow for Sins, 
and Confidence, 

These may be read over, or meditated upon, in order to 
excite confusion and sorrow for sin, and confidence in God's 
infinite mercy. 

EAR, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the 
Lord hath spoken. I have brought up children, 
and exalted them; but they have despised Me (Isa. i. 2). 

Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and ye gates 
thereof, be very desolate, saith the Lord, For My 
people have done two evils. They have forsaken Me, 
the fountain of living water, and have digged to them- 
selves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water 
(Jer. ii. 12, 13). 

Know thou, and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing 
for thee, to have left the Lord thy God. . . . Thou hast 
broken My yoke, thou hast burst My bonds, and thou 
saidst: I will not serve (Jer. ii. 19, 20). 

What are these wounds in the midst of Thy hands ? . . . 
With these I was wounded in the house of them that 
loved Me (Zach. xiii. 6). 

Crucifying again to themselves the Son of God, and 
making Him a mocKery (Heb. vi. 6). 

I will arise, and will go to my Father, and say to Him : 
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before Thee 
(Luke xv. 18). 

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great 
mercy (Ps. 1. 3). 

A contrite and humbled heart, O God, Thou wilt not 
despise (Ps. 1. 19). 

If your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as 
white as snow (Isa. i. 18). 

As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death 
of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and 
live (Ezech. xxxiii. 11). 




380 Devotions for Confession. 



I say to you, there shall be joy before the angels of 
God upon one sinner doing penance (Luke xv. 10). 

IReflecttons tor Contrition anfc Bmenfcment.* 

HE sight of hell, whose endless pains one mortal 
sin deserves; the sight of heaven, whose dreadful 
loss one unrepented mortal sin entails; the sight of 
Gethsemane, where we see — 

" Beneath the olives' moon-pierced shade 
Our God alone, outstretched and bruised 
1 And bleeding on the earth He made;" 

the sight of the pretorium of Pontius Pilate, where, at the 
column of the flagellation, we behold Our Lord on the 
pavement in a pool of His own most precious blood; 
the sight of the thorn-crowned Saviour, falling under 
the weight of the cross, along the Via Dolorosa; the 
sight of Calvary, where we behold the good and gentle 
Jesus nailed upon a cross, and, in bitter agony and deso- 
lation, dying a malefactor's death — all impress upon us 
the heinousness and hatefulness of sin as well as the 
patience and goodness of God, and thus lead us to true 
and tender sorrow for our own sins. One mortal sin 
banishes God's grace from the soul. Unhappy is the 
soul which loses its God by sin. God, Who is all love, 
all holiness, detests sin with infinite loathing and hatred. 
We trample on the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we 
crucify Him anew when we commit sin. Detest at 
this moment all your sins, and resolve rather to suffer 
anything than ever again to offend God, Who is infi- 
nitely good and holy and worthy of all your love. Take 
your crucifix in your hand, and consider attentively 
what a death that was which our dear Lord suffered 
on Calvary. Has ever malefactor suffered more than He ? 
Think of the scourging that went before; think of the 



* Vide " Confession and Communion for Religious." 



Devotions for Confession. 



381 



crown of thorns; look at Him now, nailed to the cross — 
the living flesh nailed — hands and feet nailed by the 
huge spikes driven through them into the wood. The 
gentlest handling of those wounds would be agony, 
and He has to hang upon them with the whole weight 
of His body for three hours — until death. 

Look at Him — see the tortured head; the dull, glazed 
eyes; the parched lips; the quivering limbs; the ever- 
widening wounds. Think of the intense thirst; the 
dislocated bones; the agony of every nerve and muscle. 
Could I look unmoved upon the worst of malefactors 
in such a pitiable plight? 

And is He a malefactor? No. 

Why, then, is He here? For me — -in my place — to 
suffer the pains due to my sins. He is here, hanging 
on the cross, to teach me what sin is — what sin deserves 
— to what my sins have brought Him. If ever I have 
committed one mortal sin, I have had a distinct share 
in bringing about this death of pain and shame. See 
how uncomplainingly He suffers in every member of 
His body, in every faculty of His soul. See how the 
divinity withdraws its support from the humanity except 
to enable it to suffer more. See how willingly He 
endures all this — for me, to atone for my sins, to satisfy 
the Father for me, to win me the absolutions of my life. 

O Jesus, I fall on my face before Your cross to ask 
for an "intimate knowledge of the hatefulness of sin," 
to ask for grief, tears, and a sense of pain in union with 
You in torment, debased thus in order to die for my sins. 

Can I doubt that the fruit of Your Passion will be 
the full remission of all my sins, that if they be as scarlet 
they will be made as white as snow? He, that spared 
not even His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, 
how will He not also with Him give us all things — give 
me His forgiveness and His peace? 

God is infinitely good; He is holiness itself. We 
can not understand what sin is because we can not un- 



3 8 2 



Devotions for Confession. 



derstand what God is. And yet the attribute of God 
which sin outrages most directly is the one that im- 
presses us more than any other — His holiness. We fear 
it more than w r e fear His wisdom, His power, or even 
His justice. 

It was the holiness of God from which Adam and 
Eve sought to hide themselves, " amidst the trees cf 
paradise/ ' after their sin. 

If, when Our Lord came amongst us, the little children 
swarmed around Him, and publicans and sinners pressed 
upon Him, so that their company was made a reproach 
against Him, it was because He veiled His holiness. 
When for an instant He let its presence be felt, all men 
quailed before it. Peter felt it after the miraculous 
draught of fishes. It was the holiness rather than the 
power of Our Lord that impressed him, and made him 
fall at Jesus' knees and cry out: " Depart from me, for 
I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke v. 8.) The centurion 
felt it when he said, "Lord, I am not worthy that Thou 
shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the word 
and my servant shall be healed." (Matt. viii. 8.) The 
soldiers and the priests felt it in the Garden, when they 
went back and fell to the ground. At the Last Day it 
will be the holiness of God that will terrify the wicked 
and make them cry to the mountains and rocks to fail 
upon them and hide them "from the wrath of the Lamb." 
The angels are not pure in His sight. Before His 
throne the eternal song is "Holy, Holy, Holy," as they 
cover their faces with their wings. 

O holiness of God, I fall on my face before you, to 
ask for contrition for my sins. "Have mercy on me, 
O God, according to Thy great mercy." (Ps. L 3.) 
"O God, be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke xviii. 13.) 
O God, what must You be in Yourself! What must be 
the overflowing goodness of that nature which can 
spend itself on one like me! Shall I not love it for its 
own sake? 



Devotions for Confession. 



383 



O God, all good, the only good, surely the proof of 
Your infinite goodness is found in this — that You are 
good to me. You must be infinitely good to be good 
to me. O goodness of God, which I have outraged, 
O patience of God, which I have tried so sorely, I grieve 
most sincerely that I have ever offended you, I grieve 
for the sins of the past week, for the sins of my past life, 
especially for . . . And I purpose, with the help of 
Your grace, to labor with new courage at the work of 
my salvation and perfection, particularly by the avoid- 
ance of this fault, . . . and by attention to my particular 
examination. 

Et dixi, Nunc ccepi. Now do I begin. "Help me, O 
Lord God, in my good resolution and in Your holy 
service, and give me grace now, this very day, perfectly 
to begin; for all I have hitherto done is nothing." 

ACT OF CONTRITION AND PRAYER FOR PARDON. 

MY God, Thou hast been so good to me, but I 
have been so careless and lukewarm in my devo- 
tion to Thee. I have entangled myself too much in 
vain and transitory things; I have been too self-indul- 
gent and too eager for earthly pleasures. Sweet Spouse 
of my soul, divine Master, here in Thy presence, I am 
overwhelmed with shame and confusion at the sight 
of my many sins, offences, and imperfections. But 
Thou, O God, wilt not despise a contrite and humble 
heart. I confess to Thee, most tender Father, that I 
have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, I 
am truly sorry for having sinned, because Thou art 
infinitely good, and sin displeases Thee. Thou hast 
chosen me from among so many who were more worthy 
of Thy special love and graces, to be quite near to 
Thee, and to serve Thee in this holy house of religion; 
yet I have been neglectful of my duties, and have often 
been more devoted to self than to Thy interests. Have 



384 



Devotions for Confession. 



mercy on me, my God, and forgive me my sins, which 
I abhor and regret — not from any selfish motive, but 
simply and solely because they have offended Thee, Who 
in Thyself art so good, so holy, so infinitely worthy of all 
my affections. I love Thee, O infinite Goodness, with all 
my heart and above all things, and I am firmly resolved, 
with the help of Thy grace, to avoid the occasions of 
sin, and nevermore to offend Thee. In the name of 
Jesus, Thy Son, in Whom Thou art well pleased; in 
view of His merits, I beseech Thee to pardon me all my 
offences, and to restore me to Thy love, as a kind and 
tender Father. Bless me, good Father, and grant me 
the grace to be faithful to Thee unto death. Amen. 

SHORT AND EFFICACIOUS ACT OF CONTRITION. 

(St. Mechtildis.) 

S~\ SWEET Jesus, I grieve for my sins; vouchsafe to 
supply whatever is lacking to my true sorrow, 
and to offer for me to God the Father all the grief which 
Thou hast endured because of my sins and those of 
the whole world. Amen. 

ACT OF SORROW 7 .* 

(At the foot of the cross.) 

Y dear Lord and Saviour, my sins have fastened 
Thee to this cross. I know it is just as if I had 
myself fixed the crown of thorns upon Thy brow; as if, 
with my own hands, I had driven the nails through 
Thy sacred hands and feet. O my sweet Jesus, I did 
not know what I was doing in committing these sins. 
I did not think — but I see it now. I have struck and 
wounded and insulted Thee. I am sorry, heartily 
sorry for all my sins. Forgive me, dear Lord; I will 




* From "Flowers of Nazareth." 



Devotions for Confession. 



385 



confess them now, and I firmly resolve with Thy help, 
never to commit them again. 

ANOTHER ACT OF CONTRITION. 

f \ LORD Jesus Christ, Lover of our souls, Who, for 
the great love wherewith Thou hast loved us, 
wouldst not the death of a sinner, but rather that he 
should be converted and live; I grieve most sincerely 
that I have offended Thee, my most loving Father and 
Redeemer, to Whom all sin is infinitely displeasing ; Who 
hast so loved me that Thou didst shed Thy blood for 
me, and endure a most cruel death. O my God! O 
infinite Goodness! would that I had never offended 
Thee. Pardon me, O Lord Jesus, pardon me, most 
humbly imploring Thy mercy. Have pity upon a sinner 
for whom Thy blood pleads before the face of the Father. 

O most merciful and forgiving Lord, for the love of 
Thee I forgive all who have ever offended me. I firmly 
resolve to forsake all sins, and to avoid the occasions 
of them; and to confess, in bitterness of spirit, all those 
sins which I have committed against Thy divine good- 
ness, and to love Thee, O my God, for Thine own sake, 
above all things and for ever. Give me Thy love, O 
Lord, and the grace of final perseverance. 



©ffenng of Confession. 

/T\Y God and Saviour, I offer Thee the confession I 
' ^ am going to make in obedience to Thy will, for 
the increase of Thy glory, to obtain pardon for my sins, 
for all the indulgences which may be gained, and for 
whatever other intentions I ought to offer it, particu- 
larly to advance in Thy holy grace and love. Grant 
to my soul, O Lord, all the requisite dispositions of 
humility and contrition. Sweet Saviour of perishing 
mankind, cast an eye of pity on my sinful soul, and 
regard not the evils I have done, but rather Thine own 



3 86 



Devotions for Confession. 



merits and sufferings for my salvation; they infinitely 
outweigh my sins, however enormous. Confiding in 
Thy mercies, O Jesus, I offer Thee the sacrifice Thou 
didst offer of Thyself to Thy eternal Father on the 
cross, to atone for my imperfect sorrow, and to obtain for 
me grace to avoid all sin in future. 

PRAYERS AFTER CONFESSION. 

{Psalm cii.) 

BLESS the Lord, O my soul: and let all that is within 
me praise His holy name. 
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and never forget all He 
has done for thee. 

Who forgive th all thy iniquities: Who healeth all thy 
diseases. 

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction: Who 
crowneth thee with mercy and compassion. 

The Lord is compassionate and merciful: long-suffer- 
ing and plenteous in mercy. 

He hath not dealt with us according to our sins: nor 
rewarded us according to our iniquities. 

As far as the east is from the west: so far hath He 
removed our iniquities from us. 

As a father hath compassion on his children: so hath 
the Lord compassion on them that fear Him. 

For He knoweth our frame: He remembereth that 
we are dust. 

Bless the Lord, all ye His angels: you ministers of 
His that do His will. 

Bless the Lord, all His works: in every place of His 
dominion, O my soul, bless thou the Lord. 

Let us pray. 

r\ ALMIGHTY and merciful God, Whose mercy is 
boundless and everlasting, and of Whose good- 
ness the riches are infinite, I give thanks to Thee because 



Devotions for Confession. 



387 



Thou hast so graciously pardoned all my sins, and 
restored me to Thy grace and favor. Blessed be Thy 
divine compassion, O my God, and blessed be the in- 
comprehensible love of Thy beloved Son, which con- 
strained Him to institute so gentle and so mighty a 
remedy for our sins. Wherefore, in union with all the 
thanksgivings which have ever ascended to Thee from 
truly penitent hearts, I sing aloud Thy glad praises, 
on behalf of all in heaven, on earth, and in purgatory, 
for ever and ever. Amen. 

My dear Jesus, how much do I not owe Thee! By 
the merits of Thy blood I trust that I have this day been 
pardoned. I thank Thee exceedingly, and I hope to 
praise Thy mercies for ever in heaven. My God, if 
hitherto I have so often lost Thee, I will lose Thee no 
more for the time to come; I am really resolved to 
change my life. Thou deservest all my love; I wish to 
love Thee in good earnest. My will is never again to 
be separated from Thee. I promise to shun the occa- 
sions of sin, and to use this means (here mention it), 
for not falling again. But Thou, my Jesus, knowest 
my weakness; give me the grace to be faithful to Thee 
until death, and to have recourse to Thee in my tempta- 
tions. Most holy Virgin Mary, assist me; thou art the 
Mother of perseverance; I place all my hope in thy 
powerful intercession. Amen. 

SHORT OFFERING OF SACRAMENTAL PENANCE. 

Y Lord and my God, I offer Thee the penance I am 
going to perform, and I unite it to the infinite 
satisfaction of Jesus Christ my Saviour. Grant that 
the abundant merits of Thy dear Son Jesus, and the 
immense extent of the love of His Sacred Heart, may 
supply the imperfections and feebleness of the works 
which I shall perform, and the punishment which I 
wish to endure, to satisfy Thy divine justice. Amen. 




3 88 



Devotions for Confession. 



(Recite here the penance imposed^) 

AFTER PERFORMING SACRAMENTAL PENANCE. 

Q MOST holy Father, I offer Thee this my confes- 
sion and my satisfaction in union with all the 
acts of penance which have ever been done to the glory 
of Thy holy name, beseeching Thee to accept this offer- 
ing and to render it available through the merits of the 
Passion of Thy beloved Son, and through the inter- 
cession of the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, and of all Thy 
holy apostles, martyrs, confessors, and virgins. What- 
ever has been lacking to me in sincere and earnest prep- 
aration, in perfect contrition, in frank and clear confes- 
sion, I commend to the most loving Heart of Thine 
only-begotten Son, that treasury of all mercy and grace, 
from whose overflowing abundance all debts to Thee 
are fully acquitted; that through it all my negligences 
and defects in the reception of this Holy Sacrament may 
be fully and perfectly supplied, to Thine everlasting 
praise and glory, and that' Thou mayest effectually 
absolve me in heaven, even as Thy minister has with 
Thy authority absolved me here on earth; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and 
the Holy Ghost, world without end. Deo gratias ! 

Gbe Seven penitential psaima * in Xatin anD in 



Ant. Ne reminiscaris, etc. 



Ant. Remember not, O 
Lord, our offences, nor those 
of our parents; neither take 
Thou vengeance of our sins. 



* It is a pious custom to recite the seven Penitential Psalms, 
respectively, by way of prayer, against the seven deadly sins. 



Devotions for Confession. 



389 



r. Psalm VI. Domine, ne in Furore. 

Verse 1. David, in deep affliction, prays for a mitigation of the 
divine anger; 4. in consideration of God's mercy; 5. His 
glory; 6. his own repentance. 8. By faith he triumphs over 
his enemies. 



1. v p| 0MINE ^ ne in 

furore tuo arguas 
me, neque in ira tua corripias 
me. 

2. Miserere mei, Domine, 
quoniam infirmus sum: sana 
me, Domine, quoniam eon- 
turbata sunt ossa mea. 

3. Et anima mea turbata 
est valde sed tu, Domine, us- 
quequo ? 

4. Convertere, Domine, et 
eripe animam meam; salvum 
me fac propter misericordiam 
tuam. 

5. Quoniam non est in 
morte qui memor sit tui; in 
inferno autem quis conntebi- 
turtibi? 

6. Laboravi in gemitu meo ; 
lavabo per singulas noctes tec- 
tum meum: lacrymis meis 
stratum meum rigabo. 

7. Turbatus est a furore 
meus; inveteravi inter omnes 
inimicos meos. 

8. Discedite a me omnes 
qui operamini iniquitatem, 
quoniam exaudivit Dominus 
vocem fletus mei. 

9. Exaudivit Dominus de- 
precationem meam; Domi- 
nus orationem meam suscepit. 

10. Erubescant, et contur- 



1. LORD, rebuke me 
V^l not in Thine in- 
dignation: nor chastise me 
in Thy wrath. 

2. Have mercy upon me, 

Lord, for I am weak : heal 
me, O Lord, for my bones 
are troubled. 

3. My soul also is troubled 
exceedingly: but Thou, O 
Lord, how long? 

4. Turn Thee, O Lord, and 
deliver my soul: O save me 
for Thy mercy's sake. 

5. For in death there is no 
one that remembereth Thee: 
and who shall give Thee 
thanks in hell? 

6. I have labored in my 
groanings: every night will 

1 wash my bed, and water 
my couch with my tears. 

7. Mine eye is troubled 
through indignation: I have 
grown old among all mine 
enemies. 

8. Depart from me, all ye 
that work iniquity: for the 
Lord hath heard the voice of 
my weeping. 

9. The Lord hath heard 
my supplication: the Lord 
hath received my prayer. 

10. Let all mine enemies 



39° 



Devotions for Confession. 



bentur vehementer omnes ini- 
mici mei; convertantur, et eru- 
bescant valde velociter. 
Gloria Patri, etc. 



be ashamed and sore vexed: 
let them be turned back, and 
be ashamed very speedily. 
Glory, etc. 



2. Psalm XXXI. Beati Quorum. 
i. The blessedness of those whose sins are forgiven. 3. 



misery of impenitence. 
8. safety; 14. joy. 

►EATT 



6. Confession of sin brings 



The 
ease; 



1. *"|T^Ea jl i quorum re- 

missas sunt ini- 
quitates, et quorum tecta sunt 
peccata. 

2. Beatus vir cui non im- 
putavit Dominus peccatum, 
nec est in spiritu ejus dolus. 

3. Quoniam tacui, invete- 
raverunt ossa mea, dum 
clamarem tota die. 

4. Quoniam die ac nocte 
gravata est super me manus 
tua, conversus sum in aerumna 
mea, dum configitur spina. 

5. Delictum meum cogni- 
tum tibi feci, et injustitiam 
meam non abscondi. 

6. Dixi: Confitebor adver- 
sum me injustitiam meam 
Domino et tu remisisti impie- 
tatem peccati mei. 

7. Pro hac orabit ad te 
omnis sanctus in tempore 
opportuno. 

8. Verumtamen in diluvio 
aquarum multarum, ad eum 
non approximabunt. 

9. Tu es refugium meum 
a tribulatione quae circum- 



1. "|j>LESSED are they 
whose iniquities 

are forgiven: and whose sins 
are covered. 

2. Blessed is the man to 
whom the Lord hath not im- 
puted sin: and in whose spirit 
there is no guile. 

3. Because I was silent, my 
bones grew old: while I 
cried aloud all the day long. 

4. For day and night Thy 
hand was heavy upon me: I 
turned in my anguish, while 
the thorn was fastened in me. 

5. I acknowledged my sin 
unto Thee: and my injus- 
tice have I not concealed. 

6. I said I will confess 
against myself my injustice 
to the Lord: and Thou for- 
gavest the wickedness of my 
sin. 

7. For this shall every one 
that is holy pray unto Thee: 
in a seasonable time. 

8. But in the flood of many 
waters: they shall not come 
nigh unto him. 

9. Thou art my refuge from 
the trouble which hath sur- 



Devotions for Confession. 



39 1 



dedit me exultatio mea, erue 
me a circumdantibus me. 

10. Intellectum tibi dabo, 
et instruam te in via hac qua 
gradieris firmabo super te 
oculos meos. 

11. Nolite fieri sicut equus 
et mulus, quibus non est in- 
tellectus. 

12. In camo et freno max- 
illas eorum constringe, qui 
non approximant ad te. 

13. Multa nagella pecca- 
toris; sperantem autem in 
Domino misericordia circum- 
dabit. 

14. Laetamini in Domino, et 
exultate, justi; et gloriamini, 
omnes recti corde. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

3. Psalm XXXVII. 

1. David's extreme anguish. 

resignation and 

OMINE, ne in 
furore tuo arguas 
me, neque in ira tua corripias 
me. 

2. Quoniam sagittae tuae in- 
fixae sunt mihi, et confirma- 
sti super me manum tuam. 

3. Non est sanitas in carne 
mea, a facie irae tuae; non 
est pax ossibus meis, a facie 
peccatorum meorum. 

4. Quoniam iniquitates meae 



rounded me: my joy, deliver 
me from them that compass 
me about. 

10. I will give thee under- 
standing, and will instruct 
thee in the way wherein thou 
shalt go: I will fix Mine eyes 
upon thee. 

11. Be ye not like unto 
horse and mule, which have 
no understanding. 

12. With bit and bridle 
bind fast the jaws of those 
who come not nigh unto thee. 

13. Many are the scourges 
of the sinner: but mercy 
shall compass him about that 
hopeth in the Lord. 

14. Be glad, O ye just, and 
rejoice in the Lord; and 
glory all ye that are right of 
heart. 

Glory, etc. 

Domine^ ne in Furore. 

15. He hopes in God. 18. His 
grief 22. Prayer. 

1. LORD, rebuke 
me not in Thine 

indignation: nor chastise me 
in Thy wrath. 

2. For Thine arrows stick 
fast in me: and Thou hast 
laid Thy hand heavily upon 
me. 

3. There is no health in 
my flesh because of Thy 
wrath: there is no rest in my 
bones because of my sins. 

4. For my iniquities are 



39 2 



Devotions for Confession. 



supergressae sunt caput meum, 
et sicut onus grave gravatae 
sunt super me. 

5. Putruerunt et corruptee 
sunt cicatrices meae, a facie 
insipientiae meae. 

6. Miser f actus sum et 
curvatus sum usque in finem; 
tota die contristatus ingredie- 
bar. 

7. Quoniam lumbi mei im- 
pleti sunt illusionibus; et non 
est sanitas in carne mea. 

8. Afflictus sum, et humili- 
atus sum nimis; rugiebam a 
gemitu cordis mei. 

9. Domine, ante te omne 
desiderium meum, et gemi- 
tus meus a te non est abscon- 
ditus. 

10. Cor meum conturba- 
tum est, dereliquit me virtus 
mea, et lumen oculorum me- 
orum, et ipsum non est me- 
cum. 

11. Amici mei et proximi 
mei adversum me appropin- 
quaverunt, et steterunt. 

12. Et qui juxta me erant, 
de longe steterunt, et vim fa- 
ciebant qui quaerebant ani- 
mam meam. 

13. Et qui inquirebant ma- 
la mihi, locuti sunt vanitates, 
et dolos tota die meditaban- 
tur. 

14. Ego autem, tanquam 
surdus, non audiebam; et 
sicut mutus non aperiens os 
suum. 



gone over my head: and, like 
a heavy burden, press sorely 
upon me. 

5. My wounds have putre- 
fied and are corrupt: because 
of my foolishness. 

6. I am become miserable 
and am bowed down even to 
the end: I go sorrowfully all 
the day long. 

7. For my loins are filled 
with illusions: and there is no 
soundness in my flesh. 

8. I am afflicted and hum- 
bled exceedingly: I have 
roared for the groaning of 
my heart. 

9. Lord, all my desire is 
before Thee: and my groan- 
ing is not hidden from Thee. 

10. My heart is troubled, 
my strength hath failed me. 
the very light of mine eyes is 
gone from me. 

11. My friends and my 
neighbors drew near, and 
stood up against me. 

12. They that were once 
nigh me stood afar off: and 
they that sought after my 
soul did violence against me. 

13. And they that sought 
to do me evil talked vanities: 
and imagined deceits all the 
day long. 

14. But I, as a deaf man, 
heard not: and as one that is 
dumb, who openeth not his 
mouth. 



Devotions for Confession. 



393 



15. Et f actus sum sicut 
homo non audiens, et non 
habens in ore suo redargu- 
tiones. 

16. Quoniam in te, Do- 
mine, speravi; tu exaudies 
me, Domine Deus meus. 

17. Quia dixi: Nequando 
supergaudeant mihi inimici 
mei; et dum commoventur 
pedes mei, super me magna 
locuti sunt. 

18. Quoniam ego in nagella 
paratus sum, et dolor meus 
in conspectu meo semper. 

19. Quoniam iniquitatem 
meam annuntiabo, et cogi- 
tabo pro peccato meo. 

20. Inimici autem mei vi- 
vunt, et connrmati sunt super 
me; et multiplicati sunt qui 
oderunt me inique. 

21. Qui retribuunt mala 
pro bonis, detrahebant mihi, 
quoniam sequebar bonitatem. 

22. Ne derelinquas me, Do- 
mine Deus meus; ne discesse- 
ris a me. 

23. Intende in adjutorium 
meum, Domine, Deus salu- 
tis meae. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



15. I became as a man 
that heareth not: and that 
hath no reproofs in his 
mouth. 

16. For in Thee, O Lord, 
hath I hoped: Thou wilt hear 
me, O Lord my God. 

17. For I said, Let not 
mine enemies at any time 
triumph over me: and when 
my feet slip, they have 
spoken great things against 
me. 

18. For I am prepared for 
scourges; and my sorrow 
is always before me. 

19. For I will confess mine 
iniquity: and will think upon 
my sin. 

20. But mine enemies live, 
and are strengthened against 
me: and they that hate me 
wrongfully are multiplied. 

21. They that render evil 
for good spake against me, 
because I followed goodness. 

22. Forsake me not, O 
Lord my God: go not Thou 
far from me. 

23. Haste Thee to my 
help, O Lord God of my sal- 
vation. 

Glory, etc. 



4. Psalm L. Miserere. 



, David prays for remission of his sins; 8. for perfect sanctity. 
17. Sacrifice without contrition will not pardon sin. 19. 
David prays for the exaltation of the Church. 

^ISERERE mei 1. "T^ AVE mercy upon 
Deus: secundum r*— b me, O God; ac- 

magnam misericordiam tuam. cording to Thy great mercy. 



CD 1 



394 



Devotions for Confession. 



2. Et secundum multitudi- 
nem miserationum tuarum : 
dele iniquitatem meam. 

3. Amplius lava me ab ini- 
quitate mea: et a peccato 
meo munda me. 

4. Quoniam, iniquitatem 
meam ego cognosce, et pec- 
catum meum contra me est 
semper. 

5. Tibi soli peccavi, et ma- 
lum coram te feci: ut justifi- 
ceris in sermonibus tuis, et 
vincas cum judicaris. 

6. Ecce enim in iniquitati- 
bus conceptus sum: et in 
peccatis concepit me mater 
mea. 

7. Ecce enim veritatem dile- 
xisti: incerta et occulta sa- 
pientiae tuae manifestasti mihi. 



8. Asperges me hyssopo, et 
mundabor: lavabis me, et 
super nivem dealbabor. 



9. Auditui meo dabis gaudi- 
um et laetitiam: et exultabunt 
ossa humiliata. 

10. Averte faciam tuam a 
peccatis meis: et omnes ini- 
quitates meas dele. 

11. Cormundum crea in me, 
Deus: et spiritum rectum in- 
nova in visceribus meis. 

12. Ne projicias me a facie 



2. And according to the 
multitude of Thy tender mer- 
cies: blot out my iniquity. 

3. Wash me yet more from 
my iniquity: and cleanse me 
from my sin. 

4. For I acknowledge my 
iniquity: and my sin is 
always before me. 

5. Against Thee only have 
I sinned, and done evil in 
Thy sight: that Thou may- 
est be justified in Thy words, 
and mayest overcome when 
Thou art judged. 

6. For behold, I was con- 
ceived in iniquities: and in 
sins did my mother conceive 
me. 

7. For behold, Thou hast 
loved truth: the uncertain 
and hidden things of Thy 
wisdom Thou hast made 
manifest unto me. 

8. Thou shalt sprinkle me 
with hyssop, and I shall be 
cleansed: Thou shalt wash 
me, and I shall be made 
whiter than snow. 

9. Thou shalt make me 
hear of joy and gladness: 
and the bones that were 
humbled shall rejoice. 

10. Turn away Thy face 
from my sins and blojt out all 
my iniquities. 

11. Create in me a clean 
heart, O God: and renew a 
right spirit within my bosom. 

12. Cast me not away 



Devotions for Confession. 



395 



tua: et Spiritum sanctum 
tuum ne auferas a me. 

13. Redde mihi laetitiam 
salutaris tui: et spiritu prin- 
cipal* confirma me. 

14. Docebo iniquos vias 
tuas: et impii ad te conver- 
tentur. 

15. Libera me de sangui- 
neus, Deus, Deus salutis 
meae: et exultabit lingua 
mea justitiam tuam. 

16. Domine, labia mea ape- 
ries: et os meum annuntia- 
bit laudem tuam. 

17. Quoniam si voluisses 
sacrificium, dedissem utique: 
holocaustis non delectaberis. 



18. Sacrificium Deo spiritus 
contribulatus : cor contritum 
et humiliatum, Deus non 
despicies. 

19. Benigne fac, Domine, 
in bona voluntate tua Sion: 
ut aedificentur muri Jerusa- 
lem, 

20. Tunc acceptabis sacri- 
ficium justitiae, oblationes, et 
holocausta : tunc imponent 
super altare tuum vitulos. 

Gloria, etc. 



from Thy presence: and 
take not Thy holy Spirit 
from me. 

13. Restore unto me the 
joy of Thy salvation: and 
strengthen me with a perfect 
spirit. 

14. I will teach the unjust 
Thy ways: and the wicked 
shall be converted unto Thee. 

15. Deliver me from blood- 
guiltiness, O God, Thou God 
of my salvation: and my 
tongue shall extol Thy jus- 
tice. 

16. Thou shalt open my 
lips, O Lord: and my mouth 
shall declare Thy praise. 

17. For if Thou hadst de- 
sired sacrifice, I would surely 
have given it: with burnt 
offerings Thou wilt not be 
delighted. 

18. The sacrifice of God 
is an afflicted spirit: a con- 
trite and humble heart, O 
God, Thou wilt not despise. 

19. Deal favorably, O 
Lord, in Thy good-will with 
Sion: that the walls of Jeru- 
salem may be built up. 

20. Then shalt Thou ac- 
cept the sacrifice of justice, 
oblations, and whole burnt 
offerings: then shall they 
lay calves upon Thine altars. 

Glory, etc. 



39^ 



Devotions for Confession. 



5. Psalm CI. Domine Exaudi. 
. The extreme affliction of the Psalmist. 12. The eternity and 
the mercy of God. 19. To be recorded and praised by future 
generations. 26. The unchangeableness of God. 



kOMINE, exaudi 
orationem meam, 
et clamor meus ad te veniat. 

2. Non avertas faciem tu- 
am a me; in quacumque die 
tribulor, inclina ad me aurem . 
tuam. 

3. In quacumque die in- 
vocavero te, velociter exaudi 
me. 

4. Quia defecerunt sicut 
fumus dies mei, et ossa mea 
sicut cremium aruerunt. 

5. Percussus sum ut fce- 
num, et aruit cor meum, quia 
oblitus sum comedere panem 
meum. 

6. A voce gemitus mei ad- 
haesit os meum carni meae. 

7. Similis f actus sum pelli- 
cano solitudinis; f actus sum 
nycticorax in domicilio. 

8. Vigilavi, et f actus sum 
sicut passer solitarius in tecto. 



9. Tota die exprobrabant 
mihi inimici mei, et qui 
laudabant me adversum me 
jurabant: 

10. Quia cinerem tamqu- 
am panem manducabam, et 
potum meum cum fletu misce- 
bam: 



O 



LORD, hear my 
prayer: and let 
my cry come unto Thee. 

2. Turn not away Thy 
face from me: in the day 
when I am in trouble, incline 
Thine ear unto me. 

3. In what day soever I 
shall call upon Thee; oh, 
hearken unto me speedily. 

4. For my days are van- 
ished like smoke: and my 
bones are dried up like fuel 
for the fire. 

5. I am smitten as grass, 
and my heart is withered: 
for I have forgotten to eat 
my bread. 

6. Through the voice of 
my groaning: my bones have 
cleaved to my flesh. 

7. I am become like a peli- 



the wilderness: and 
night-raven in the 



can m 
like a 
house. 

8. I have watched: and 
am become like a sparrow 
that sitteth alone on the 
housetOD. 

9. Mine enemies reviled 
me all the day long: and they 
that praised me have sworn 
together against me. 

10. For I have eaten ashes 
as it were bread; and mingled 
my drink with weeping. 



Devotions for Confession, 



397 



11. A facie irae et indigna- 
tionis tuae, quia elevans alli- 
sisti me. 

12. Dies mei sicut umbra 
declinaverunt, et ego sicut 
f cenum ami. 

13. Tu autem, Domine, in 
aeternum permanes, et memo- 
riale tuum in generationem 
et generationem. 

14. Tu exurgens misere- 
beris Sion, quia tempus mise- 
rendi ejus, quia venit tem- 
pus; 

15. Quoniam placuerunt 
servistuis lapides ejus, et 
terrae ejus miserebuntur. 

16. Et timebunt gentes no- 
men tuum, Domine, et omnes 
reges terrae gloriam tuam; 

%J. Quia aedincavit Do- 
minus Sion, et videbitur in 
gloria sua. 

18. Respexit in orationem 
humilium, et non sprevit 
precem eorum. 

19. Scribantur haec in gen- 
eratione altera, et populus qui 
creabitur laudabit Dominum. 



20. Quia prospexit de ex- 
celso sancto suo, Dominus 
de caelo in terram aspexit; 

21. Ut audiret gemitus 



11. Because of Thine in- 
dignation and wrath: for 
Thou hast lifted me up and 
cast me down. 

12. My days are gone 
down like a shadow: and I 
am withered like grass. 

13. But Thou, O Lord, 
endurest for ever: and Thy 
memorial to all generations. 

14. Thou shalt arise and 
have mercy upon Sion: for 
it is time that Thou have 
mercy upon her, yea, the time 
is come. 

15. For Thy servants have 
delighted in her stones: and 
they shall have compassion 
on the earth thereof. 

16. The Gentiles shall fear 
Thy name, O Lord: and all 
the kings of the earth Thy 
glory. 

17. For the Lord hath 
built up Sion: and He shall 
be seen in His glory. 

18. He hath had regard 
unto the prayer of the lowly: 
and hath not despised their 
petition. 

19. Let these things be 
written for another genera- 
tion: and the people that 
shall be created shall praise 
the Lord. 

20. For He hath looked 
down from His high and holy 
place, out of heaven hath the 
Lord looked upon the earth. 

21. That He might hear 



398 



Devotions for Confession. 



compeditorum, ut solveret 
hlios interemptomm; 

22. Ut annuntient in Sion 
nomen Domini, et laudem 
ejus in Jerusalem; 

23. In conveniendo popu- 
los in unum, et reges ut servi- 
ent Domino. 

24. Respondit ei in via 
virtutis suae: Paucitatem di- 
erum meorum nuntia mihi. 

25. Ne re voces me in dimi- 
dio dierum meorum; in gene- 
rationem et generationem an- 
ni tui. 

26. Initio tu, Domine, ter- 
rain fundasti ; et opera manu- 
um tuarum sunt cceli. 



27. Ipsi peribunt, tu au- 
tempermanes; et omnes sicut 
vestimentum veterascent. 

28. Et sicut opertorium 
mutabis eos, et mutabuntur; 
tu autem idem ipse es, et anni 
tui non deficient. 

29. Filii servorum tuorum 
habitabunt; et semen eorum 
in saeculum dirigetur. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



the groaning of them that are 
in fetters: that He might de- 
liver the children of the slain. 

22. That they may declare 
the name of the Lord in Sion: 
and His praise in Jerusalem. 

23. When the people as- 
semble together: and kings 
that they may serve the Lord. 

24. He answered him in 
the way of his strength: De- 
clare unto me the fewness of 
my days. 

25. Call me not away in 
the midst of my days: Thy 
years are unto generation 
and generation. 

26. Thou, Lord, in the 
beginning didst lay the foun- 
dations of the earth: and the 
heavens are the work of Thy 
hands. 

27. They shall perish but 
Thou endurest: and they 
all shall grow old as a gar- 
ment. 

28. And as a vesture shalt 
Thou change them, and they 
shall be changed; but Thou 
art the same, and Thy years 
shall not fail. 

29. The children of Thy 
servants shall continue; and 
their seed be directed for ever. 

Glory, etc. 



6. Psalm CXXIX. De Profundis. 

The just, afflicted by his sins, implores the divine mercy. 

1- K T\& profundis cla- 1. f)UT of the depths 
«-L/ mavi ad te, Do V have I cried unto 



Devotions for Confession. 



399 



mine: Domine, exaudi vo- 
cem meam. 

2. Fiant aures tuse in- 
tendentes in vocem depreca- 
tionis mese. 

3. Si iniquitates observa- 
veris, Domine: Domine, quis 
sustinebit ? 

4. Quia apud te propitia- 
tio est: et propter legem tu- 
am sustinui te, Domine. 

5. Sustinuit anima mea in 
verbo ejus: speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 

6. A custodia matutina 
usque ad noctem: speret 
Israel in Domino. 

7. Quia apud Dominum 
misericordia: et copiosa apud 
eum redemptio. 

8. Et ipse redimet Israel, 
ex ommbus iniquitatibus ejus. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

When said for 

Requiem, etc. 



Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear 
my voice. 

2. Let Thine ears be atten- 
tive to the voice of my sup- 
plication. 

3. If Thou, O Lord, wilt 
mark iniquities: Lord, who 
shall abide it ? 

4. For with Thee there is 
merciful forgiveness: and be- 
cause of Thy law I have 
waited for Thee, O Lord. 

5. My soul hath waited on 
His word: my soul hath 
hoped in the Lord. 

6. From the morning watch 
even until night let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

7. For with the Lord there 
is mercy: and with Him is 
plenteous redemption. 

8. And He shall redeem 
Israel from all his iniquities. 

Glory, etc. 

the departed: 

Eternal rest give, etc. 



7. Psalm CXLII. Domine Exaudi. 

1. David prays for favor in judgment. 3. He represents his dis- 
tress. He prays for grace; 9. for deliverance; 10. for sanc- 
tification; 12. for victory over his enemies. 

1. *|^vOMINE, exaudi 1. EAR my prayer, O 
A*-* orationem meam; «-■— & Lord; give ear 

auribus percipe obsecrationem to my supplication in Thy 

meam in veritate tua; exaudi truth; hearken unto me for 

me in tua justitia. Thy justice' sake. 

2. Et non intres in judi- 2. And enter not into judg- 
cium cum servo tuo, quia ment with Thy servant: for 
non justificabitur in con- in Thy sight shall no man 
spectu tuo omnis vivens. living be justified. 



400 



Devotions for Confession, 



3. Quia persecutus est ini- 
micus animam meam, humili- 
avit in terra vitam meam; 
collocavit me in obscuris, 
sicut mortuos saeculi. 

4. Et anxiatus est super 
me spiritus meus; in me 
turbatum est cor meum. 



5. Memor fui dierum an- 
tiquorum; meditatus sum in 
omnibus operibus tuis, in 
factis manuum tuarum me- 
ditabar. 

6. Expandi manus meas 
ad te; anima mea sicut terra 
sine aqua tibi. 

7. Velociter exaudi me, Do- 
mine; defecit spiritus meus. 

8. Non avertas faciem tuam 
a me, et similis ero descen- 
dentibus in lacum. 

9. Auditam fac mihi mane 
misericordiam tuam, quia in 
te speravi. 

10. Notam fac mihi viam 
in qua ambulem, quia ad te 
levavi animam meam. 

11. Eripe me de inimicis 
meis, Domine, ad te confugi. 



12. Doce me facere volun- 
tatem tuam, quia Deus meus 



3. For the enemy hath 
presecuted my soul: he hath 
brought my life down unto 
the ground. 

4. He hath made me to 
dwell in darkness, as those 
that have been long dead; 
and my spirit is vexed within 
me, my heart within me is 
troubled. 

5. I have remembered the 
days of old, I have thought 
upon all Thy works: I have 
mused upon the works of 
Thy hands. 

6. I have stretched forth 
my hands unto Thee; my 
soul gaspeth unto Thee, as a 
land where no water is. 

7. Hear me speedily, O 
Lord; my spirit hath fainted 
away. 

8. Turn not away Thy 
face from me: lest I be like 
unto them that go down into 
the pit. 

9. Make me to hear Thy 
mercy in the morning: for 
in Thee have I hoped. 

10. Make me to know the 
way wherein I should walk: 
for to Thee have I lifted up 
my soul. 

11. Deliver me from mine 
enemies, O Lord; unto Thee 
have I fled: teach me to do 
Thy will, for Thou art my 
God. 

12. Thy good spirit shall 
lead me into the right land: 



Devotions for Holy Communion, 



401 



es tu. Spiritus tuus bonus 
deducet me in terrain rectam. 

13. Propter nomen tuum, 
Domine, vivificabis me; in 
aequitate tua, educes de tri- 
bulatione animam meam; 

14. Et in misericordia tua 
disperdes inimicos meos, et 
perdes omnes qui tribulant 
animam meam, quoniam ego 
servus tuus sum. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 
Ne reminiscaris, etc. 



for Thy name's sake, O 
Lord, Thou shalt quicken me 
in Thy justice. 

13. Thou shalt bring my 
soul out of trouble: and in 
Thy mercy Thou shalt destroy 
mine enemies. 

14. Thou shalt destroy all 
them that afflict my soul: for 
I am Thy servant. 



Glory, etc. 

Ant. Remember not, O 
Lord, our offences, nor those 
of our parents: neither take 
Thou vengeance on account 
of our sins. 



H)e\>otions for 1bol£ Communion* 

Abase in Ibonor of tbe SSlessefc Sacrament before 
Ibolg Communion* 

PREPARATORY PRAYER. 

(\ FATHER of mercies! Who, not content that 
Thy only-begotten Son should have been once 
offered a bleeding Victim on the cross for our salvation, 
wouldst have the same most acceptable oblation daily 
repeated in an unbloody manner upon our altars, to 
apply to our souls the fruit thereof, grant that we may 
assist at this sublime sacrifice with such reverence, 
attention, and love as to partake most plentifully of the 
fruits it is intended to produce in us, through the same 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

£\ HOLY tabernacle! Thou dost enclose the pre- 
cious Bread of heaven, the Food of angels, the 
Eucharistic Manna of the soul. How my heart longs 
and sighs for Thee, O good, humble, gentle Jesus, Who 



402 Devotions for Holy Communion. 

art hidden in the Blessed Sacrament! Thou art my Lord, 
my God, and my all, and Thou wilt deign to come to me 
this day in holy communion. I adore Thee profoundly, 
with the angels who surround Thy altar-throne of 
mercy and compassion; I bless Thee; I thank Thee; I 
am sorry for having offended Thee, and I love Thee now 
with all my heart. I wish to offer this holy communion 
in reparation for all the offences that have been com- 
mitted against Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love, and 
especially in atonement for my own sins and negligences. 
I have also some other particular intentions and peti- 
tions which I now recommend to Thy Sacred Heart 
(mention them), and I shall approach the holy table 
to-day with the greatest confidence that Thou, O Lord, 
wilt grant me all my requests. 

Ejaculations. 

AY the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacra- 
ment be praised, adored, and loved with grateful 
affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the 
world, even to the end of time. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Feb. 29, 1868. 

OLY Mary, Mother of God, St. John, evangelist 
and beloved disciple of Our Lord, St. Thomas 
Aquinas, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Paschal Baylon, 
St. Francis Xavier, St. Aloysius, St. Juliana, Blessed 
Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Clara, St. Gertrude, St. 
Mechtildis! Ye great saints and lovers of Jesus in the 
Sacrament of His love, pray for me that I may receive 
the Lord most worthily in holy communion, that I may 
love Him more and more, and that I may follow His 
example and persevere in my holy vocation to the end 
of my life. 

AT THE BEGINNING OF MASS. 

I BELIEVE in Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, because 
Thou art Truth itself, and Thou hast said: "My 





Devotions for Holy Communion, 403 

flesh is meat indeed; and My blood is drink indeed." 
I hppe in Thee, O infinite Mercy, because in Thy good- 
ness toward us Thou hast promised that " whosoever 
shall eat of this bread shall live forever." I love Thee, 
O eternal Goodness, above all things, with that love 
" which is diffused in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, Who 
is given to us;" and therefore I grieve with my whole 
heart for the sins I have committed, and I detest them, 
with the resolution of not sinning for the future. "A 
contrite and humble heart, O God, Thou wilt not 
despise." 

O my God, I wish to be present at the holy sacrifice 
of the Mass which is about to begin, with all possible 
attention and devotion, for I believe it Is the very same 
sacrifice, offered up now in an unbloody manner, which 
was once offered up for us on Calvary. Help me, O 
my God, to be very attentive, and to unite my intention 
with that of the priest in offering it up to Thee as an 
act of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, and prayer; 
particularly to obtain the grace of a good communion, 
and a complete transformation of myself into the like- 
ness of Jesus Christ. 

CONFITEOR AND KYRIE. 

MY God, give me the purity and holiness necessary 
to approach the holy table in a worthy manner. 
Lord, I am a poor sinner. I am heartily sorry for all 
the sins of my life, because by them I have offended 
Thee, Who art infinitely good and worthy of all love. 
Kyrie eleison ! Have mercy on me, according to Thy 
great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy 
mercies, blot out my iniquities. 



404 Devotions for Holy Communion. 



AT THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. 

Give glory to God, praise His goodness, and beg peace 
and happiness of soul, saying: 

LORY and thanks be to Thee, O God, for having 
worked such wonders for us, Thy creatures, born 
in sin. I praise, O Lord, Thy goodness; I bless Thy 
holy name; I adore Thy greatness and power; I beg 
of Thee to infuse into my heart that peace and joy which 
Thou didst come on earth to spread amongst men. 
Give me strength of will against my evil tendencies; 
destroy my bad habits; help me to do Thy will and 
thus to become a saint. 

AT THE COLLECTS SAY \ 

GOD, Who, under a wonderful Sacrament, hast 
left us a memorial of Thy Passion, grant, we 
beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of 
Thy body and blood, that we may ever feel within us 
the fruit of Thy redemption. Who livest and reignest 
with the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, now 
and for ever. Amen. 

Give me daily more and more, O my God, Thy grace 
and Thy love, that I may keep my eyes fixed upon 
eternal things and persevere in Thy service, until with 
the saints and angels I may praise and glorify Thee 
for ever in heaven. Amen. 

AT THE EPISTLE. 

HE saints and prophets of the Old Law desired to 
see the things that I see, and did not see them, 
and to hear the things that I hear, and never heard them. 
How ardently Abraham and Moses, and David and 
Daniel, and Elias desired the coming of this Redeemer. 
They saw the types and figures ; I see the reality. Moses 
saw the manna and the paschal lamb; I see the Bread 




Devotions for Holy Communion. 



from heaven and the Lamb of God Who takes away 
the sins of the world. The heart of David panted for 
Thee, my God, as the hart for the water-brooks, and 
Daniel was called "a man of desires." Oh, that I 
could desire Thee as they did! What a shame it would 
be if their desires were more fervent than my thanks- 
giving now for the favors and graces that I have re- 
ceived through the Incarnation and Passion of Jesus, 
and especially through the Holy Eucharist. I offer 
Thee all their desires, and with David I cry out: " What 
have I in heaven but Thee? And, besides Thee, what 
do I desire upon . earth ? Thou art the God of my 
heart, and my portion forever." 



AT THE GOSPEL. 

Promise God that you will always listen with great rever- 
ence to His word, saying: 

AY Thy word, O my God, be always a sweet 
music to my ears, and as honey to my lips. To 
whom shall I listen but to Thee, Who hast the words 
of eternal life. The words of men are as chaff scattered 
by the wind, but Thy words endure forever. These 
are Thy words, O Lord: " Labor not for the meat that 
perisheth, but for that which endureth unto life ever- 
lasting." "The bread of God is that which cometh 
down from heaven." "I am the Bread of life; he that 
cometh to Me shall not hunger, and he that believeth 
in Me shall not thirst forever." "He that eateth My 
flesh and drinketh My blood hath everlasting life, and 
I will raise him up at the Last Day." Thanks be to 
God. 

CREDO. 

An Act of Faith, Adoration, and Love. 
f~\ MY God, I firmly believe that Thou art really, 
truly, and substantially present, as God and 
man, with soul and body, with flesh and blood, in the 




406 



Devotions for Holy Communion. 



Most Holy Sacrament of the altar. I salute and adore 
Thee, sacred Host, Bread of angels, Sanctuary of the 
divinity. My faith teaches me that Thou, O God, art 
present under the sacramental species. I believe that 
these frail appearances conceal from us Thy human- 
ity, united to Thy divinity. And though, indeed, this 
sublime mystery surpasses my understanding, I revere 
it with joy and contemplate it with respect. I am ready 
also to give my life as a witness to this truth. 

My dear Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, I love 
Thee. Forgive my past indifference, my coldness and 
neglect toward the Sacrament of Thy love. Grant 
that I may love Thee more and more generously. My 
kind Jesus, I wish by my presence at Mass this morn- 
ing to honor the wound in Thy Sacred Heart, in order 
that through it Thou mayest pour Thy blessings, accord- 
ing to Thy good pleasure, on Thy friends and mine. 
Pardon my sins; establish Thy kingdom in my heart; 
reign therein supremely. Raise a barrier against the 
spirit of the world. Teach me to transform my actions 
into as many acts of love, so that after having known 
and loved Thee here below, by the light of faith, I may 
behold Thee face to face in all Thy glory, and love 
Thee in heaven for all eternity. 

OFFERTORY. 

Present yourself to God, begging of Him to effect an entire 
change in your heart. 

C\ JESUS, Thou art all-powerful, and it is this power 
which, through the words of Thy priest, changes 
bread into Thy body, and wine into Thy precious blood. 
O my good God, do Thou work a like change in me, 
that no longer of this world as I have hitherto been, I 
may become truly spiritual; that I may seek after and 
relish only the things of God; that grace, virtue, and 
heaven may be in my eyes the only true and solid goods; 
that, animated with Thy sentiments, O my Jesus, I may 



Devotions for Holy Communion.. 407 



be transformed into Thee, that Thou mayest dwell in 
me, and in all those who participate with me in the bless- 
ings of Thy love. Almighty God, receive my heart; I 
unite it to the sacrifice Thou makest of Thyself ; I place 
it in Thy hands ; transform and consecrate it. Say only 
one word, and it shall be entirely changed for the future, 
following only the sweet impulse of Thy grace, which 
shall make it love virtue. With this offering of my 
heart, O my God, I consecrate to Thee my mind, that 
it may know Thee; my body, that it may be employed 
in Thy service; my whole self, that so I may one day 
find myself absorbed in Thee. 

AT THE SECRET PRAYERS. 

RACIOUSLY hear us, O God, that, by virtue 
of this Sacrament, Thou mayest defend us from 
all enemies both of body and soul, and give us grace in 
this life and glory in the next, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

AT THE PREFACE AND THE SANCTTJS. 

*T"^ET us give thanks to the Lord our God! For it is 
meet and just. I give Thee thanks, my divine 
Saviour, for the institution of this most w T onderful 
Sacrament, in which Thou hast bequeathed to us the 
Fountain of all graces, as a perpetual remembrance 
of Thy boundless love and bitter sufferings. I give 
Thee thanks for the numerous graces that I have re- 
ceived through this Sacrament at Mass, holy commun- 
ion, benediction, and in my visits before the taber- 
nacle. 

I love Thee, my Lord, and because I love Thee, I 
give myself entirely to Thee. I long to receive Thee 
this day; however, while longing for Thee, dear Jesus, 
to come into my heart, and to unite Thyself to me as 
the best of all friends, I must not forget Thy might and 



408 Devotions for Holy Communion. 



majesty. How great and glorious, how wise and beau- 
tiful art Thou, O my God! How presumptuous it would 
be to entertain the desire to come so near to Thee, hadst 
not Thou Thyself invited me. I am a poor sinner; 
yet I love Thee, and because Thou art good, I am sorry 
for having offended Thee. And though I believe that 
Thou, the great God, art coming into my heart, I do 
not lose my awe and reverence for Thee, but can only 
wonder at Thy marvelous goodness and condescension. 
Let me, then, join my feeble voice to that of the thou- 
sands of angels who surround Thy throne, singing 
before Thee in unceasing chorus: Holy, Holy, Holy, 
Lord God of hosts! The heavens and the earth are 
full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed 
is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, Who is about 
to descend upon this altar, and come into my very heart 
to bless me and to fill me with the treasures of grace 
and the riches of His love. Hosanna in the highest! 

AT THE CAXOX. 

Memento for the Living. 

IN this holy sacrifice, O Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ, Thou art the Mediator between the heavenly 
Father and sinful man; Thou art the High-Priest ap- 
pointed for man to present his petitions to his God. 
Therefore I implore Thee to hearken to my prayer, not 
only for myself but also for all for w T hom I am in charity 
bound to pray. Obtain for us through this holy sacri- 
fice the remission of our sins, mercy, and reconciliation 
with the heavenly Father; imbue us with strength and 
valor in the warfare against the enemies of our soul; 
give us fortitude and fidelity in the pursuit of virtues; 
aid us in the practice of all good works, and bless us 
with the grace of final perseverance. Permit me to 
offer my supplications for the peace and prosperity of 
Thy holy Church; bless and protect the Holy Father, 



Devotions for Holy Communion. 409 

Thy vicar on earth; have mercy on the bishops, priests, 
Religious, and all who labor in Thy vineyard; animate 
them with zeal for the sanctification and salvation of 
souls. Inflame their hearts with divine charity; render 
their lives as holy as the law they inculcate; make them 
all according to Thine own divine Heart, and let their 
light so shine before men that they, seeing their good 
works, may glorify the Father Who is in heaven. Par- 
don the sinners and convert all to the true faith. O ye 
holy apostles, martyrs, and virgins, whom the Church 
remembers in the Canon of the Mass, intercede for us, 
for all our friends, relatives, benefactors, and for all 
those to whom we have promised our prayers, that the 
good God may give them that grace which will most 
help them to save their souls, to lead a quiet and peace- 
ful life in this world, and to be happy with Thee for ever 
in heaven. And do Thou, O divine Saviour, gra- 
ciously condescend to come now upon our altar, to bless 
Thy servants who kneel before Thee in profound adora- 
tion. 

AT THE CONSECRATION AND ELEVATION. 

OUR dear Lord is now coming down on the altar. When 
the priest pronounces the words of consecration, troops 
of angels descend from heaven to adore their God at that most 
solemn moment. When the bell rings and the sacred Host 
and the precious blood are elevated, first lift up your eyes to 
your God with holy faith, strong hope, and ardent love; then 
bow the head in deepest adoration, praise Him with the 
heavenly host, thank Him, make atonement by compunction 
of heart and beg Him by His precious blood, here truly pres- 
ent on the altar, to purify your soul from every stain and pre- 
pare it to receive Him worthily. 

Adoremus in ceternum Sanctis simum Sacr amentum ! 
Indulgenced prayer at the elevation during Mass. 

BALVE, salutaris Victima, *Tp^ AIL, saving Victim, of- 
pro me et omni hu- r*— G fered on the gibbet of 
mano genere in patibulo cru- the cross for me and for the 
cis oblata. whole human race. Hail, 



41 o Devotions for Holy Communion. 

Salve, pretiose Sanguis, de precious blood, flowing from 

vulneribus Crucifixi Domini the wounds of our crucified 

nostri Jesu Christi profluens, Lord Jesus Christ and 'wash- 

et peccata totius mundi ablu- ing away the sins of the whole 

ens. world. Remember, O Lord, 

Recordare, Domine, ere- Thy creature that Thou hast 

aturae tuae, quam tuo pretioso redeemed by Thy precious 

Sanguine redemisti. blood. 

Indulgence of 60 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., June 30, 1893. 

Ejaculation. 

O SACRAMENT most holy! O Sacrament divine - 
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine! 
Indulgence of 100 days, once during each Mass, when said at 
the elevation. — Pius VII., Dec. 7, 18 19. 

AFTER THE ELEVATION. 

Memento for the Dead. 

Reflect on the happiness you are about to receive at holy 
communion. Make acts of love and longing desire, coupled 
with sorrow for sins. Pray for the faithful departed. 

f\ LORD Jesus Christ, on Whose glory the angels 
and saints in heaven gaze with rapturous delight, 
Thou hast deigned out of love for us to come down 
from Thy bright and happy heaven, to veil Thy beauty 
under the appearances of bread and wine, to dwell 
upon our poor altar, and art even now ready to come 
into our hearts. Would that my soul were adorned 
with all those flowers of virtue, which my good Jesus 
desires to find at His coming. In my poverty, I must 
appeal to Thyself, my Lord, and I therefore beg of 
Thee, when Thou comest into my heart, to plant there 
the seed of every flower that is pleasing to Thee. I 
promise Thee to water and nourish them all by prayer 
and self-denial, so that every time Thou comest into 
my heart Thou mayest find them growing and flourish- 
ing more and more. I know r , O my God, the w T ork 
of keeping them alive will be difficult to flesh and blood, 



Devotions for Holy Communion 411 



but I am willing to work hard for Thee, and I trust 
also in Thee to water them plentifully with grace as with 
dew from heaven. 

My God, have pity on the poor holy souls in purga- 
tory, who are longing to get to Thee — longing more 
to see Thy face than to be freed from the fierce flames 
in which Thy justice is obliged to keep them, till their 
debt is paid. I offer Thee the precious blood of Jesus; 
I offer Thee the Sacred Heart of Jesus to pay their debt. 
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual 
light shine upon them. 

AT THE PATER NOSTER. 

Say the "Our Father" slowly and devoutly. 

AT THE AGNUS DEI. 

Beg of God once more to forget and forgive your past negli- 
gence and sin, saying: 

r\ SWEET and gentle Son of God, Who wast "led 
like a lamb to the slaughter without opening Thy 
mouth." O Thou, Whose blood was shed to wash 
away the sins of the world, cleanse my soul once more 
in that saving bath, that it may be pure and bright and 
altogether spotless when Thou comest to take up Thy 
abode within me. May Thy coming bring joy and 
peace to my soul, that peace which the world can not 
give, because it does not possess it. May this holy 
communion not be for my judgment and condemnation, 
but for my pardon and salvation. 

AT THE "DOMINE, NON SUM DIGNUS." 

Humble yourself before God, acknowledging your noth- 
ingness and un worthiness. Desire to receive Jesus, your 
dear Lord. 

*T""lORD, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come 
into my breast; for what am I, or what have I 



412 



Devotions for Holy Communion. 



ever done to merit this wonderful favor? I have often 
displeased Thee ; yet, though I am not worthy of Thy love 
and condescension, I am truly sorry for having offended 
Thee, and I will approach Thee with hope and confidence, 
because Thou Thyself dost invite me in Thy goodness 
and mercy. I am now about to go to the holy table, 
drawn thither by the sweet attractions of Thy love. 
Oh, I desire most earnestly to receive Thee, my dear 
Lord, in holy communion. 

" Comfort my poor soul distressed; 
Come and dwell within my breast; 
Oh, how oft I sigh for Thee! 
Jesus, Jesus, come to me." 

I place myself in Thy hands, O my God, to do with 
me what Thou wilt. My heart is ready, O my God; 
my heart is ready, and is longing for Thee. Come, 
establish Thy kingdom in my soul ; take possession of 
my heart. 

THANKSGIVING AFTER HOLY COMMUNION. 

HOU hast come at last, O dear Lord, into my 
heart. O my beloved, let me never again be 
separated from Thee by sin. O Jesus, my God, I 
adore Thee; I believe in Thee; I hope in Thee; I love 
Thee with all my heart. I thank Thee for coming to 
me, a poor sinner. / am truly sorry for having dis- 
pleased Thee so often and so grievously. I pray Thee 
to bless me, that I may love Thee and become like Thee 
more and more. Adore my Jesus, my God, ye blessed 
angels and saints of heaven — adore and praise and 
glorify my God for me! 

Let my soul, O Lord, feel the sweetness of Thy pres- 
ence. Let me taste how sweet Thou art, O Lord! that, 
being allured by Thy love, I may never sin by running 
passionately after worldly pleasures. "Thou art the 
God of my heart and the God that is my portion for ever." 



Devotions for Holy Communion. 413 

O Thou Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of 
the world, take away from me whatever may hurt me 
and displease Thee. Give me what Thou knowest 
to be pleasing to Thee and profitable to myself. 

O my God and my all! may the sweet flame of Thy 
love consume my soul, that so I may die to the world 
for love of Thee, Who hast vouchsafed to die upon the 
cross for love of me. 

How poor a dwelling-place is my heart for Thee, O 
Lord of glory! What is it but a poor human heart, full 
even yet of worldliness and selfish desires? I trust in 
Thee. I pray Thee to drive all selfishness away from it, 
and to leave in it a great desire of pleasing Thee and of 
being kind to others, because they ail have souls for 
which Thou didst shed Thy life's blood upon the cross. 

Bless me, O my God, and grant that Thy holy will 
may be done in me and through me for ever. 

Suscipe. 

Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my 
understanding, and my whole will. Thou hast given me all 
that I am, and all that I possess. I surrender it all to Thee, 
that Thou mayest dispose of it according to Thy will. Give 
me only Thy love and Thy grace; with these I will be rich 
enough, and will have no more to desire. — St. Ignatius Loyola. 

Anima Cfiristi, as on page 213. 
AT THE BLESSING SAY: 

AY Thy blessing, O Lord, descend upon us all, 
that we may love Thee and love one another for 
Thy sake. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

AT THE LAST GOSPEL SAY*. 

HAT a wonderful invention of Thy love it was, 
O my God, to become man like one of us, to 
redeem us, and to teach us how to live in a manner 




414 Devotions for Holy Communion. 

worthy of our high dignity as children of God, instead 
of living as the brutes that perish. Left to ourselves, 
what would have become of us? We should have 
been as mere animals, taking pleasure only in what 
gratifies or pleases the senses. But Thou hast taught 
us to raise up our thoughts to Thee, and to journey 
onward through weariness and toil to our true and 
lasting country in heaven. There we shall rest from 
our trouble, and enjoy the sight of Thy magnificence 
and glory for ever. Amen. 

Bfter /Ifcass anD Communion. 

THANKSGIVING. 
(From the Roman Missal.) 

THE BENEDICITE, OR SONG OF THE THREE CHILDREN. 

Antiphon. *"T"^ET us sing the song of the three children. 

4 ■ O all ye works of the Lord, bless the 
Lord: praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 

O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord: bless the Lord, ye 
heavens. 

O all ye waters that are above the heavens, bless the Lord: 
bless the Lord, all ye powers of the Lord. 

O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord: bless the Lord, ye 
stars of heaven. 

O all ye showers and dew, bless ye the Lord: bless the 
Lord, all ye spirits of God. 

O ye fire and heat, bless the Lord: bless the Lord, ye 
winter and summer. 

O ye dews and hoar-frost, bless the Lord: bless the Lord, 
ye frost and cold. 

O ye ice and snow, bless the Lord: bless the Lord, ye 
nights and days. 

O ye light and darkness, bless the Lord: bless the Lord, 
ye lightnings and clouds. 

O let the earth bless the Lord: let it praise and exalt Him 
above all for ever. 



Devotions for Holy Communion. 



4i5 



O ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord: bless the Lord, 
all things that spring forth upon the earth. 

O ye fountains, bless the Lord: bless the Lord, ye seas and 
floods. 

O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless the 
Lord: bless the Lord, all ye fowls of the air. 

O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord: bless the Lord,, 
ye sons of men. 

Let Israel bless the Lord: let him praise and exalt Him 
above all for ever. 

O ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord: bless the Lord,, 
ye servants of the Lord. 

O ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord: bless the 
Lord, O ye holy and humble of heart. 

O ANANIAS, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord: 
praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 
Let us bless the Father, and the Son, with the Holy Ghost: 
let us praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven: 
and worthy to be praised and glorified, and exalted above all 
for ever. 

PSALM CL. 

RAISE the Lord in His holy places: praise Him in the 
firmament of His power. 
Praise Him in His mighty acts: praise Him according to 
the multitude of His greatness. 

Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him 
with psaltery and harp. 

Praise Him with timbrel and choir: praise Him with 
strings and organs. 

Praise Him upon the high-sounding cymbals: praise Him 
upon cymbals of joy: let every spirit praise the Lord. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
Ghost. Amen. 

Antiphon. Let us sing the song of the three children 
which the holy souls sang in the fiery furnace, blessing the 
Lord. 

Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 




41 6 Devotions for Holy Communion, 



Lord, have mercy. 

Our Father (inaudibly) . 

V. And lead us not into temptation. 

R. But deliver us from evil. 

V. Let all Thy works, O Lord, praise Thee. 

R. And let Thy saints bless Thee. 

V. The saints shall rejoice in glory. 

R. They shall be joyful in their place of rest. 

V. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us. 

R. But unto Thy name give the glory. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come unto Thee. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who for the three children didst check the 
flames of fire : mercifully grant that the flames of sin 
may not consume us Thy servants. 

DIRECT, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thy 
inspiration, and give to us Thy continual help; that 
every prayer and work of ours may always begin with Thee, 
and through Thee be brought to an end. 

VOUCHSAFE, O Lord, to extinguish within us the 
flames of vice, as Thou didst grant to Blessed Lawrence 
grace to arise whole from his fiery torments. Through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



PRAYER OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS. 

I GIVE Thee thanks, eternal Father, for having, 
out of Thy pure mercy, without any deserts of 
mine, been pleased to feed my soul with the body and 
blood of Thy only Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. I be- 
seech Thee that this holy communion may not be to my 
condemnation, but prove an effectual remission of all 
my sins. May it strengthen my faith; encourage me 
in all that is good; deliver me from my vicious cus- 
toms; remove all concupiscence; perfect me in charity, 
patience, humility, and obedience, and in all other vir- 



Devotions for Holy Communion. 



417 



tues. May it secure me against all the snares of my 
enemies, both visible and invisible; perfectly moderate 
all my inclinations, closely unite me to Thee, the true 
and only good, and happily settle me in unchangeable 
bliss. I now make it my hearty request, that Thou wilt 
one day admit me, though an unworthy sinner, to be a 
guest at Thy divine banquet, where Thou, with Thy 
Son and the Holy Ghost, art the true light, eternal ful- 
ness, everlasting joy, and perfect happiness of all the 
saints, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PRAYER OF ST. BOX A VENTURE. 

f~\ SWEETEST Lord Jesus Christ, pierce, I beseech 
Thee, the inmost marrow of my soul with the 
tender and life-giving wound of Thy love, with true, 
and calm, and apostolical charity, so that my whole 
soul may ever languish and faint for love of Thee, and 
for desire of Thee alone. May it long for Thee, and 
pine for Thee in the courts of Thy house; may it desire 
to be dissolved and to be with Thee. Grant that my 
soul may hunger for Thee, Thou Bread of angels, Thou 
refreshment of holy souls, our daily supersubstantial 
bread, having all manner of sweetness and savor, and 
all most thrilling delights. May my heart ever hunger 
for Thee and feed on Thee, on Whom angels long to 
look; and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweet- 
ness of the taste of Thee. May ii ever thirst for Thee, 
Thou well of life, Thou fountain of wisdom and knowl- 
edge, Thou source of everlasting light, Thou torrent 
of pleasure, Thou richness and abundance of the house 
of God; may it ever yearn toward Thee, seek Thee, find 
Thee, tend toward Thee, attain to Thee, meditate ever 
on Thee, speak of Thee, and do all things to the praise 
and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, 
with love and delight, with ready care and glad affec- 
tion, with perseverance even to the end; and do Thou 



4i8 



Devotions for Holy Communion, 



be alone and evermore my hope, my whole trust, my 
riches, my delight, my joy, my rest and my tranquillity, 
my peace and my sweet contentment, my fragrance 
and my sweetness, my food and my refreshment, my 
refuge and my help, my wisdom, my portion, my pos- 
session, and my treasure, in Whom my mind and my 
heart may ever remain fixed and firm, and rooted im- 
movably for evermore. Amen. 



ADORO TE DEVOTE, LATENS DElTAS. 

Rhythm of St. Thomas Aquinas. 

la- VJJhEE prostrate I adore — 
the Deity that lies 
la-' Beneath these humble veils, 
concealed from human 
eyes; 

My heart doth wholly yield, 

subjected to Thy sway, 
For contemplating Thee, it 
wholly faints away. 



*ZTDORO Te devote, 
tv^J-* tens Deitas, 
Quae sub his figuris vere 
titas ; 



Tibi se cor meum totum subji- 
cit, 

Quia Te contemplans, totum 
deficit. 



Visus, tactus, gustus in Te 
fallitur 

Sed auditu solo tuto credi- 
tur: 

Credo quidquid dixit Dei 
Filius, 

Nil hoc verbo veritatis 
verius. 



The sight, the touch, the 

taste, in Thee are here 

deceived ; 
But by the ear alone this truth 

is safe believed; 
I hold whate'er the Son of 

God hath said to me; 
Than His blest word of truth 

no wx>rd can truer be. 



In cruce latebat sola Deitas, 

At hie latet simul et humani- 
tas: 

Ambo tamen ere dens, atque 

confitens, 
Peto quod petivit latro poe- 

nitens. 



Upon the cross Thy Godhead 

only was concealed; 
But here Thy manhood, too, 

doth lie as deeply veiled ; 
And yet, in both these truths 

confessing my belief, 
I pray as prayed to Thee the 

poor, repentant thief. 



Plagas, sicut Thomas, non I see not with mine eyes Thy 

intueor, wounds, as Thomas saw; 

Deum tamen meum Te confi- Yet own Thee for my God 

teor : with equal love and awe ; 



Devotions for Holy Communion, 419 



Fac me tibi semper magis Oh, grant me that my faith 

credere, may ever firmer be, 

In Te spem habere, Te dili- - That all my hope and love 

gere. may still repose in Thee. 







memoriale 
mini, 



mortis Do- 



Memorial sweet, that shows 
the death of my dear 
Lord; 

Thou living Bread, that life 

dost unto man afford; 
Oh, grant that this my soul 

may ever live on Thee, 
That Thou mayst evermore 
its only sweetness be. 

O mystic Pelican, Jesus, my 

loving Lord, 
Cleanse me of my defilements 

in Thy blood adored, 
Whereof one only drop, in 

Thy sweet mercy spilt, 
Would have the power to 
cleanse the world of all 
its guilt. 

Jesus, lying here concealed 
before mine eye, 

1 pray Thou grant me that 
for which I ceaseless sigh, 

To see the vision clear of 

Thine unveiled face, 
Blest with the glories bright 
that fill Thy dwelling- 
place. 

(The following is usually said after every stanza): 

*"p^ AIL, Jesus, hail; do Thou, good Shepherd of the 
r*-t sheep, 

Increase in all true hearts the faith they fondly keep. 

Indulgence of 100 days, after holy communion. — Leo XIII., 
June 15, 1895. 

Ejaculation. 

My sweetest Jesus, be not my Judge, but my Saviour. 
Indulgence of 50 days. — Pius IX., Aug. 11, 185 1. 



Panis vivus vitam praestans 

homini : 
Praesta me as menti de Te 

vivere, 

Et Te illi semper dulce sa- 
pere. 

Pie pelicane Jesu Domine, 

Me immundum munda tuo 
Sanguine : 

Cujus una stilla salvum fa- 
cere 

Totum mundum quit at omni 
scelere. 



Jesu, quern velatum nunc 
aspicio, 

Oro, flat illud, quod tarn 
sitio, 

Ut Te revelata cernens facie, 

Visu sim beatus tuae gloriae. 
Amen. 



420 



Devotions for Holy Communion. 



INDULGENCKD PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX.* 



N ego, bone 
et dulcissime 
te^^jafeggg Jesu, ante con- 
^^^fl^^^ spectum tuum 
PL genibus me provol- 
vo ac maximo ani- 
|jr mi ardore Te oro 
II atque obtestor, ut 
H meum in cor vividos 
II fidei, spei, et chari- 
tatis sensus, atque veram 
peccatorum meorum poeniten- 
tiam, eaque emendandi firmis- 
imam voluntatem velis im- 
primere: dum magno animi 
affectu et dolore tua quinque 
vulnera me cum ipse consi- 
dero, ac mente contemplor, 
illud prae oculis habens quod 
jam in ore ponebat tuo David 
propheta de Te, O bone Jesu : 
"Foderunt manus meas et 
pedes meos: dinumeraverunt 
omnia ossa mea." 



BEHOLD, O kind and 
sweetest Jesus, I cast 
myself upon my knees in Thy 
sight, and with the most 
fervent desire of my soul I 
pray and beseech Thee to 
impress upon my heart lively 
sentiments of faith, hope, and 
charity, with true repent ence 
for my sins, and a firm purpose 
of amendment, whilst with 
deep affection and grief of 
soul I ponder within myself, 
and mentally contemplate 
Thy five wounds; having 
before my eyes that which 
David spoke in prophecy of 
Thee, O good Jesus: "They 
have pierced My hands and 
My feet ; they have numbered 
all My bones. " 



A plenary indulgence, which can be applied to the souls in 
purgatory, may be gained by the faithful who, after having con- 
fessed their sins with sorrow and received holy communion, shall 
devoutly recite the above prayer before an image or picture of 
Christ crucified, and prav for the intentions of the Holy Father. — 
Pius IX., July 31, 1858.' 

COR SANCTISSIMUM JESU 1 . 

Cor Sanctissimum Jesu Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ! 
amas! Non amaris! Utinam Thou lovest! Thou art not 
ameris ! loved ! V/ ould that Thou wert 

loved ! 

EART of my Creator, lead me to perfection. 
Heart of my Redeemer, deliver me. 
Heart of my Judge, pardon me. 
Heart of my Father, guide me. 

* Another English version of this prayer is given on page 213. 
It is the version used most frequently in the United States. 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 421 

Heart of my Spouse, love me. 
Heart of my Brother, tarry with me. 
Heart of my Teacher, instruct me. 
Heart of my King, be my crown. 
Heart of my Benefactor, enrich me. 
Heart of my Pastor, guard me. 
Heart of my Friend, be my shelter. 

Heart of the Infant Jesus, draw me, that I may love Thee 
and be evermore closely united to Thee. 

Let us pray. 

E beseech Thee, Lord, may Thy Holy Spirit set us 
on fire with that love which Our Lord Jesus Christ 
cast out of the depths of His Heart into the world and greatly 
wished should be enkindled. 

petitions an& ©ffermgs after 1bolp 
Communion, 

^flNCE Thou hast been pleased, most loving Jesus, 
to come and dwell within my heart, I expect 
many favors of Thee; for how canst Thou refuse to 
give me Thy gifts, since Thou hast given me Thyself? 
No, this is not possible, my dearest Lord, and therefore 
I feel the strongest confidence of obtaining all from 
Thy goodness. I confess, O Lord, that I deserve noth- 
ing; but the more undeserving I am, the more is Thy 
goodness glorified in bestowing Thy grace upon me. I 
ask, then, O most loving Redeemer, a full pardon and 
remission of the guilt of all my sins, which I once more 
detest and abominate with all my heart; and for the 
remission of the temporal punishment which is due for 
them, I desire to gain all the indulgences I can, and 
beseech Thee to give me the grace to accomplish this 
purpose. 

By Thy most precious blood, by Thy body, soul, and 
divinity, which I have this morning received, I beg of 
Thee with all humility to cleanse my heart from all 



422 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 

defilement. Create, O my Jesus, a clean heart within 
me, and grant me a new spirit truly just and upright. 
Fill it with all the gifts of Thy Holy Spirit, and adorn 
it with every virtue, especially with humility, patience, 
meekness, and mortification. Detach my heart from 
all created things, fashion it after Thine own most Sacred 
Heart, and unite it for ever to Thyself in the bonds of 
perfect charity. Give me strength and courage to 
resist bravely all temptations until death; I purpose to 
banish them at once, and promise to avoid every occa- 
sion of sin. But, my Lord, Thou knowest that of myself 
I can do nothing, and therefore I implore Thee to help 
me and to strengthen me by Thy blood. 

I beseech Thee to engrave upon my heart so lively a 
remembrance of Thy Passion and death, and the bitter 
sorrows of my Mother Mary, that they may be my con- 
tinual meditation night and day; so that henceforth 
and to my last breath I may dwell on Calvary at the 
foot of Thy cross, in company with our dear Lady of 
sorrows. 

I beseech Thee, too, my dearest Lord, most earnestly, 
to give me the grace to free myself once for all from the 
passion which most predominates in me, and the sin I 
most often fall into. (Here mention the particular pas- 
sion, or sin, or fault.) I ask moreover for those tem- 
poral graces Thou knowest to be most expedient for me, 
for Thy greater glory and the salvation of my soul; and 
lest I should err in asking for what might be injurious 
for me, I leave it entirely to Thee, and trust in Thee, 
Who alone hast goodness and infinite wisdom, to give 
me what Thou knowest to be best for me. To all these 
graces add that highest and most precious gift, the crown 
and perfection of all Thy other gifts, the grace of final 
perseverance. Do Thou, Thyself, my Jesus, ask it of 
Thine eternal Father: show Him Thy wounds; offer 
Him Thy most precious blood, and then I shall be sure 
of being heard. 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 423 

Lastly, I ask Thee, my Jesus, to give me Thy bless- 
ing before Thou leavest me. I recommend my soul to 
Thee during the whole of my life and in the hour of 
death. Every day and hour and moment I am getting 
nearer to that time. Ah! defend me, then, from all 
temptations, and give me grace to overcome them ; grant 
me the assistance of my Mother Mary; and oh! do not 
let me, in punishment for my sins, and especially for 
my irreverences toward the Blessed Sacrament and 
my unworthy communions — do not let me, I beseech 
Thee, dear Lord, depart this life without having received 
the last sacraments with proper dispositions. 

[You may here add any particular petitions for yourself and 
for your neighbor. Do not forget to pray for the Holy Church, 
•the Sovereign Pontiff, and all Superiors, both ecclesiastical 
and secular. Recommend to our dear Lord the regular and 
secular clergy, as also the members of all Religious Orders, 
and pray Him to give them the true spirit of their holy voca- 
tion. Pray for your relatives, friends, and benefactors, 
for the afflicted, the sick, and those in their agony. Pray 
for the poor, holy souls in purgatory. Recommend all poor 
sinners, and pray for their conversion and salvation. Do 
not forget to pray for heretics and infidels, beseeching God 
to enlighten them and give them grace to embrace the true 
faith.] 

I should, indeed, be ungrateful, O my Jesus, if after 
Thou hast given me Thyself in this holy communion, I 
were to delay an instant in giving myself entirely to 
Thee. I offer Thee, most loving Lord, my soul, together 
with my liberty. I offer Thee my understanding, that, 
sanctified by Thee, it may be occupied earnestly in 
the consideration of Thy blessed Passion and death, 
and Thy divine attributes. I give Thee my memory, 
that I may ever have in remembrance the infinite mercies 
Thou hast shown me. I give Thee my will, that by 
Thy holy love I may be entirely conformed to Thy 
divine will, desiring nothing but what Thou wiliest, 



424 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 

and rejecting everything that is displeasing to Thee. 
I give Thee my whole self, to be sanctified by Thee in 
soul and body; and I intend in this offering to make 
an entire, irrevocable, and eternal sacrifice of myself 
and all that belongs to me. I offer and consecrate to 
Thee my poor heart, which now desires to love Thee 
so faithfully as to make amends for all the infidelities 
of my past life. O my Jesus, detach my heart from 
creatures, unite it perfectly to Thine own, and, hiding 
it within the loving wound of Thy side, imprint deeply 
in it the memory of Thy bitter Passion and the sorrows 
of Thy most holy Mother: so that, by frequent medita- 
tion on these mysteries, I may be filled with sorrow for 
my past sins, and for the time to come faithfully cor- 
respond to Thine infinite love. 

I offer Thee all the senses of my body, particularly 
my eyes and my tongue: grant that henceforth I may 
nevermore offend Thee by them. I offer- Thee my 
thoughts, words, and deeds. My Jesus, I desire to 
unite all I have offered Thee to the merits of Thy most 
holy Passion and death, and the merits of my Mother 
Mary and all the saints. I. offer Thee the good works 
I have done, as well as those I shall ever do in the whole 
course of my life, and I now make the intention of doing 
and suffering all things for Thy greater glory, in prepa- 
ration for holy communion, and in thanksgiving for 
the Most Holy Sacrament. 

Blessed and praised every moment be the Most Holy 
and Most Divine Sacrament! 

REFLECTIONS AFTER COMMUNION. 

i. f>fALL to mind, as often as you can during the day, 
that you have received Jesus in the Blessed 
Sacrament. Try to repeat frequently this short sentence: 
"This morning Jesus Christ, the Son of God, condescended 
to come and dwell within me, and gave Himself to me." By 
doing this, you will derive greater fruit from your communion; 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 425 

you will gain more patience under difficulties, and be more 
careful in keeping the grace of God in your soul; you will 
more easily acquire true and' real devotion; you will set 
a good example to others, and have a continual inducement 
to lead a good Christian life, if only you adopt this simple 
practice. 

2. Retire frequently into your heart, in order to renew 
an act of adoration of Jesus, or of thanksgiving for the loving 
visit He made you in the morning, and rekindle the fire of 
divine charity by some holy aspiration. We would not so 
quickly lose the fervor of devotion and the love of God, if 
we took greater pains about this; and Jesus Christ would 
not have to lament the coldness with which men love Him, 
if they only thought oftener of His benefits and His love, 
especially in the Most Holy Sacrament, and thanked Him 
with their whole heart. 

3. Frequently renew the offering of your heart to our 
dear Lord. By giving Himself to you, He desires to gain 
you to His love, and earnestly asks you to give Him your 
heart in exchange for the infinite gift He has bestowed upon 
you. Will you be so ungrateful as to deny Him your heart, 
and to give it to the world and the devil on the very day on 
which He has come to take possession of it? Ah! no; this 
must not be; you have consecrated your heart to Jesus in 
your communion; you must ratify and confirm this offering; 
and if the world, with its enticements, vanities, and false 
pleasures, wishes to enter into your heart, say that you have 
given it for ever to Jesus. If the devil with his suggestions, 
and the flesh with its temptati ns, assail your heart, answer 
generously and courageously that you have given it to esus, 
t) be His and His alone and for ever. Oh, if all Christians 
were but to do this after their communion, they would pre- 
serve the grace of God, an not relapse into sin. 

4. Remember that your tongue h s received Jesus, th t 
it has* touched His sacred body when ou went to com- 
munion. Only recall this thought to mind when you feel 
tempted to speak impatiently, or so as to offend or injure 
your neighbor; and surely it will keep you from offending 
Jesus with that tongue which has been sanctified by the 
touch of His sacred flesh. 

5. In connection with your visits to the Blessed Sacrament 



426 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion, 



every day make a spiritual communion, renewing in the most 
lively manner your desire to receive our dear Lord into your 
heart. Remember, for love of us Jesus remains night and 
day in the tabernacle, ardently desiring to communicate Him- 
self to our souls, and bestow His graces upon us. Ahl what 
monstrous forgetfulness and ingratitude, if, when we can 
easily do so, we neglect to go to Him during the day, to pay 
our homage and adoration to Him in return for all His love.* 

B /Ifoass of abanfcsglvfng after 1boi£ Communion* 



OU have now received from the tender mercy of your 



k divine Redeemer the greatest and sweetest proof of 
His wondrous love. Surely your heart is overflowing with 
gratitude and affection. To give evidence of this gratitude, 
and to give expression to this affection, you can do nothing 
better, nothing more acceptable to God, than to assist again 
at the adorable sacrifice of the altar, thus offering to the 
Almighty the only Victim of thanksgiving proportionate to 
the benefits which you have received. 

GOD! " how hast Thou multiplied Thy mercies" 
in favor of Thy poor servant. When was I ever 
so rich as at present? "What shall I render to the 
Lord for all the things that He hath rendered to me? 
I will take the chalice of salvation; I will pay my vows 
to the Lord before all His people; I will sacrifice to 
Thee the sacrifice of praise, and I will call upon the 
name of the Lord, in the courts of the house of the 
Lord." (Psalm cxv. 12-18.) 

I am indeed fully conscious, O Lord, of my personal 
indigence, and my utter unworthiness to be among Thy 
chosen ones in this holy place, yet, transported with 
gratitude for the dignity to which I am raised by the 



AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF MASS. 




* Additional exercises for thanksgiving after holy communion 
will be found in another part of this book. 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 427 



sacred bonds, which unite me to my Saviour, I will 
again offer Thee, O King of heaven and earth, a worthy 
sacrifice, a Victim of thanksgiving, commensurate with 
Thy gifts. I will offer Thee a host of praise, im- 
molated not only on this altar, but in the midst of my 
heart. 

And Thou, O Jesus! " sweet and mild, and plenteous 
in mercy " (Ps. lxxxv. 5), give ear to my earnest petition; 
let me be now so closely united to Thee that I may 
become one with Thee, and thus be enabled to offer 
my whole being a sacrifice worthy of the God to whose 
glory Thou art about to be immolated; create within 
me that humble, meek, and fervent heart, which will 
make me pleasing and acceptable in Thy sight; let 
Thy divine presence fill my soul with consolation and 
peace, and let Thy mercies be now upon me, " according 
to the hope I have placed in Thee." I ask of Thee, O 
Lord, a constant sense of Thy divine presence, that I 
may walk before Thee, and be perfect. 

OFFERING OF THE BLESSED MARGARET MARY. 

j j TERNAL Father, receive, I beseech Thee, the 
^-4. offering that I make of the Heart of Jesus Christ, 
Thy well-beloved Son, as He offers Himself to Thee in 
sacrifice. Be pleased to receive this offering for me, with 
all the desires, all the sentiments, all the affections, all 
the beatings, all the actions of this Sacred Heart. They 
are all mine, since He immolates Himself for me; and 
I desire, for the future, never to have any other inten- 
tions but His. Receive them in satisfaction for my 
sins, and in thanksgiving for all Thy benefits. Receive 
them, and grant me, through their merits, all the graces 
that are necessary for me, and particularly the grace of 
final perseverance. Receive them as so many acts of 
love, adoration, and praise, which I offer to Thy divine 
Majesty, since it is by Him alone that Thou art worthily 
honored and glorified. Amen. 



428 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 



AT THE KYRIB. 



KYRIE eleison, etc. 
Christe eleison, etc. 

Kyrie eleison, etc. 



*~| 'ORD, have mercy, etc. 
,J — k Christ, have mercy, 
etc. 

Lord, have mercy, etc. 



FROM THE GLORIA TO THE OFFERTORY. 

Adoration, Thanksgiving, Love* 

I FALL down to adore You, O Holy and Undivided 
Trinity, One in Three and Three in One, the 
earliest, highest, dearest Mystery of our faith! 

I fall before You and adore You, O eternal Father, 
" Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom all pater- 
nity in heaven and earth is named!" (Eph. hi). Our 
Father, Who art in heaven! I love and praise You in 
union with the Son and the Holy Spirit, and together 
with my vow of poverty, put myself wholly into Your 
hands for ever. 



I FALL before You, and adore You, O eternal Son, 
God of God, Light of light, very God of very God, 
my Brother by the Incarnation, my Spouse by the vows of 
my profession, my Redeemer, my Master, my All in all! 

I love and praise You in union with the Father and 
the Holy Spirit, and together with my vow of chastity, 
give myself wholly to Your Heart for ever. 



I fall before You and adore You, O eternal Spirit, 
coequal with the Father and the Son, my Guide, my 
Comforter ! 

I love and praise You in union with the Father and 
the Son, Whose uncreated Love You are, and together 
with my vow of obedience, abandon myself wholly to 

* From Mother Loyola's "Confession and Communion." 



Sume, Domine, et suscipe! 



Sume, Domine, et suscipe! 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Covununion. 429 



Your leading, to be conformed in all things to Your 
will for ever, 

Sinne, D omine, et suscipe! 
Adoration. 

"Come, let us adore and fall down before the Lord 
that made us, for He is the Lord our God." (Ps. xciv.) 

Adoro Te devote, latens Deltas. 

I adore You, O Lord, my Creator, O God my Re- 
deemer, my Sanctifier, O Ever-blessed and Undivided 
Trinity! 

« Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts; the earth is 
full of Thy glory; glory be to the Father; Glory be to 
the Son; Glory be to the Holy Ghost. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pope Clement XIV., 
June 6, 1769. 

Glory be to the Father, Who created me out of love. 

Glory be to the Son, Who redeemed me with love. 

Glory be to the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified me in 
love, and reserved for me His graces of predilection. 

Glory be to the Holy and Undivided Trinity, one 
God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Laudanius Te; benedicimns Te; adoramus Te, glori- 
ficamus Te. Gratias agimus Tibi propter magnam glo- 
riam Tuam. 

Thanksgiving. 

E Deum laudamus: Te Dominum confitemur. 
Te aeternum Patrem: omnis terra veneratur. 
Patrem immensse majestatis. 
Venerandum Tuum verum, et unicum Filium. 
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum. 
Benedicamus Patrem et Filium cum Sancto Spiritu. 
Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in saecula. 

Benedicta sit Sancta Trinitas et indivisa unitas, una 
Deitas. 



430 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 

"O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and 
exalt Him above all for ever. 

"O ye sons of men, bless the Lord; praise and exalt 
Him above all for ever. 

" O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and 
exalt Him above all for ever. 

"O ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord; 
praise and exalt Him above all for ever. 

" O ye holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord; praise 
and exalt Him above all for ever. 

"O give thanks to the Lord because He is good, be- 
cause His mercy endureth for ever. 

"O all ye Religious, bless the Lord; praise Him an4 
give Him thanks because .His mercy endureth for ever." 
(Dan. hi. 58-90.) 

Love and Reparation. 

"*T*S not He thy Father, that hath possessed thee, and 
made thee, and created thee?" (Deut. xxxii.) 

"You are not your own, you are bought with a great 
price. " (1 Cor. vL) 

"You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God 
dwelleth in you." (1 Cor. hi.) 

To whom, my God, do I belong if not to You ? Who 
else has a shadow of right to me ? I am Yours by crea- 
tion, by redemption, by sanctification. I am Yours 
by the vows of my profession. And how have You 
treated one who is Yours by so many titles? Have 
You loved me ? Have You given me cause to love You ? 
Love is shown by deeds, by the communication of good 
things. Will Your love bear this test, my God? Oh, 
let the history of Your benefits to me throughout my 
life speak for You — that hidden history of Your deal- 
ings with my soul, the significance of which I could not 
make known to others, even if I would — the opportu- 
nities, the help in need, the persistent drawing and 
waiting which make up the history of my life. 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 431 

" No earthly father loves like Thee, 
No mother half so mild 
Bears and forbears, as Thou hast done, 
With me Thy sinful child.'' 

I have cause indeed to love, and I tell You again 
and again that I love You, my God and my all. But 
where are the proofs? Love is shown by deeds. In 
deed and in truth You have loved me. But where 
are the proofs of my love? Resolutions in plenty every 
morning. But when the evening comes what have I 
to show, what have I to offer but weaknesses, cowardices, 
and failures. And yet I love You, dearest Lord. I 
wish to please You; forgive me my unfaithfulness. 
You have created me ; You know my weaknesses and 
my struggles — have mercy on me; help me to love You 
better; help me to follow You more closely. Take my 
heart, and make it like Your Heart — meek and humble. 
I shall try to accept my failures in a deeply humble 
spirit; I shall not yield to discouragement, but trusting 
in Your goodness, in Your love and Your grace, I shall 
endeavor daily to overcome my weaknesses, and fight 
on calmly, courageously, generously, and hopefully to 
the end. O Lord, I am willing to go on still struggling 
— fighting hard constantly to the last moment of my 
life; and even to fail constantly, to have nothing to show 
but defeat and failures, provided only that You are 
glorified. Omnia ad Majorem Dei gloriam. 

AT THE OFFERTORY. 

When the Priest offers the Host, say with him: 

CCEPT, O holy Father, almighty, eternal God, 
this immaculate Host, which I, Thy unworthy 
servant, offer unto Thee, my living and true God, for 
my innumerable sins, offences, and negligences, and 
for all here present, as also for all faithful Christians, 
both living and dead, that it may be profitable for my 
own and for their salvation unto life eternal. Amen. 




432 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 



When the Priest offers the chalice, say with him: 

(() I °^ er un *° Thee, O Lord, the chalice of salva- 
tion, beseeching Thy clemency that in the sight 
of Thy divine majesty it may ascend with the odor of 
sweetness for our salvation and for that of the whole 
world. 

When the Priest washes his fingers, say with him 

THE LAVABO. 

I WILL wash my hands among the innocent, and 
will compass Thy altar, O Lord: that I may hear 
the voice of praise and tell of all Thy marvellous works. 
I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of Thy house, and the 
place where Thy glory dwelleth. Take not away my 
soul, O God, with the wicked, nor my life with bloody 
men. In whose hands are iniquities; their right hand 
is filled with gifts. As for me, I have walked in my 
innocence; redeem me and have mercy upon me. My 
foot hath stood in the right path ; in the churches I will 
bless Thee, O Lord. Glory be to the Father, etc. 

When the Priest bows before the altar, say: 

ECEIVE, O Holy Trinity, this oblation which we 
make to Thee in memory of the Passion, Resur- 
rection, and Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
in honor of Blessed Mary, ever virgin, of blessed John 
the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, of these 
and of all the saints, that it may be available to their 
honor and to our salvation; and may they vouchsafe 
to intercede for us in heaven, whose memory we cele- 
brate on earth. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

AT THE ORATE, FRATRES. 

AY the Lord receive this holy sacrifice from the 
hands of His minister at the altar to the praise 
and glory of His name, to our own benefit, and to the 
welfare of the whole Catholic Church. 





Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion, 433 



AT THE SECRETA. 



ERCIFULLY grant Thy Church, O Lord, we be- 
seech Thee, the gifts of unity and peace, which 
are mystically represented in these offerings, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

AT THE PREFACE. 

IT is truly meet and just, right and salutary, that we 
should always and in all places give thanks to 
Thee, O Lord, Father almighty, eternal God, since by 
the mystery of the Word made flesh a new ray of Thy 
glory has appeared to the eyes of our souls; that, while 
we behold God visibly, we may be carried by Him to 
the love of things invisible; and therefore, with the 
angels and archangels, with the thrones and dominations, 
and with all the heavenly host, we sing our everlasting 
hymn to Thy glory, saying: 




AT THE SANCTUS. 

OLY, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, heaven 
and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the 
highest ! 

AT THE BENEDICTUS. 

BLESSED is He that cometh in the name of the 
Lord. Hosanna in the highest! 




Bt tbe Canon. 

COMMEMORATION OF THE LIVING. 

V JTT*T this solemn part of the Mass, let the consideration of 
eJr^-> the love which the Almighty has this day manifested 
toward you, animate you not only with gratitude toward your 
divine Benefactor, but also with a lively interest in the tem- 
poral and eternal welfare of all your fellow creatures. Pray 
fervently for all, whether friends or enemies: since Jesus 



434 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Qnnniunion, 



Christ loves all, and did not refuse to lay down His life for 
them. 

O DIVINE Jesus! the Redeemer of all mankind! 
Who art come to save even those who were lost! 
Whose adorable blood was shed for many to the remis- 
sion of sins! deign to listen to the prayers I now offer, 
not for myself alone, but for all mankind, Whose Crea- 
tor, Lord, and Sovereign Master Thou art: — permit 
me to offer my supplications for the peace and prosperity 
of that Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, which 
was founded on Thy unerring word, established by 
Thy miracles, enriched by Thy merits, and made illus- 
trious by Thy saints; of that Church, whose unworthy 
child I am, in whose bosom, through Thy grace, I re- 
solve to live and die; that Church, which has this day 
imparted to me her most precious treasure, in giving 
me the adorable body and blood of her heavenly Spouse. 

O my God! bless, sanctify, and protect the Pope, Thy 
representative on earth; have mercy on the bishops, 
priests, Religious, and all who labor in Thy vineyard; 
animate them with zeal for the salvation of souls, who 
are the purchase of Thy blood; give them humility, 
purity, prudence, patience, and perseverance; inflame 
their hearts with that ardent zeal which consumed Thy 
holy apostles. Render their lives as holy as the law 
they inculcate; make them all according to Thine own di- 
vine Heart, and let their light so shine before men, that 
they, seeing their good works, may " glorify their Father 
Who is in heaven" (Matt. v. 16). Bless our Holy 
Institute; bless our friends, our relatives, our benefac- 
tors, all those who have asked us to pray for them, and 
for whom we have promised to pray. Bless in particular 
those who, by prayer and good works, are fostering and 
propagating devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. 



SWEETEST Jesus, Redeemer of mankind, be- 
hold me humbly prostrate before Thine altar. I 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 435 



belong to Thee; I wish to be Thine; I dedicate myself 
to Thy most Sacred Heart. O my Lord, I seek not 
that which is profitable to myself, but to many ; that they 
may be saved (1 Cor. x. 33). Many have never known 
Thee. Many, despising Thy commands, have rejected 
Thee. Have pity on them, most merciful Jesus, and 
draw all men to Thy Sacred Heart. Rule, O Lord, not 
only over the faithful who never have gone away from 
Thee, but also over the prodigal sons who have forsaken 
Thee; and make them return quickly to their Father's 
house, lest they perish of misery and hunger. Rule 
over -those who have been misled by error, or separated 
by schism; and call them back to the haven of truth 
and the unity of faith, so that there may soon be one fold 
and one Shepherd. Lastly, rule over all who are sunk 
in the old superstition of the Gentiles, and vouchsafe to 
bring them out of darkness into the light and kingdom 
of God. 

Give to Thy Church, O Lord, safety and liberty; give 
to all nations peace and order; and grant that, over the 
whole earth, from pole to pole, may resound the words: 
Praise be to the divine Heart, through which was 
brought to us salvation ; glory and honor be to it for ever* 
Amen. 



AT THE ELEVATION. 

Adoration. 



*7J*DORO Te devote, la- 
cJ^y tens Deitas, 
Quae sub his figuris vere la- 
titas ; 

Tibi se cor meum totum subji- 
cit, 

Quia Te contemplans totum 
deficit. 



o 



HIDDEN God, de- 
voutly unto Thee 
Bends my adoring knee; 
With lowly semblances from 
sight concealed, 
To faith alone revealed. 
Fain would my heart trans- 
pierce the mystery, 
But fails and faints away, 
and yields itself to Thee. 



v 



436 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion, 



Laudamus Te; benedicimus 
Te; adoramus Te; glorifi- 
camns Te; . . . Domine Fili 
unigenite, Jesu Christe. 

Tu Rex Glorias, Christe. 

Tu Patris sempiternus es 
Filius. 

Ave verum Corpus, natum 

Ex Maria Virgine, 
Vere passum, immolatum 

In cruce pro homine. 

O clemens, O pie, 

O dulcis Jesu, Fili Mariae. 



We praise Thee ; we bless 
Thee; we adore Thee; we 
glorify Thee ; . . . O Lord Jesus 
Christ, the only begotten Son. 

Thou art the King of glory, 
O Christ. 

Thou art the everlasting 
Son of the Father. 

Hail to thee, true body! 
sprung 

From the Virgin Mary's 
womb ; 

The same that on the cross 
was hung, 
And bore for man the bit- 
ter doom. 

O kind, O loving One! 

O sweet Jesus, Mary's Son. 



AFTER THE ELEVATION. 

I ADORE you, O soul of Christ, Holy of holies, holy 
with the holiness of God. I adore you, and anni- 
hilate myself before you in my emptiness, my nothing- 
ness, my baseness. Soul of Christ, sanctify me. 

I adore you, body of Christ — my ransom on the cross, 
my food in the Eucharist. O divine head, O sacred 
face, O compassionate eyes, O blessed hands and 
feet, O loving Heart, I adore you, I love and praise 
you, I put my trust in you. Body of Christ, save 
me! 

I adore you, most precious blood — life and healing, 
redemption, intercession — all in ail to me. O blood 
of my Saviour, by your profuse generosity — under the 
olive trees, at the column of the scourging, on the altar 
of the cross — take away my languor and my apathy, 
take me out of myself, fire me with your generosity, 
let me return you love for love. Blood of Christ, ine- 
briate me! 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 437 



Thanksgiving. 



" OME, let us praise the Lord with joy, let us joy- 
fully sing to God our Saviour." (Ps. xciv.) 

"Who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in 
His own blood." (Apoc. i.) 

"My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath 
rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke i.) 

"Salvation to Our God, Who sitteth upon the throne. 
. . . Alleluia. Salvation and glory and power to Our 
God. Alleluia." (Apoc. v. n -13.) 

" Give glory to the Lord for He is good: for His mercy 
endureth forever." (Ps. cvi.) 

"For He is our peace" (Eph. ii.), "making peace 
through the blood of His cross." (Coloss. i.) 

Blessed be God. 

Blessed be His holy name. 

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man. 
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of 
the Altar. 

"Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift." (2 Cor. 



" *T"JO, this is Our God; we have waited for Him, and 
^ He will save us. This is the Lord; we have 
patiently waited for Him; we shall rejoice and be joy- 
ful in His salvation." (Is. xxv.) 

"My God and my Saviour! " (Ps. lxi.) 
"Say to my soul: I am thy salvation." (Ps. xxxiv.) 
"This day is salvation come to this house." (Luke 
xix.) 

"Behold, God is my Saviour: I will deal confidently." 
(Is. xii.) 

"The Lord is my rock, and my strength, and my 
Saviour." (2 Kings xxii.) 

"He loved me and delivered Himself for me." (Gal. ii.) 



ix.) 



Love. 




43 8 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion 
Recordare, Jesu pie, 
Quod sum causa Tuae viae, 



Ne me perdas ilia die. 
Ouaerens me, sedisti lassus, 
Redemisti, crucem passus, 
Tantus labor non sit cassus. 



Sweet Jesus, think — my debt 
to pay, 

Thou wouldst tread the 

mournful way; 
Forsake me not in that dread 
day. 

In quest of me Thy feet were 
worn, 

To ransom me Thy cross was 
borne ; 

Let not such love reap only 
scorn. 



O bone Jesu, exaudi me, O good Jesus, hear me ; 

Intra Tua vulnera absconde Within Thy wounds hide me; 
me, 

Ne permittas me separari a Never let me be separated 
Te. from Thee. 



{petitions, 

COMMEMORATION OF THE DEAD. 

O ALMIGHTY God! the resurrection and the life! 
he that belie veth in Thee, even though he were 
dead, shall certainly live, and enjoy in Thy kingdom 
the true liberty of the children of God. Look then, I 
beseech Thee, with compassion and mercy on those suffer- 
ing souls who have always believed and confessed Thy 
name. O sovereign Lord, remember that they are 
"the work of Thine own hands " (Job x. 3); created in 
Thy power, redeemed in Thy mercy, preserved in Thy 
goodness, and formed to Thine adorable image. Ah! 
why then hidest Thou Thine adorable face from those 
who have been dear to Thy Sacred Heart, and who long 
to behold and enjoy Thee, their sovereign Beatitude? 
Accept, O eternal God! in their favor, the adorable 
Victim, Who now offers Himself to Thee on this altar, 
and Whom I likewise possess in the center of my soul. 
Apply to them also, O Lord, the indulgence which Thy 
Church this day holds forth in Thy name to worthy 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion, 439 

communicants, and let not my imperfect dispositions 
be an obstacle to the exercise of Thy mercy on their 
behalf. In consideration of Thy beloved Son, cease 
to remember their iniquities, and take no further re- 
venge of their sins. I particularly implore Thy mercy, 
O Lord! for my parents, friends, and benefactors; for 
all those who are most abandoned; for those to whose 
sufferings I may have been accessory; for all who, 
during life, were most devoted to the Adorable Sacrament 
of Thy love, and also for those who were the fervent 
clients of Thy blessed Mother, for priests and Religious, 
and in particular for the deceased members of our Order. 
O almighty Lord! transport them into Thy bosom, 
where they shall be replenished with the goods of Thy 
house; confirm them in Thy sight forever, that they 
may " joyfully sing a hymn to Thee in Sion, and pay to 
Thee a vow in Jerusalem " (Ps. lxiv. 1). 

AT THE PATER NOSTER. 

After repeating with the priest the Pater Noster, call to 
mind the indulgence which the prodigal son experienced 
from his father on his sincere return, and acknowledge 
with gratitude that the tenderness of his good parent has 
been infinitely surpassed in your favor by your heavenly 
Father. 

BATHER in heaven, I am not worthy to be called 
Thy child, but I entreat Thee once more, in 
the name of Thy beloved Son, to receive me among 
the last of those whose happiness it is to serve Thee 
under the sweet yoke of poverty, chastity, and obedience. 

iifrom tbe Communion to tbe JEnD ot flhnes. 

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION. 




ENEW your desire to receive Our Lord frequently 
during the day. 



The Blessed Margaret Mary once said to her divine Spouse : 



44° Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 



"My most loving Jesus, I wisn to be consumed with the desire 
of Thee and since I can not receive Thee now I will not cease 
to desire Thee." To which Our Lord answered: "I take 
so much pleasure in being desired, that as many times as 
the heart forms this desire, so often do I look upon it lovingly 
to attract it to Myself." Let us often give this pleasure to 
our merciful Saviour, that we may reap from it the sweet 
fruit that He promises. 

/T\Y Jesus, I most firmly believe that Thou art really 
present in the Blessed Sacrament. I place in 
Thee my N whole confidence, and I love Thee above all 
things. Oh! that I had never offended Thee! I ar- 
dently desire to be united to Thee, my loving Saviour, 
and never to be separated from Thee. What have I in 
heaven, and besides Thee what do I desire upon earth! 
Veni, Domine Jesu. 



Act of Atonement. 

Y Father in heaven, I offer unto Thee Thy Son 
Jesus Christ in atonement for my sins, and for 
the sins of the world. 

Look on Him, O my Father; He raises His hands to 
Thee; He is pleading for us all. 

Listen to Him, Father in heaven. He asks Thee 
for pity and for pardon. He is Thine own beloved 
Son, in Whom Thou art well pleased. Thou canst 
not refuse Him anything. Do not let Him ask in 
vain. 

He has paid dearly for us, O God. Remember His 
sighs, His tears, His sweat of blooa, His scourging and 
the cruel pangs He suffered for us on Calvary. For 
His sake, pity and pardon us. 

Through Him, and w T ith Him, and in Him, I offer 
Thee, O eternal Father, humblest adoration and thanks. 
Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, I make 
atonement for the sins of the world, and I implore Thy 




Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 441 



mercy and grace for myself and for all poor sinners, 
through the same Jesus Christ Thy Son. Amen. 

O wondrous Lovel would that men knew Thee. 
How sweet Thou art, O Lord, how good to those who 
love Thee I Bless me, that I may love Thee more, and 
serve Thee faithfully to the end. 

Act of Consecration. 

O Thee, O Jesus, I consecrate my heart. In Thy 
Sacred Heart I wish to live. In Thy Sacred 
Heart I wish to die. 

Inflame my heart with the fire of Thy love, and en- 
lighten me with Thy wisdom and Thy knowledge. 

Oh, let Thy loving Heart be to me my strength in 
temptation and my consolation in the day of tribulation 
and sorrow. Grant me grace, dear Jesus, ever to taste 
the sweetness of Thy Sacred Heart, not only during my 
lifetime, but, above all, at the hour of my death. Amen. 

Will You be True? 

HEN you go to your holy communion, think that you 
see the divine Child looking through and through 
you with His clear, pellucid gaze, and asking you the ques- 
tion, " Will you be true? " Are you resolved to combat reso- 
lutely the visible faults all can see and be scandalized by, in- 
stead of the half-dozen imaginary ones with which you love 
so much to torture yourselves ? And I should love, I should 
dearly love you to return His glance with one as limpid and 
as true, saying, " O Lord, no one knows better than I how 
blind and weak I am, but I wish to know, I wish to see, 
what Thou desirest of me, and will try with all my heart, re- 
gardless of all obstacles, to accomplish it." He wishes you to 
be real. Be real. 

Final Petitions. 

"0 NE is y0Ur Master > Christ" (Matt, xxiii.). In 
two ways, Lord, You are my Master. You are 
not Teacher only, You are owner. I am not merely 



44 2 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 

Your disciple, I am Your indisputable property. Thanks 
be to God that it is so. All that I have and am belongs 
to You — time, talents, labor, health, life, all the senses 
of my body, all the faculties of my soul. Take them, 
O Lord, they are Yours, to You I restore them. See 
that I do not misuse any one of them. See that I use 
them all with a pure intention for Your glory, for Your 
greater glory — choosing the means which most tend to 
the end for which I was created, by which I may 'love 
and follow You more closely. 

Have pity, O Lord and Master, on the poor, the 
suffering, the tempted, the uncared-for little ones; on 
the teeming races of the poor heathen all the world 
over; on all those who are in their agony. Let me 
make use of Your visits of mercy in this acceptable time 
in these days of salvation — my communion days. I 
desire nothing so much as to love You. Give me Your 
love and Your grace, and this is enough for me. Increase 
and invigorate my faith, that it may be productive of 
great things to Your glory. 

Stay with me, Lord, that from communion to com- 
munion I may ascend from virtue to virtue, and become 
more pleasing in Your sight. 

Have pity, Lord, on the multitudes who never think 
of You as Judge, on those outside the Church who 
have but a dim belief in the judgment to come, and on 
those children of the Church who, believing firmly that 
it is coming and coming fast, think of it and prepare 
for it no more than if they did not believe. Remember, 
O Lord, that You "will have all men to be saved" 
(i Tim. ii.), and that You died for all, and since the 
" whole earth is made desolate because there is none 
that consider eth in his heart" (Jer. xii.), stir up faith 
in the hearts of all men. Give to all a living and prac- 
tical faith in the judgment to come, that they may pre- 
pare for it while there is yet time. 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 443 



Indulgenced Prayer. 

*T"\EAR Jesus, in the Sacrament of the Altar, be forever 
thanked and praised. Love, worthy of all celes- 
tial and terrestrial love! Who, out of infinite love for 
me, ungrateful sinner, didst assume our human nature, 
didst shed Thy most precious blood in the cruel scourg- 
ing, and didst expire on a shameful cross for our eternal 
welfare! Now, illumined with lively faith, with the 
outpouring of my whole soul and the fervor of my heart, 
I humbly beseech Thee, through the infinite merits of 
Thy painful sufferings, give me strength and courage to 
destroy every evil passion which sways my heart, to 
bless Thee in my greatest afflictions, to glorify Thee by 
the exact fulfilment of all my duties, supremely to hate 
all sin, and thus to become a saint. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Jan. 1, 
1866. 

/IBeDitattons after Communion* 

FIRST MEDITATION. 

On the Sentiments which the Holy Communion should 
produce in our Souls. 

1. /^TONSIDER with astonishment the excessive liber- 
al ality with which Jesus Christ has treated you ; 
by this one communion you are infinitely elevated above 
all that the world calls great — you are happier than if 
you enjoyed all the delights of the universe — richer 
than if you possessed all its treasures — and more privi- 
leged than if you were its sole sovereign. Ah! if you 
understood the gift of God, if you had a just idea of 
your own dignity, how soon would you despise every- 
thing in this world! Penetrated with gratitude for 
the greatness of the benefit you have received, you would 
exclaim with the Royal Prophet: What shall I render 



444 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion, 

to the Lord for all He has done for me? how shall I 
testify my gratitude ? Do not on this important matter 
deceive yourself as many do. Do not imagine that so 
great a benefit as a communion is worthily acknowl- 
edged by the most fervent expressions of thanksgiving. 
It is not those who say: " Lord, Lord/' that shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven. " Sincere gratitude for 
any benefit," says St. Thomas, " consists chiefly in 
esteeming the benefit as it deserves, and in endeavoring 
to make our benefactor an adequate return. " 

Give glory to Him Who has given you His precious 
body and blood, His soul and divinity, and has thus 
rendered you, in a way, an object of envy to the angels 
themselves. Beg of God most earnestly to enlighten 
your mind, that you may understand the greatness of 
the favor conferred on you ; and also to touch your heart, 
that you may feel your obligation of acknowledging it 
by every means in your power, especially by a greater 
love of the Blessed Sacrament, and a more self-sacrific- 
ing devotedness to your duties as a Religious. 

2. Cast yourself in spirit at the feet of your Creator, 
and present to Him the sacrifice of thanksgiving which 
He deserves: A voluntary, unreserved oblation of your 
whole being. Can that be too much for Him Who has 
created you to His image and likeness, and redeemed 
you with His precious blood? or rather, what can be 
enough for Him Who has loved you so much as to give 
Himself to you? If you would really and entirely be- 
long to God, you should make a twofold sacrifice: A 
sacrifice of your body with all its senses, and of your 
heart and soul with all their powers and affections. 
First, you should consecrate your body to God; that is, 
you should in future bear in mind the union you have 
contracted with God, and respect in yourself the temple 
of the divinity — a temple of which He has so lately 
taken possession; consecrated by His presence, purified 
by His blood, and enriched with the most precious gifts 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 445 

of His holy spirit. This is the sacrifice to which St. 
Paul exhorts all Christians, but particularly communi- 
cants, when he says: "I beseech you, brethren, by the 
mercy of God, that you present your bodies a living sac- 
rifice, holy, pleasing to God " (Rom. xii. i). Reflect 
also, that as a material temple is not alone consecrated 
to God internally, but is known before it is entered to 
be a house of God by its external appearance; so should 
your modesty and Christian deportment manifest to 
every one that you are really consecrated to God, and 
become the living temple of Jesus Christ. St. Chrysos- 
tom says: "It is not just that those eyes which have be- 
held the divine and sacred Host should afterwards 
delight in the vanity and idle follies of the world — that 
those lips, which received and touched the God of 
heaven, should ever be profaned by frivolous discourses — 
that your tongue, on which the body of Jesus Christ re- 
posed, should ever become instrumental in lessening 
the reputation of others, or in wounding charity." 
Present your resolutions to God through the glorious 
Queen of virgins. Set before your eyes, and resolve in 
every action of your life, to imitate this incomparable 
model whom St. Anselm describes as having "nothing 
disagreeable in her looks, nothing inconsistent in her 
words, nothing imprudent in her actions; whose deport- 
ment was not assuming; whose voice was not loud or 
arrogant; and whose exterior modesty was a finished 
portrait of her interior purity." O most blessed Virgin, 
take me under thy protection, and preserve me from 
defiling by sin the temple of thy beloved Son. 

3. Consider that your immortal soul was created by 
God for Himself, stamped with His own sacred image, 
redeemed with His blood, adorned with His graces, en- 
riched with His merits, and often strengthened with 
that Sacrament of life which you have so lately received. 
Great then must be its value, since God Himself did 
not think it too dearly purchased by the blood of His 



446 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 

only Son. Yes, you can not be too deeply convinced 
that your immortal soul is your great and only treasure; 
to save your soul no pains can be excessive, no security 
too great; if that be lost, all is lost; and if you be 
so happy as to save your soul, though you lose all 
the rest, all is well; the kingdom of heaven is gained. 
"What will it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, 
and lose his own soul?" (Matt. xvi. 26). What does 
it now avail any of the damned, to have been on earth 
honored, loved, respected, endowed with beauty, talents, 
wit, or accomplishments, or to have been the idols or 
envy of all around them ? Alas! what does all that avail 
them now, since they burn and will burn in hell for all 
eternity? Oh I let their irreparable misfortune ani- 
mate you to struggle against your passions, and to lead 
a virtuous life. O my Jesus, deign to enlighten me 
that I may see the vanity of all worldly goods. Thou 
hast given Thyself entirely to me; I now give myself 
entirely to Thee. I desire that my whole soul may be 
Thine; my body, my powers, my senses, that all may 
be employed in serving and pleasing Thee. To Thee I 
consecrate all my thoughts, my desires, my affections, 
and my whole life. Grant me the gift of holy persever- 
ance in Thy service, and the grace of a happy death. O 
eternal Father, Thy beloved Son Jesus has promised 
that Thou wilt give me whatsoever I ask of Thee in 
His name: "If you ask the Father anything in My 
name, He will give it you" (John xvi. 23). In the 
name therefore, and through the merits of this Thy Son, 
I ask Thee for Thy love and for holy perseverance, that 
I may one day come to love Thee in heaven with all 
my powers, and to sing for ever Thy mercies, safe from 
all danger of being ever again separated from Thee. 

O most holy Mary, my Mother, obtain for me these 
graces which I so much desire. 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion, 447 



SECOND MEDITATION. 

On the Imitation 0} Jesus Christ. 

1. CONSIDER attentively that one of the chief 
ends for which Jesus gives Himself to us in 
the holy communion is to unite us to Himself, and to 
make us one with Him: "He that eateth My flesh, 
and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in Him " 
(John vi. 57). St. Thomas teaches that in the Holy 
Eucharist Jesus Christ applies His most sacred body 
like a seal on the heart of man, to revive that image of 
the divinity to which we were created, that He trans- 
forms us into Himself, by imprinting on our soul the 
image of His adorable perfections and by infusing into 
our heart abundant graces to imitate His virtues. To 
become a perfect imitation of Jesus Christ, you should 
conform your judgment, your opinions, your ideas, 
your heart, feelings, and all your affections, to those 
of your divine Lord. The thoughts of Jesus were 
always directed to God, or bent on something relative 
to the glory of God. How do you act in this respect? 
Be convinced that a frequent recollection of God would 
be the best guard you could have against those thoughts 
of vanity or pride which are so common, and so sinful 
when indulged in. Jesus Christ judged all things as 
God judges them: His adorable Heart, inflamed with 
love for God and desire for His glory, was incapable 
of a single sentiment of joy, of sorrow, of fear, of hope, 
of consolation, or sadness, except as the interests, the 
glory, the worship of His heavenly Father were con- 
cerned. Be ashamed of the trifles with which you 
have hitherto been delighted, or the insignificant inci- 
dents at which you have been grieved. O my divine 
and adorable Master, instead of looking on all things 
as Thou seest them, and as I myself shall see them after 
death, I have consulted my interests, my passions, 
my imagination, and the corrupt maxims of the world, 



448 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 

in forming my opinions and ideas. I have unfortu- 
nately sought after those very things which Thou didst 
shun — I loved what Thou didst hate — I have hated 
what Thou didst love. Thou didst pronounce those 
blessed and happy who suffer, and I have been so impa- 
tient under sufferings; Thou didst despise and flee 
from the honors of this world, and I have desired and 
esteemed them as great advantages. O my God, en- 
lighten me to see and detest my folly. 

2. Consider the example which Jesus Christ gives 
you in His sacred childhood. " Jesus advanced in 
wisdom and age, and grace with God and men" (Luke 
ii. 52). Our divine Redeemer, from the first moment 
of His Incarnation, had indeed the plenitude of grace, 
of wisdom, and of virtue, incapable of any increase; 
but outwardly He, as it were, progressed, conforming 
His sacred actions and discourses suitably to His age. 
Learn from this that, as every day, every hour, the Al- 
mighty adds to your life, so should every grace, every 
instruction you receive, advance you in the road of 
solid virtue. In particular, every time you have the 
happiness of receiving holy communion, you should 
grow, like Jesus, in grace and wisdom before God and 
men: that is, God should discern in your heart, and 
those with whom you associate should witness in your 
conduct, an increase of the fear and love of God. Those 
faults and failings which were excusable some years 
ago, before you were admitted into a Religious Com- 
munity, become more serious now. Examine whether 
you may not unfortunately have lost, much of the fervor 
with which you first approached the Adorable Eucharist, 
and never forget that not to go forward in virtue is to 
go back. 

Jesus Christ, while yet a child, is found among the 
Doctors in the Temple, asking them questions and 
listening to the word of God with profound veneration. 
Did the eternal Son of God, the Fountain of all knowl- 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 449 

edge, require instruction ? Was there anything for Him 
to learn, or any person on earth who could teach Him ? 
Certainly not; but on this occasion He would teach you 
with what ardor you should seek after instruction — 
how thankfully and respectfully you should receive 
it — how highly you should value an opportunity of 
hearing the word of God. The chief virtue which 
characterized the youth of Jesus Christ was obedi- 
ence. He has scarcely permitted any other account 
of His early years to reach us, than: that He was sub- 
ject to His blessed Mother and His reputed father, 
St. Joseph. He obeyed them in all things, at all 
times, with cheerfulness and exactness. To imitate 
your adorable Model in this important point, you must 
resolve to respect and love your Superiors; to submit 
to their authority with docility and with confidence, 
because they are deputed by God to command you, and 
have received light to direct your inexperience. Re- 
member that Jesus Christ was not less submissive to 
the orders of Herod, one of the most wicked of men, 
than He was to those of His blessed Mother, the most 
perfect of creatures; because it was God alone Whom 
He obeyed in all superiors. Impress this lesson on your 
mind, and guard against a fault so common to world- 
lings: of obeying only those who may please you, and 
totally forgetting that duty with regard to others. If 
you do not respect the authority of God in all your 
Superiors; if you do not love God in them all you can 
never acquire the virtue of obedience. O Jesus, my 
God, infuse into my heart the virtues of Thy divine child- 
hood — Thy purity, simplicity, obedience, and docility, 
penetrate my soul with the horror Thou hadst of sin, 
that I may dread it as the only real evil, the only obstacle 
to my resembling Thee. 

3. Consider the hidden life of Jesus Christ during 
thirty years of subjection and labor. Contemplate 
the Incarnate Word at Nazareth, and consider with 



45 o Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 

astonishment that He Who has descended from heaven 
to instruct, convert, and save the whole universe, passes 
the greater part of His life in seclusion; showing not 
otherwise the perfection of the divinity which resides 
in Him than by obeying His parents, serving and assist- 
ing them, and fulfilling in all things the will of His 
heavenly Father. The accomplishment of that ador- 
able will is the only object of His desires : it is so necessary 
to His happiness that He Himself declares it to be His 
food, the support of His existence, the end of His mis- 
sion on earth. Learn from the hidden life of Jesus, 
that lesson of perfect conformity to the will of God, by 
which alone you can resemble Him, and attain true 
sanctity. Resolve, in every stage of your life, to place 
all your perfection in being about the business of your 
heavenly Father; that is, in faithfully discharging* the 
duties which Providence has allotted you, whatever 
they may be. 

The public life of our divine Lord was a series of 
miracles and wonders, and the lessons which He never 
ceased to preach to the world by word and example were 
those of humility, patience, mortification, meekness, 
and charity. St. Francis de Sales calls charity the pecul- 
iar fruit of a good communion. Charity was a favorite 
virtue of Jesus — the virtue to which He sacrificed His 
life — the virtue by which He would have His real fol- 
lowers distinguished. Resolve, then, that the fruits of 
your having been so lately united to the God of charity 
should appear evident by your gentleness, patience, 
forbearance, silence on the defects of others, and en- 
deavors to serve and oblige all, particularly those who 
may appear to you least amiable or deserving. Con- 
clude this meditation by fervently and humbly begging 
of God to impress the truths it contains so deeply on 
your heart that your ideas and conduct may, in future, 
be happily regulated by them. 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 451 



% parapbraee of tbe "Slnfma GbrietL" 

After Holy Communion or at Visits to the Blessed 
Sacrament. 

ANIMA CHRISTI, SANCTTFICA ME. 

OUL of Christ, ever subject to the will of thy 
heavenly Father, infuse into my soul the spirit 
of holy subjection. 

Soul of Christ, ever yearning after the salvation of 
men, infuse into my soul the spirit of holy zeal. 

Soul of Christ, ever most closely knit to thy Mother's 
soul, infuse into mine the holy love of that Mother. 

Soul of Christ, sorrowful in the Garden of Olives, 
nil my soul with a holy and abiding sorrow: 
Sorrow for my past sins; 
Sorrow for my present unworthiness ; 
Sorrow for the sins of other men; 
Sorrow for thy sacred Passion; 
Sorrow for thy Mother's dolors; 

The sorrow of compassion for others' griefs and 
sufferings. 

CORPUS CHRISTI, SALVA ME. 

BODY of Christ, born in littleness that thou might- 
est attract all to thee, make me also feel that 
saving attraction. 

Lord Jesus, by Thy body, by which in Thy youth 
Thou wert a model of modesty, give me that saving 
grace. 

By Thy body, wearied out with fasting, with labors, 
and with watchings, grant me that grace of unwearying 
charity and zeal which, by covering many sins, may 
save my soul as well as the souls of others from death. 

By Thy body, bathed in blood in the Garden of 
Gethsemane, give me the saving grace of diligence in 
prayer. 




452 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion, 

By Thy body, dragged without resistance through 
the streets of Jerusalem, give me the saving grace of 
obedience. 

By Thy body, flayed with the cruel scourges, give me 
the saving grace of holy purity. 

By Thy body, hanging, stripped of all, upon the cross, 
give me the saving grace of detachment and self-sacri- 
fice, and of courage to treat my body hardly. 

By Thy body, taken down from the cross, and laid in 
the arms of Thy blessed Mother, give me the saving 
grace of a tender devotion to her. 

By Thy body, embalmed and laid in the sepulcher, 
give me the grace to embalm Thy wounds by a con- 
stant remembrance of them, and to lay up the thought 
of Thy Passion in my heart. 

By Thy body, which saw no corruption, save me 
from the corruption of sin. 

SANGUIS CHRISTI, INEBRIA ME. 

BLOOD of Christ, inebriating chalice, inflame my 
heart with love of my Creator, my Father, my 
Redeemer, the divine Spouse of my soul. 

Blood of Christ, inebriating chalice, may thy charm 
deaden in me the intoxicating charms of this world. 

Blood of Christ, wine that makest virgins, penetrate 
me, body and soul, with the gift of holy purity. 

O my Lord Jesus, may Thy precious blood, which 
Thou didst shed for me, inflame my soul with a true 
and generous desire to suffer for Thee, and may it at 
least strengthen me to bear those sufferings which it shall 
please Thee to send me. 

My Lord, I ask these graces: 

By the blood which Thou didst hasten to shed for me 
in Thy circumcision. 

By the blood which Thou didst suffer to break forth 
from Thy body in Thine agony. 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 453 



By the blood which flowed slowly and painfully during 
the buffeting. 

By the blood which flowed in streams under the burn- 
ing smart of the scourging. 

By the blood pressed from Thy head with racking 
pain in Thy crowning. 

By the blood which flowed to be profaned and trampled 
on through the streets of Jerusalem. 

By the blood which gushed from Thy gentle, holy, 
and venerable hands. 

By the blood which bathed Thy adorable feet. 

By the blood which flowed from Thy side at the open- 
ing of Thy Sacred Heart. 

AQUA LATERIS CHRISTI, LAVA ME. 

Y Lord Jesus Christ, may the water which flowed 
from Thy wounded side and Heart wash me from 

all my sins. 

May it wash me yet more from those sins the guilt of 
which has been forgiven but for which I have not yet 
done penance. 

May it cleanse me from my hidden sins; 

From sins of thought; 

From sins caused in others; 

From sins of omission; 

From the stain of daily faults: 

Faults of pride, 

Faults of self-indulgence, 

Faults of worldliness. 

And may it cleanse the souls of all that are in sin, 
and especially of those now in their agony. 

PASSIO CHRISTI, CONFORTA ME. 

Y Lord Jesus Christ, may Thy holy Passion 
strengthen me against the assaults of the enemy of 

my soul. 





454 Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion. 

May the thought of Thy holy Passion, so terrible and 
so sorrowful, fortify me against the bewitchment of 
worldly trifles. 

May the thought of Thy holy Passion fortify and 
arm me against myself; may the depth of Thy abase- 
ment arm me against the pride of my nature, and the 
fearfulness of Thy pain against my self-indulgence. 

Lord Jesus, Who in Thy suffering didst deign to 
receive strength at the hands of an angel, may the thought 
of Thy Passion be my strength through life, and the 
strength of all who are in sorrow or temptation. 

BOXE JESU, EXAUDI ME. 

OMY Lord Jesus, hear me for the sake of my ex- 
ceeding need of Thy assistance. 
Hear me for Thy name's sake. 
Hear me that thus Thy mercy may be glorified. 
Hear me for the sake of Thy holy Mother. 
Hear me for the sake of all Thy saints. 
Hear me in this petition, that all men may be brought 
to Thy holy love and may daily grow therein and in 
sorrow for all past offences against Thee. 
Hear me, good Jesus, I pray Thee: 
By Thy prayer at the Last Supper for all Thy followers. 
By Thy prayer for all sinners. 

By Thy prayer from the cross for those especially 
w T ho were Thy persecutors. 

INTRA TUA VULNERA ABSCONDE ME. 

f \ MY Lord Jesus, give to me and to all souls that 
are in need, a safe refuge in Thy adorable wounds. 

Suffer us to take refuge in the wounds of Thy feet 
from the demon of despondency, who strives to trample 
in the dust souls redeemed by Thy precious blood. 

In the wound of Thy left hand suffer us to take refuge 
from those who may bear ill-will or enmity against us. 



Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion, 455 

In the wound of Thy right hand afford us a refuge 
from the flatteries of false friends and from the praise 
of men. 

In the wound of Thy Sacred Heart hide us from all 
that can tend to draw us away from Thee. 

NE PERMITTAS ME SEPARARI A TE. 

Let me not be separated from Thee by sin. 
Let me not be separated from Thee by tepidity. 
Let me not be separated from Thee in will and in 
intention. 

Let me not be separated from Thee in memory and 
thought. 

Let me not be separated from Thee in prosperity: 

By pleasure; 

By pride; 

By dissipation; 

By inordinate affections. 
Let me not be separated from Thee in adversity: 

By sorrow; 

By discouragement; 

By my daily faults. 

AB HOSTE MALIGNO DEFENDE ME. 

^pAEFEND me, Lord Jesus, for I am too weak to stand 
* against my enemies without Thy help; protect 
me: 

From the open snares of the devil; 

From his hidden snares; 

From the bewitchment of worldly trifles; 

From the flatteries of men; 

From the incitements of the flesh. 

" In hora mortis meae voca me, 
Et jube me venire ad Te, 
Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem Te, 
In saecula saeculorum," 



456 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



Dearest Lord Jesus, that this may be so, I beg of Thee 
that in this life Thou wilt not spare me, but wilt give 
me strength and patience to bear afflictions, and volun- 
tarily also to afflict myself for my many offences against 
Thee. I ask of Thee specially the grace to make some 
reparation by works of charity and zeal for the many 
injuries I have done to Thy honor. 

I ask this: 

By the death of St. Joseph in Thy arms; 

By the death of Thy holy and immaculate Mother ; 

By Thy own desolate death on the cross. 

Various Ejerdses of Devotion fot Ibols 
Communion, 

METHOD OF PREPARATION. 

Be) ore receiving, endeavor to excite in yourself the proper 
dispositions. 

•y-flVELY FAITH. Ask yourself, Whom am I going to 
« ■ * receive? The divine Master answers: "This is My 
body, My blood." It is Our Lord Jesus Christ, immolated on 
the cross, triumphant in heaven. ... It is the eternal Word, 
the sovereign Lord and Creator, my supreme Judge. Con- 
tinue repeating: "Yes, my God, it is Thou indeed, it is Thou; 
I believe it more firmly on Thy word, Thy infallible word, 
than if, with my own eyes, I beheld Thy resplendent Majesty." 

Adoration. Acknowledge Him with all your heart to be 
your absolute Master, from Whom you hold everything and 
to Whom you entirely belong. 

Humble compunction. "Who am I that am about to 
receive Him ?" . . . Lord, Thou art the Holy of holies . . . 
before Thee Thy very angels are not sufficiently pure . . . 
and I am the last of sinners. . . . 

My heart has been defiled with many and many a sin . . . 
it is so ungrateful, so unworthy ... so tepid and inclined 
to fall again. Lord, I am not worthy. . . . And yet Thou 
desirest me to come to Thee with filial confidence, as to my 
kind Saviour, my charitable Physician! 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 457 

Endeavor to strengthen your soul more and more by ex- 
citing yourself to hearty contrition at the sight of so much 
goodness and love. — " Forgive me, O my good Master I I 
detest all my sins . . . may I rather die than ever again 
wound Thy loving Heart! " 

Generous love. Like that of Jesus — He gives you all . . . 
all . . . in an ineffable union . . . His flesh to purify 
yours, His soul to impregnate yours with His spirit of abnega- 
tion and contempt of the world . . . His Heart to inflame 
yours with His generous devotedness . . . His divinity 
to transform you . . . His treasures of merit to enrich 
you . . . and His graces to strengthen you. Love Him 
then in return generously, nobly, practically, that is to say, 
give yourself to Him without reserve, by the flight of all sin, 
the fulfilment of every duty, the struggle against pride, sen- 
suality, cowardice. . . . What sacrifice did Jesus refuse to 
make for you? Can you then deny Him anything? . . . 
Desire Him earnestly. . . . Call upon Him ardently: 
"Come, Lord Jesus, come ! " 

©racers before Communion. 

ACTS OF FAITH AND ADORATION. 

Y sweet Jesus, I believe with a firm and lively faith, 
that in this Adorable Sacrament are Thy body 
and blood, soul and divinity. I believe that in this 
consecrated Host I shall receive that same body which 
was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, which suffered 
so many pains and torments for love of me on the cross, 
and which rose gloriously the third day from the dead. 
I believe that I shall receive that most holy soul which 
is enriched with all the treasures of the Divinity; that 
I shall receive God Himself. 

I adore Thee, O my God, as my Creator, Preserver, 
Redeemer, and my Judge, truly present in the Holy 
Eucharist. But do Thou strengthen my faith, and 
animate it with deeper sentiments of adoration and 
love. 




458 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



ACT OF CONTRITION. 

OMY God, I detest all the sins of my whole life 
because they displease Thee, and especially I 
am heartily sorry for those which I have committed 
against this Divine Sacrament, by the irreverence and 
the little profit I have drawn from so many communions, 
by my negligence in guarding my senses, particularly 
my tongue, which has been so often consecrated by Thy 
divine presence, and has been sullied by so many sins. 

O divine Jesus, what confusion I feel at beholding 
myself so unworthy to approach Thy holy table. Suffer 
me, dear Jesus, to seek the remedy for my evih in the 
wound of Thy Sacred Heart, that this adorable Heart, 
which can not endure the slightest stain, may imprint 
on mine a horror and fear of the smallest offence. Let 
Thy Sacred Heart be to me as the burning coal which 
purified the lips of Isaias; place it, all inflamed with 
charity, I beseech Thee, dear Lord, on my heart, my 
tongue, my. senses, and all the powers of my soul, so 
that it may burn and annihilate all that is displeasing 
to Thee. 

ACTS OF HUMILITY AND CONFIDENCE. 

f°\ HOW utterly unworthy I am to receive Thee, my 
God. Who art Thou, great Lord? and who am 
I that durst approach Thee? Thou art the Son of the 
living God, equal to Thy Father, infinitely good, power- 
ful, wise, and holy, and I am nothing but misery and 
sin. O cast me not away on account of my innumer- 
able infidelities. I come before Thee, poor and alto- 
gether destitute of merit. Forgive my ingratitude; 
take pity on me, Thy poor weak child, who places all 
her trust in Thee. Thou art my loving Father, Who 
will watch over and protect me in all my trials and 
temptations. I know, my dear Lord, I do not deserve 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



that Thou shouldst honor me with this visit; but I 
know, also, that in spite of all my miseries, Thou dost 
tenderly love me, and earnestly invitest me to receive 
Thee. 

Grant me, O Lord, the grace of beginning a new, a 
fervent life, and deign to give me in this Holy Sacrament 
the pledge of eternal life promised to those who receive 
Thee worthily. Amen. 

ACTS OF LOVE AND DESIRE. 

SWEET Jesus, the happy moment has at last 
arrived when I shall receive Thee. I give Thee 
my heart, I desire to live only for Thee, O Lord, and 
to spend myself in Thy love and service. Dispose of 
me as Thou pleasest, for from henceforth I am entirely 
Thine. Come, O my Jesus, and with Thy nails fasten 
my heart to Thy cross, with the lance wound my heart 
through and through with the most perfect charity; 
and with the thorns of Thy crown surround it, as with 
an impregnable wall, that so this miserable, weak heart 
of mine may withstand all the assaults of its enemies. 
Come, dear Jesus, come, and be Thou all mine, as I 
desire to be all Thine. 

ACT OF OBLATION. 

O make amends for my great unworthiness and 
negligences, I offer Thee, O my Jesus, all the 
love and fervor with which those chosen souls, who are 
dearest to Thy Heart, have ever received Thee, espe- 
cially Thy blessed Mother; I offer Thee her profound 
humility, her spotless purity; her burning charity and 
her most loving heart itself. Above all, dear Jesus, I 
offer Thee that ineffable sanctity with which Thou didst 
institute the Blessed Sacrament. I offer Thee like- 
wise all the sorrows, sufferings, and torments which 
Thou didst endure upon the cross, in virtue of which I 



460 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



hope Thou wilt grant me the grace which Thou seest 
is most necessary for me to keep faithful to Thee, and 
to bind me closer to Thy Sacred Heart. 

PETITION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND THE SAINTS. 

/^W BLESSED Virgin, my tender Mother, who didst 
obtain from thy divine Son a wonderful miracle 
at the wedding-feast at Cana, behold my misery and the 
need I have of thy assistance; obtain for me of Jesus a 
prodigy of His almighty power, that my coldness and 
tepidity may be changed into ardent charity. 

My holy angel guardian, and all ye heavenly spirits 
and my dear patrons N.N. obtain for me a spark of 
that heavenly fire with which you are consumed with 
love for my dear Lord. Jesus comes to me, His spouse. 
O Jesus! I humbly adore Thee, and with my whole 
heart I love Thee! 



OOK upon Our Lord as a treasure you carry away 



t ' * and have all to yourself. God is looking upon this 
treasure in your heart, wondering what you wall do with it, 
to whom you will give it. This treasure is the One Whom 
His Heart loves — His only Son! You are no longer a poor, 
miserable petitioner, you are now rich and can offer a gift 
infinite in value. For what will you offer it? Know what 
you are about, and do not spend the time in doing nothing 
for want of a method. Realize Who is within you — and as 
soon as your devotion flags use a book, if only for two min- 
utes, until you collect your thoughts again. 

Adoration. Jesus is in the most inner recess of your soul, 
seated as a king on His throne, expecting your homage. 
Prostrate at His feet, tell Him again that He is your Lord, 
your all . . . that you wish to belong entirely to Him . . . 
to obey Him in everything ... to live only for His glory. 
"O Godhead hid devoutly, I adore Thee." 

Retribution (or Thanksgiving). What return can you make 
for this infinite gift? You are so poor. . . . Offer at least 
your love ... your transports of gratitude. 



METHOD OF THANKSGIVING. 




Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 461 

" Praised, loved, and adored for ever be Jesus, in the Most 
Blessed Sacrament of the Altar." Beg Mary and the sera- 
phim to supply for your inability by their ardor. 

Petition. Jesus wishes to give you everything . . . and 
He can. . . . Ask earnestly, with immense confidence, for 
all necessary graces for yourself, for your dear ones, for the 
Church, sinners, the souls in purgatory. 

Offering (or oblation). .Jesus has just given you all, the 
Infinite. . . . Will you keep anything back? . . . He has 
a right to all. . . . Offer then all to Him, that He may govern 
it according to His good pleasure. "Take, O Lord, and 
receive all that I am and have." 

Resolutions. Renew, with strong determination, the prom- 
ises of your retreat: Exercises of piety, combats of self-love 
. . . Purity . . . Duties of your state. Charity . . . Zeal 
. . . your particular examen. 

You carry God away with you. . . . Let every one see it 
by your recollection, your devotedness, your spiritual progress. 

" In all places and times I will never depart 
From the Heart of my God and the God of my heart." 

praters atter Communion. 

ACTS OF ADORATION, PRAISE, AND THANKSGIVING. 

BEHOLD, Jesus is within me! The God of heaven 
has taken up His abode in my wretched, unwor- 
thy heart. Welcome, my dear heavenly Spouse! I 
bless Thee for having come to me! I bow down before 
Thee here really and truly present in my heart, with 
Thy body and blood, soul and divinity, and with all the 
powers of my soul I adore Thee. 

I love Thee, my dear Jesus, with all my heart. I have 
found my treasure, my joy, my delight! Thy adorable 
Heart is all mine; Thou Thyself hast given it to me! 
I praise and bless Thee a thousand times for coming 
to me. 

My dear Lord, as I am wholly unworthy of this ines- 
timable favor, and altogether unable to thank Thee as 
I ought, I beg Thy most holy Mother and all the heavenly 



462 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



spirits to unite with me in praising, adoring, and thank- 
ing Thee, my generous Benefactor. But as even this 
falls immeasurably short of the thanks due to God, 
what can I do but offer Thy own loving Heart itself 
in thanksgiving. O supreme Good, to Thee alone be 
praise, adoration, and glory from all creatures through 
endless ages. Amen. 

ACT OF OBLATION. 

HAT return, dear Jesus, can I make Thee for 
Thy wondrous love in condescending to visit 
me, a poor, worthless creature? I give Thee all I 
possess: my heart to Thy love, my will to Thy law, my 
memory to the perpetual remembrance of Thy love, 
Thy bitter Passion and death, and the profusion of 
Thy divine liberality to me. "Take and receive, O 
Lord, my entire liberty." 

Reign over my senses and all the powers of my soul. 
Do with me as Thou wilt: "My heart is ready, O 
Lord, my heart is ready! " 

Prostrate at Thy sacred feet, dear Jesus, I sacrifice 
to Thee my attachment to my own will, I sacrifice those 
eager desires to be esteemed and loved by others, my 
impetuous and hasty temper, that human respect which 
has so often been the mainspring of my actions, and 
those warm attachments and natural friendships which 
have occupied my mind and heart. I resolve hence- 
forth to act only for Thee, to seek only to please Thee, 
that my mind, my heart, and my soul may acknowledge 
Thee forever as their only King and sovereign Master. 

ACT OF PETITION. 

I BESEECH Thee most earnestly, dear Jesus, to 
destroy in me all that is displeasing to Thee. 
Help me to overcome my passions; make me strong 
against temptation; give me grace to correct that special 
fault N.N. which I know most grieves Thy Sacred Heart. 



Various Exercises for Holy Covwiimion . 463 



O holy head of my Jesus, crowned with sharp thorns, 
purify all the thoughts of my mind, that they may be cen- 
tered in Thee. Sacred eyes of my Jesus, restrain my curi- 
osity. Sacred tongue of my Jesus, curb my evil tongue, and 
teach me to be fervent in Thy praise. Oh ! sanctify all my 
senses, that they may become instruments of Thy glory.* 

ACT OF TRUST. 

f\ MY Jesus! Thou art infinitely rich, and all the 
treasures of grace are locked up in Thee! These 
treasures Thou hast brought to me this day. Thou 
art now in my heart, ready and willing to open Thy 
hands and fill me with Thy gifts. Wretched though I 
am, I come full of confidence to Thee, my tender Father, 
sure that by the merits of Thy precious blood Thou 
wilt enrich my poverty. Oh! most bountiful Jesus, 
give me purity of soul and body, profound contrition 
and humility, fortitude, patience, charity, and fervent 
zeal and unbounded confidence in Thee. Direct me 
in all my undertakings, enlighten my mind, strengthen 
my resolutions, and confirm my will: give me, dear 
Jesus, the spirit of my state, and grant me grace to 
observe with fidelity my holy vows, which I here 
renew. . . . 

PRAYER FOR OTHERS. 

OLORD Jesus, at this happy moment I must not 
pray for myself alone, but for the whole Catholic 
Church, for the Pope and clergy; also for all Chris- 
tian governments; and, Lord, in Thy mercy look 
down on all unhappy infidels and heretics. 

Cast an eye of love and pity on my friends and rela- 
tives, as also on those for whom I am bound to pray. 
I beseech Thee to strengthen and console all who are 
in pain of mind or body; and by Thy compassionate 

* See Petitions and Offerings after Holy Communion, on 
page 421. 



464 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 

Heart, grant the grace of conversion to all poor sinners. 
Support those who are in their last agony, and grant 
relief to the suffering souls in purgatory. 

Dear Jesus, I most earnestly implore Thee to watch 
with tender love and care over our Congregation, its 
head, its Superiors, and all its charitable works; in 
particular I recommend to Thy Sacred Heart this 
Community, its Superior and its special work N.N. 
Grant, O Lord, that peace, union, and charity may 
reign among us, and may we all attain to the end of 
our holy vocation, laboring efficaciously for "Thy 
greater honor and glory." 

Say the Indulgenced Prayer before a Crucifix, as on page 
213, and renew your vows. 

PRAYER TO OUR LADY AFTER HOLY COMMUNION. 

OTHER of Jesus, entertain now thy divine Son 
for me! O my dear Mother Mary, raise up thy 
pure hands in my behalf. Through thee, O Mary, I 
consecrate to Jesus my soul with all its powers, my body 
with all its senses, my heart with all its affections. O 
Mary, obtain for me a true devotion to the most Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, a great devotion to His most sacred 
Passion, and a tender love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacra- 
ment of the Altar; great confidence in thy holy inter- 
cession, and that I may ever serve and love thee as 
thy devoted child. O my dear Jesus, for the sake 
of Thy most precious blood, and through the merits 
of Thy most holy Mother, do not permit me to betray 
Thee. I pray Thee to grant me a holy death, give me 
grace to receive Thee worthily in my last illness, 
with a heart full of confidence in Thy great love and 
mercy, and a soul flooded with true and lively contri- 
tion for my many sins, that united with Thee and 
burning with an ardent desire of seeing Thee, I may 
depart from this life to behold Thee face to face for 
all eternity. Amen. 




Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 465 



ZEAL FOR THE INTERESTS OF THE HEART OF JESUS. 

f*\ LORD Jesus! do Thou henceforth alone live in 
my heart. May the tongue on which Thou hast 
rested never more utter words but such as would pro- 
ceed from Thy meek and humble Heart. May my 
thoughts be ever in unison with Thine. May that mind 
that was in Thee be likewise in me; may I be con- 
sumed with the same desires. May I be one heart and 
one soul with Thee. 

O Jesus, Whom I bear within me, let this union of my 
heart with Thine shed its influence over my whole life, 
and guide me at all times and in all events, that so I 
may be able to draw hearts to love Thee, and devote 
themselves to Thy interests. This is the desire, O my 
Jesus, with which Thou dost inspire me, that Thy 
kingdom may come, reign, and triumph over all hearts 
and nations, and that Thy will may be perfectly accom- 
plished. Amen. 

O holy Mother, keep and guard our hearts, which 
Jesus has this day chosen for His dwelling. Defend 
us by thy ceaseless prayer, that we may seek in all 
things the glory of God and the interests of His Sacred 
Heart. Amen. 

THANKSGIVING . 

3ESUS, gentle Saviour, 
God of might and power, 
Thou Thyself art dwelling 
In me at this hour. 

Multiply Thy graces, 

Chiefly love and fear, 
And, dear Lord, the chiefest, 

Grace to persevere. 

When my heart Thou leavest, 

Lord, worthless though it be, 
Give it to Thy Mother 

To be kept for Thee. 



4 66 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



Simple pragers for Ibolg Communion. 

BEFORE HOLY COMMUNION. 

^RAYER FOR HELP.— O my God, help me to 
make a good communion. Mary, my dearest 
Mother, pray to Jesus for me. My dear angel guardian, 
lead me to the altar of God. 

Act of Faith. — O my God, because Thou hast said it, 
I believe that I shall receive in holy communion the 
sacred body of Jesus Christ, and His most precious 
blood. I believe this with all my heart. 

Act of Hope. — O my God, relying on Thy infinite 
power and goodness, and on Thy promises, I hope to 
obtain, through Jesus Christ, the salvation of my soul. 

Act of Humility. — My God, I confess that I am a 
poor sinner; I am not worthy to receive the body and 
blood of Jesus on account of my sins. Lord, I am 
not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof; 
say but the word, and my soul shall be healed. 

Act of Sorrow. — My God, I detest all the sins of my 
life. I am sorry for them, because they have offended 
Thee, my God, Who art so good. I am resolved never 
more to commit sin. My good God, have mercy on 
me, forgive me. Amen. 

Act of Adoration. — O Jesus, great God, present on 
the altar, I bow down before Thee, I adore Thee. 

Act of Love and Desire. — Sweet Jesus, I love Thee. 
I desire with all my heart to receive Thee. Come to me 
and let me never again be separated from Thee. 

AFTER HOLY COMMUNION. 

CT OF FAITH.— O Jesus, I believe that I have 
received Thy sacred body and Thy most precious 
blood in holy communion; I believe, O Saviour, that 
Thou art really present within my breast. Thou art the 
same Jesus Who was born in Bethlehem and dwelt in 
Nazareth, Who suffered and died for my salvation; the 




Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 467 



same Lord Who now sitteth in heaven at the right hand 
of God, and Who is there the joy of the saints and angels. 

Act of Adoration. — O Jesus, my God, I adore Thee 
present in my heart and soul. I am penetrated with 
Thy substance; I am Thy living ciborium; I unite 
myself with my holy guardian angel, and offer Thee 
my tribute of honor and praise. 

Act of Hope. — O Jesus, I place all my hope in Thee, 
because Thou alone art my salvation, my strength, my 
refuge, and the foundation of all my happiness. 

Act of Humility. — O Jesus, I am but dust and ashes, 
and yet Thou hast come to me, and now my poor heart 
may speak to Thee as to a friend and brother. 

Act of Love. — Sweet Jesus, I love Thee; I love Thee 
with all my heart. Thou knowest that I love Thee, 
and that I wish to love Thee daily more and more. 

Act of Thanksgiving. — My good Jesus, I thank Thee 
with all my heart. How good, how kind Thou art to 
me, sweet Jesus. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy 
Sacrament of the Altar. 

Act of Offering. — O Jesus, receive my poor offering. 
Jesus, Thou hast given Thyself to me, and now let me 
give myself to Thee: 

I give Thee my body, that it may be chaste and pure. 

I give Thee my soul, that it may be free from sin. 

I give Thee my heart, that it may ahvays love Thee. 

I give Thee every breath that I shall breathe, and 
especially my last; I give Thee myself in life and in 
death, that I may be Thine for ever and ever. 

Remember the words of Jesus: "Ask and you shall 
receive," and 

Pray for Yourself. 

O JESUS, wash away my sins with Thy precious blood. 
O Jesus, the struggle against temptation is not 
yet finished. My Jesus, when temptation comes near me, 
make me strong against it. In the moment of tempta- 
tion may I always say, "Jesus, mercy! Mary, help!" 



468 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



O Jesus, may I lead a good life; may I die a happy 
death. May I receive Thee before I die. May I say 
when I am dying, " Jesus, Mary, Joseph, I give you 
my heart and my soul." 

Listen now for a moment to Jesus Christ; perhaps 
He has something to say to you. There may be some 
promise you have made and broken, which He wishes 
you to make again and keep. 

Answer Jesus in your heart, and tell Him all your 
troubles. Then 

Pray for Others. 

O JESUS, have mercy on Thy holy Church; take 
care of it. 

O Jesus, have pity on poor sinners, and save them 
from hell. 

O Jesus, bless my father, my mother, my brothers 
and sisters, and all I ought to pray for, as Thy Heart 
knows how to bless them. 

O Jesus, have pity on the poor souls in purgatory, 
and give them eternal rest. 

Sweet Jesus, I am going away for a time, but I trust 
not without Thee. Thou art with me by Thy grace. 
I will never leave Thee by mortal sin. I do not fear 
to do so, though I am so weak, because I have such 
hope in Thee. Give me grace to persevere. Amen. 

PRAYER OF VEN. FATHER OLIER. 

r\ JESUS, living in Mary, 

Come and live in Thy servants, 
In the spirit of Thy holiness, 
In the fulness of Thy might, 
In the truth of Thy virtues, 
In the perfection of Thy ways, 
In the communion of Thy mysteries. 
Subdue every hostile power, 

In Thy Spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen. 
Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Pius IX. Oct. 14,, 1859. 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 469 



Ejaculation. 

TERNAL Father! I offer Thee the precious blood 
of Jesus in satisfaction for my sins, and for the 
wants of Thy holy Church. 

Indulgence of 100 days each time. — Pius VII., Sept. 22, 181 7. 

OFFERING BEFORE A PICTURE OF THE SACRED HEART. 

Y loving Jesus, I N.N. give Thee my heart; and 
I consecrate myself wholly to Thee out of the 

grateful love I bear Thee, and as a reparation for all 
my unfaithfulness ; and with Thine aid I purpose never 
to sin again. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day; plenary once a month if 
said daily. — Pius VII., June 9, 1807. 

TO BE SAID AFTER THE HAIL MARY. 

Y Queen! My Mother! I give myself entirely to 
thee; and to show my devotion to thee, I con- 
secrate to thee this day my eyes, my ears, my mouth, 
my heart, my whole being, without reserve. Where- 
fore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me, guard 
me, as thy property and possession. 

With one Hail Mary, morning and evening, an indulgence of 
100 days, once a dav. Plenary indulgence on usual conditions. — 
Pius IX., Aug. 5, 1851. 

litang for 1bolg Communion** 

{Before or after.) 

*"1 — JORD, have mercy on us. 
« ■ * Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christy graciously hear us. 



* This litany is for private devotion only. The Litany of the 
Holy Name of Jesus, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart, when 
recited slowly after holy communion, are apt to excite happy 
inspirations and devout reflections. 






470 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 

God the Father of Heaven, 

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 

God the Holy Ghost, 

Holy Trinity one God, 

Jesus, Living Bread which came down from heaven, 
Jesus, Bread from heaven giving life to the world, 
Hidden God and Saviour, 
My Lord and my God, 
Who hast loved us with an everlasting love, 
Whose delights are to be with the children of men, 
Who hast given Thy flesh for the life of the world, 
Who dost invite all to come to Thee, 
Who dost promise eternal life to those who receive 
Thee, 

Who with desire dost desire to eat this Pasch with us, 

Who art ever ready to receive and welcome us, 

Who dost stand at our door knocking, 

Who hast said that if we will open to Thee the door, Thou 
wilt come in and sup with us, 

Who dost receive us into Thy arms and bless us with the 
little children, 

WTio dost suffer us to sit at Thy feet with Magdalen, 

Who dost invite us to lean on Thy bosom with the be- 
loved disciple, 

Who hast not left us orphans, 

Most dear Sacrament, 

Sacrament of love, 

Sacrament of sweetness, 

Life-giving Sacrament, 

Sacrament of strength, 

My God and my All, 

That our hearts may pant after Thee as the hart after 

the fountains of water, 
That Thou wouldst manifest Thyself to us as to the 

two disciples in the breaking of bread, 
That we may know Thy voice like Magdalen, 
That with a lively faith we may confess with the beloved 

disciple — "It is the Lord/' 
That Thou wouldst bless us who have not seen and 

have believed, 
That we may love Thee in the Blessed Sacrament with 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 471 



our whole heart, with our whole soul, with all our 

mind, and with all our strength, 
That the fruit of each communion may be fresh love, 
That our one desire may be to love Thee and to do Thy 

will, 

That we may ever remain in Thy love, 
That Thou wouldst teach us how to receive and welcome 
Thee, 

That Thou wouldst teach us to pray and Thyself pray 
within us, 

That with Thee every virtue may come into our souls, 
That through this day Thou wouldst keep us closely 

united to Thee, 
That Thou wouldst give us grace to persevere to the end, 
That Thou wouldst then be our support and Viaticum, 
That with Thee and leaning on Thee we may safely pass 

through all dangers, 
That our last act may be one of perfect love, and our last 

breath a long deep sigh to be in Our Father's house, 
That Thy sweet face may smile upon us when we appear 

before Thee, 

That our banishment from Thee, dearest Lord, may not 
be very long, 

That when the time is come, we may fly up from our 
prison to Thee and in Thy Sacred Heart find our rest 
forever, 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 
spare us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 
graciously hear us. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 
have mercy on us. 

V. Stay with us, Lord, because it is toward evening. 

R. And the day is now far spent. 

Let us pray. 

V A I 'E come to Thee, dear Lord, with the apostles, saying, 
v5lA» " Increase our faith." Give us a strong and lively 
faith in the mystery of Thy real presence in the midst of us. 
Give us the splendid faith of the centurion, which drew 
from Thee such praise. Give us the faith cf the beloved 



472 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



disciple to know Thee in the dark and say, "It is the Lordl " 
Give us the faith of Peter to confess, "Thou art Christ, the 
Son of the living God." Give us the faith of Magdalen to 
fall at Thy feet crying, "Rabboni, Master." Give us the 
faith of all Thy saints, to whom the Blessed Sacrament has 
been heaven begun on earth. In every communion increase 
our faith; for with faith — love and humility, and reverence, 
and docility, and all good, will come into our souls. 
Dearest Lord, increase our faith. 

Sbort Bete tor 1bolg Communion* 

ACT OF FAITH. 

C\ JESUS, I believe that Thou art present in the 
Blessed Sacrament, as truly as Thou art in 
heaven. I believe that, under the appearance of bread, 
I shall receive, in holy communion, Thy sacred body 
and blood. I adore Thee as my Lord and my God. 

ACT OF HOPE. 

S~\ JESUS, I hope in Thee because Thou art infinitely 
good, almighty, and faithful to Thy promises. 
Through Thy mercy I hope to obtain the pardon of my 
sins, and the grace of final perseverance. 

ACT OF CHARITY. 

f \ JESUS, I love Thee with my whole heart and above 
all things, because Thou art the one supremely 
good and infinitely perfect Being. My desire is to love 
Thee more, and in all things to please Thee. 

ACT OF DESIRE. 

/~\ JESUS, my heart yearns for Thee in holy com- 
munion. Come, Thou Food of angels and Bread 
of heaven, to nourish my soul. Come, most amiable 
Spouse of my soul, to inflame me with such love of Thee 
that I may never again be separated from Thee. Come, 
do not delay, sweet Master, Thou Joy of the angels and 
Bliss of the saints. 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



473 



ACT OF SORROW AND HUMILITY. 

f~\ JESUS, I am a poor sinner. But Thou wilt not 
despise a contrite and humble heart. I am 
truly sorry for having sinned, because Thou art so 
good and sin displeases Thee. O Lord! I am not 
worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but 
say only the word, and my soul shall be healed. 



Bfter 1bol£ Communion* 

ACT OF ADORATION. 

/~\ JESUS, my Beloved, Thou art with me now. 

Thou art my God, and yet Thou hast come 
to me, a poor sinner. I adore Thee in union with the 
saints and angels. Thou art my King; reign Thou 
alone over my heart and my whole being. Let me 
never be separated from Thee by sin, that I may adore 
Thee and love Thee for ever, in heaven. 



ACT OF THANKSGIVING. 

f\ JESUS, I thank Thee for coming to me, and 
nourishing my soul with Thy sacred body and 
most precious blood. "What shall I render to the 
Lord for all the things that He hath rendered to me ? " 
(Ps. cxv. 12). Unworthy as I am I will offer to God 
the merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Beloved 
of my soul. I offer the merits of His most blessed 
Mother, and of all the saints. O saints and angels, 
praise the Lord in my name, and give thanks to Him 
for His goodness and mercy to me. With the grace 
of God, I mean to manifest my gratitude for His graces 
and blessings by obedience to His holy commandments, 
by my devotedness to my duties, and by my fidelity to 
His inspirations. Thanks be to God. Blessed be His 
holy name! 



474 Various Exercises for Holy Communion, 



ACT OF REPARATION AND LOVE. 

JESUS, how great is Thy love for my poor soul. 
Thou hast died for me on the cross, and Thou 
hast given me, in this Blessed Sacrament, the pledge 
of eternal life. I love Thee, my Lord, with all my 
heart. I am sorry for the insults and injuries that I 
and others have inflicted on Thy Sacred Heart; for 
Thou art infinitely good and worthy of all my love. I 
would rather lose my life and all my possessions than 
lose Thee again through mortal sin, O my sovereign 
Good! Help me to love Thee more and more. I wish 
to avoid everything that is displeasing to Thee. I give 
Thee my soul and my body. I consecrate to Thee my 
thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings. I place my- 
self entirely in Thy hands; do with me according to 
Thy pleasure. With St. Ignatius, I pray: "Give me 
but Thy love and Thy grace; more than this I do not 
ask;" and with the seraphic Francis, I cry to Thee: 
"My Lord and my God! Thou hast died for love of 
me, let me also die to self for love of Thee." 

PETITION. 

ESUS, my Lord, since Thou hast come to me to 
grant me graces, bidding me to ask with confi- 
dence, I now pray Thee not for earthly riches, honors, 
and transitory pleasures, but for the greatest spiritual 
treasures, namely, a supernatural horror of sin, and 
intense sorrow for past offences, freedom from inordi- 
nate affections, a meek and humble heart like Thine, 
the most perfect submission and even abandonment to 
Thy will, a holy life and a happy death. Help me to 
live daily more perfectly in accordance with the spirit 
of my vows, and that I may persevere as a true and 
zealous Religious to the end of my days. 

I have also some particular graces to ask for (mention 
them). O heavenly Father! since our dear Lord and 



Various Exercises jor Holy Communion. 



475 



Saviour Himself has said: "Amen, amen, I say to you, 
if you ask the Father anything in My name, He will 
give it you/ ' I beseech Thee, for the love of Thy Son, 
Jesus Christ, Who now dwells within me, and Whose 
infinite merits I offer up to Thee, do Thou graciously 
hear my prayers and grant all my petitions. 

MEMENTO OF THE LIVING. 

1. LORD, my God! I recommend to Thee the 

Sovereign Pontiff, and all prelates, bishops, 
and priests, all Superiors and Religious; in particular 
those of our own Congregation; grant them, O Lord, 
zeal and the spirit of their state, that they may give 
themselves to the salvation of souls. 

2. My relatives, friends, and enemies; the dying 
who are on the point oi leaving this world; and all the 
faithful who are in Thy grace; give them, O Lord, 
perseverance and fervor in Thy love. 

3. All infidels, heretics, and sinners; give them light 
and strength that they may all know and love Thee. 

MEMENTO OF THE DEAD. 




RECOMMEND to Thee the souls of my 
parents, benefactors, friends, and enemies; 



and of those who are in purgatory through my fault. 

2. The souls of priests, and those who labored for 
souls — especially of Superiors and Religious. 

3. The souls of those who were most devout to the 
Passion of Jesus Christ, to the Most Holy Sacrament, 
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to His Blessed Mother; 
the souls who are the most forgotten; those who are 
suffering the most; and those who are nearest to the 
gates of paradise. 

FINAL REFLECTIONS, ACTS, AND PETITIONS. 

QfWEET Heart of Jesus, be my love. Sweet heart 
<N-* of Mary, be my salvation. May I suffer for 
you, may I die for you; may I be all yours, and in 



476 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



nothing my own! May the Most Holy Sacrament be 
evermore thanked and praised! Blessed be the holy 
and immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

"My son, give Me thy heart" (Prov. xiii. 26). O my 
soul, behold this is all that thy Lord asks of thee; when 
He comes to visit thee, He would have thy heart and 
thy will. He gives Himself to thee without reserve; 
it is but reasonable that thou shouldst also give Him 
all thyself without reserve, taking care to follow His 
will in all things: "For the Lord will return, to rejoice 
over thee in all good things" (Deut. xxx. 9). Act in 
such a manner that Jesus, when He comes to thee again, 
may find that thou hast executed all His designs. My 
Jesus! I wish to please Thee; help Thou my desire. 
Give me strength, and do with me whatsoever Thou 
pleasest. 

" When life is o'er to me He'll say, 
Arise, my love, the winter's past; 
The rains have ceased, come haste away, 
Heaven's endless day has dawned at last, 

" In rapturous love, then, face to face, 
My Jesus all unveiled I'll see — 
Upon His Heart, in His embrace, 
I'll sweetly rest eternally." 

A PETITION TO OVERCOME YOUR FAULTS. 

*"|~\EAR Jesus, Thou knowest my special weaknesses, 
tfrrf*: and how earnestly I have asked Thee to strengthen 
me. 

But there are other failings, and these I petition Thee 
to help me in a particular manner to overcome. 

I wince and chafe when I am found fault with, even 
when the reproach is just. 

It is like a lancet cutting me to be misunderstood, 
and to have my intentions and actions misrepresented. 

But to be accused falsely and before many, to be 
branded with motives and deeds which I would spurn, 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 477 



well-nigh paralyzes me, and tempts me to bitterness of 
heart and revenge. 

While seeing others preferred before me, being de- 
rided and held up to scorn rouses all the worst feelings 
and passions of my nature with such force that I am well- 
nigh carried away by their violence. 

I feel it so hard, sometimes almost impossible, to be 
kind to those who have treated me treacherously and 
with ingratitude, and my thoughts, words, and ges- 
tures are poisoned with dislike when they come across 
me. 

I strive to cast the injury they have done me from 
my mind, and to treat them with more kindness than 
before, but the struggle seems hopeless. 

And in this way I am so utterly unlike Thee, Whom 
I have received in holy communion, Whose disciple 
I am, and Whose follower I pretend to be, that I entreat 
Thee to change me, that I may imitate closely Thy 
beautiful example. 

Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart 
like Thine! 

When I am misunderstood and misrepresented, make 
me as calm, patient, resigned, and joyful as Thou wert, 
when Thyself, Thy divine mission, and Thy actions 
were misunderstood and grossly misrepresented. 

When I am falsely accused, make me as unruffled as 
Thou wert when Thy enemies accused Thee publicly of 
having a devil, of casting out devils by Beelzebub, and 
when Thou stoodst before Pilate, arraigned as a rebel, 
plotting to take away the kingdom of Judea from the 
rule of Caesar. 

When I am spoken of contemptuously, when others 
are preferred before me, whether it be through injustice 
or by Thy permissive providence to cure me of my 
deep pride and morbid self-love, make me silent and 
resigned, as Thou wert when Barabbas, the murderer 
and the robber, was preferred before Thee, and when, 



478 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



hanging on the cross, the Jews cried out, "Yah! Thou 
that destroyest the Temple of God, and in three days 
dost rebuild it, save Thy own self : if Thou be the Son 
of God, come down from the cross" (Matt, xxvii. 40). 

In like manner also the chief priests, with the scribes 
and ancients, mocking, said, "He saved others; Him- 
self He can not save. If He be the King of Israel, 
let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe 
Him" (Matt, xxvii. 42). 

Make me act toward those who have offended me as 
Thou didst to Magdalen, whom Thou didst love most 
of others after Thy Mother; as Thou didst to Peter, whom 
Thou didst not only fully forgive, but didst make him 
prince of the apostles. 

These are some of the weak parts of my moral nature, 
and I beseech Thee to invigorate and strengthen them. 

These are the points where my resolutions so often 
fail, and the enemy too frequently triumphs. 

Give me such fortitude that I may never be defeated 
again. 

Leave the impress of Thy example on my soul to-day, 
that it may stimulate me to walk in Thy footsteps, and 
so become like Thee in my thoughts, words, and actions, 
but especially in my conduct toward others. 

Oh! dear Jesus, I desire most earnestly to be Thy 
real disciple, Thy true and faithful follower. Help me 
with Thy grace. 

It is my resolve ever to try to learn the golden truth 
and to act upon it, that all real goodness must depend 
upon the practice of the love of God and my neighbor, 
as Our Saviour says: "On these two commandments 
dependeth the whole law and the prophets" (Matt, 
xxii. 40). 

It is my firm purpose to learn and practice humility, 
which consists in acting on the plain truth, that we have 
nothing of our own, and that whatever we possess be- 
longs to God, according to the teaching of St. Paul: 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 479 



"Bv the grace of God, I am what lam" (1 Cor. xv. 

io )- 

And if I am ever tempted to deny or to forget this 
primary truth, I will always say: "What hast thou that 
thou hast not received, and if thou hast received, why 
dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?" (1 Cor. 
iv. 7). 

And- when self-love or others tempt me to glory in 
what is not mine, my answers shall be in the words of 
David: "Not to us, O Lord, but to Thy name, give 
glory" (Ps. cxiii. 1). 

Neither will I put myself before others unfairly or 
unjustly, but will follow the advice of Our Saviour : "But 
when' thou art invited, go sit down in the lowest place: 
that when he who inviteth thee cometh, he may say to 
thee, Friend, go up higher. Then shalt thou have 
glory before them that sit at table with thee" (Luke 
xiv. 10). 

And when pride and vanity are trying to enter my 
heart and mind, I will always remember my nothing- 
ness and say: "Why is earth and ashes proud ? " (Ecclus. 

9)- 

If ever I have authority, or am in an honorable position, 
I will never treat those under me as my inferiors, but 
I will carry out the spirit of Our Saviour's instructions, 
where He says: "Whoever shall be the greater among 
you, let him be your minister, and he that shall be first 
among you shall be your servant" (Matt. xx. 26, 27). 

Thus I shall avoid the punishment of the proud, 
and receive the reward of the humble: "And whoso- 
ever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he that 
humbleth himself shall be exalted" (Matt, xxiii. 12). 

I am determined to be fully resigned to God's will, 
and in all that happens to say from my heart in every 
sorrow and misfortune, "Not my will, but Thine, be 
done" (Luke xxii. 42). 

I promise to leave myself and my future with child- 



480 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 

like trust and confidence in God's hands, and to banish 
all fear, anxiety, and restlessness about what may happen. 

I firmly resolve, with God's grace, never wilfully to 
commit any venial sin, whether of pride, vanity, anger, 
jealousy, revenge, uncharitableness, or untruthfulness, 
and if I fail, I am determined at once to ask God's for- 
giveness by an act of sorrow. 

It is my unshaken intention to correspond with the 
inspirations of grace; and never to forget the injunction 
of St. Paul: "And we exhort you not to receive the 
grace of God in vain" (2 Cor. vi. 1). 

This is the way to lead good lives, to prepare for a 
happy death, and to save our souls. Then we shall be 
so pleasing to God that He will guard us as the apple 
of His eye, and protect us under the shadow of His 
wings, and whenever we die a crown of eternal glory 
will await us, for "He that shall persevere unto the end, 
he shall be saved" (Matt. x. 22). 

JESUS, MASTER, TEACH ME. 

EACH me, teach me, dearest Jesus, 
In Thine own sweet loving way, 
All the lessons of perfection 
I must practice day by day. 

Teach me meekness, dearest Jesus, 
Of Thine own the counterpart; 
Not in words and actions only, 
But the meekness of the heart. 

Teach Humility, sweet Jesus, 

To this poor, proud heart of mine, 
Which yet wishes, O my Jesus, 
To be modelled after Thine. 

Teach me Fervor, dearest Jesus, * 

To comply with every grace, 
So as never to look backwards, 
Never slacken in the race. 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion, 481 



Teach me Poverty ', sweet Jesus, 

That my heart may never cling, 
To whate'er its love might sever, 

From my Saviour, Spouse, and King. 

Teach me Chastity, sweet Jesus, 

That my every day may see 
Something added to the likeness 

That my soul should bear to Thee. 

Teach Obedience, dearest Jesus, 

Such as was Thy daily food 
In Thy toilsome earthly journey 

From the cradle to the rood. 

Teach Thy Heart, to me, dear Jesus, 

Is my fervent, final prayer. 
For all beauties and perfections 

Are in full perfection there. 

A SPECIAL REQUEST. 

DEAREST Lord, whilst Thou art with me I have 
one great favor to ask, which I am sure Thou 
wilt grant, because it is for Thy greater glory and for 
my good. 

From to-day, and for the rest of my life, I want to 
love Thee with an unselfish, perfect love. 

I do not w r ant to love Thee only for what gifts or 
rewards I shall receive, or for the punishments I shall 
avoid. 

I do not desire to love Thee merely because I shall 
thereby obtain heaven and avoid hell. 

But I ardently w T ish to love Thee for Thine own deai 
sake, because Thou art so infinitely good, beautiful, 
powerful, rich, tender, compassionate, and loving. 

Because there is no king or emperor can compare with 
Thee, and imagination can not conceive any being that 
can dimly approach Thee. 

This, loving Jesus, is the request I now make with all 
the fervor of my soul. 



482 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 



Give me, I beseech Thee, this generous and unselfish 
love. Intensify and deepen it day by day, and then 
indeed my life will be happy and peaceful. 

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S HYMN OF LOVE. 
DEUS, ego amo Te! 

Nec amo Te ut salves me, 

Aut quia non amantes Te, 

iEterno punis igne: 



Tu, Tu, mi Jesu, totum me 

Amplexus es in cruce. 
Tulisti clavos, lanceam 

Multamque ignominiam, 

Innumeros dolores, 

Sudores et angores, 



OGOD, I love Thee for 
Thyself 
And not that I may heaven 
gain, 

Nor yet that they, who love 
Thee not, 
Must suffer hell's eternal 
pain. 

Thou, O my Jesus! Thou 
didst me 
Upon the cross embrace; 
For me didst bear the nails 
and spear 
And manifold disgrace; 

And griefs and torments 
numberless, 
And sweat of agony; 



Ac mortem: et haec propter E'en death itself — and all 



me, 

Ac pro me peccatore! 
Cur igitur non amem Te, 

O Jesu amantissime? 
Non ut in ccelo salves me, 

Aut ne aeternum damnes me, 
Nec praemii ullius spe; 



Sed sicut Tu amasti me, 
Sic amo et amabo Te, 

Solum quia Rex meus es, 
Et solum quia Deus es. 



for one 
Who was Thine enemy. 

Then why, O blessed Jesus 
Christ, 

Should I not love Thee well : 
Not for the sake of winning 
heaven, 
Or of escaping hell; 

Not with the hope of gaining 
aught, 

Not seeking a reward; 
But, as Thyself hast loved me, 

O ever-loving Lord? 

E'en so I love Thee, and will 
love, 

And in Thy praise will sing ; 
Solely because Thou art my 
God 

And my eternal King. 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 483 



AN ACT OF PRAISE. 

*T"\EAREST Lord, praise is the outcome of a heart 
filled with perfect love, gratitude, and admira- 
tion. 

Oh, I love and praise Thee for all Thy wondrous 
deed% Thy infinite love and goodness, and particularly 
for giving Thyself to me in holy communion this day, 
to be the food and nourishment of my soul! 

Oh, that I could make all creatures and all creation 
love and praise Thee as Thou deservest! 

Oh, that, like the four-and-twenty ancients, I could 
ever continually repeat their prayer of praise: "Thou 
art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory, and 
honor, and power! " 

That as the angels sang over Bethlehem, I might keep 
singing in my heart, " Glory to God in the highest." 

That I might love to cry out like David, "Ye sun, 
moon, and stars, ye young men and women, magnify 
and glorify God for ever." 

That with the three children in the burning furnace, 
who walked in the midst of the flames, praising God 
and blessing the Lord, in tribulation and adversity, I 
might ever praise and bless Thee. 

That, after the example of the Blessed Virgin, who 
cried out, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my 
spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Saviour," my soul might 
be full of Thy praises. 

That, imitating St. Francis and the saints in every age, 
I might call on everything to praise the Lord, as they 
used to cry out, "Praise the Lord, ye birds and swallows 
and all living things!" 

This is the way I will try to praise Thee, dear Lord, for 
all Thy gifts, and especially for giving Thyself to me in 
the holy communion. 



484 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 

PRAYER OF BLESSED MARGARET MARY. 

C\ MY God, I disavow with all my heart whatever 
passes within me contrary to Thy holy love. I 
cheerfully accept all the painful dispositions in which 
it is Thy pleasure to place me, and my wish is in all 
things to conform myself to Thy holy will. Whenever 
I kiss Thy cross, it is to show that I submit to mine. 

A PRAYER TO BECOME A FERVENT RELIGIOUS. 

IN calling me to the religious life, O God of my 
heart! Thou hast called me to perfection; Thou 
wishest that I should daily aspire to it, and Thou afford- 
est me the most abundant means for that purpose. But, 
alas! how remote am I from that solid and perfect 
virtue which should characterize Thy faithful spouse! 
What a long journey still remains for me to arrive at 
that happy term! Notwithstanding the many years I 
have passed in religion, I find myself still subject to 
the same defects, and I make no progress in virtue. 
Instead of advancing, I very often fall back; instead 
of correcting myself, of becoming more holy, of being 
more faithful to my duties, of being more detached 
from the world and myself, more mild and charitable, 
more exact and fervent, more docile, submissive, more 
poor in spirit and heart, I continue to be tepid and negli- 
gent ; averse to trouble and contradiction ; hostile to mor- 
tification, silence, and recollection; seeking in all things 
my satisfaction, the gratification of my humor and 
natural inclinations. O my God! shall I be always 
an unfaithful soul, an imperfect Religious, a spouse 
unworthy of Thee? How great a misfortune for me, 
were death to take me by surprise! Vouchsafe, O 
Spouse of my soul! to lend me Thy all-powerful hand; 
draw me from my tepidity, inspire me with a holy zeal 
for my perfection; and, in order to repair the lost time, 
conduct me by rapid steps to the term of my vocation. 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 485 

I implore this favor of Thee through the intercession of 
Mary and Joseph. 

Pater] Ave. 

MARKS OF A FERVENT RELIGIOUS.* 

HE perfection of a Religious does not consist, as is some- 
times imagined, in undertaking great things, in reciting 
long prayers, or in sublime contemplation, in practicing 
excessive austerities and mortifications, in performing heroic 
acts of virtue; in a word, it does not consist in walking in 
an extraordinary way and distinguishing one's self by a 
singular mode of life, or by making one's self prominent 
before the world. We are to seek perfection only in the 
faithful keeping of our vows and in the strict observance 
of our rules and constitutions. The following points are to 
be remarked in the conduct of a fervent Religious: 

1. In regard to God the fervent Religious punctually 
performs all his exercises of piety in accordance with the 
spirit of God and of his holy Institute. Or, to enter more 
into details, he recites all his vocal prayers with attention, 
makes his meditations with fervor and his spiritual reading 
considerately, receives holy communion with due prepara- 
tion, and performs all his actions with a pure intention, 
solely to please and serve God, with inviolable fidelity to 
grace, with perfect conformity to the divine will, with the 
most intimate union of his heart with the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus Christ, Who deigned to call him to so holy and exalted 
a state. 

2. In regard to his neighbor he is full of respect and 
esteem in accordance with the divine law and his own con- 
science; he is charitable and obliging, meek, patient, and 
indulgent toward others; bears their ill-humor with com- 
posure, excuses their faults, sympathizes with them in their 
sufferings and trials, forestalls their desires and wishes, most 
carefully shuns all cutting remarks, bitter complaints, un- 
pleasant retorts, all kinds of dissatisfaction, all coldness and 
unfeelingness. He seeks occasions to oblige them, to render 
them service, and this without exacting gratitude in return. 



* By Rev. Jos. Schneider, S.J. 



486 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 

He is never more pleased than when he can befriend them. 
He gives to all a good example, helps and consoles them, 
and does all he can to contribute to the happiness of those 
with whom he lives. 

3. In regard to himself he is all humility, retirement, and 
watchfulness. In him reigns a constant equanimity with 
a cheerful peace of mind. He is always perfectly composed 
and devoid of obstinacy, uneasiness, confusion, pride, and 
arrogance. Without hypocrisy or duplicity he considers 
himself as the servant of all, and sees in his neighbor Jesus 
Christ Himself. He neither seeks human applause, nor 
yields to the cravings of vanity, self-love, and self-compla- 
cency, and cheerfully devotes himself to promoting the glory 
of God in whatever place, employment, or rank, obedience 
and divine Providence may place him. 

In short, a fervent Religious shows in his whole conduct 
and in his actions nothing singular or extraordinary, but 
he imparts a sublime elevation and value to all his actions 
and to his whole conduct by his exalted motives, by the 
wholly divine exercise of an interior and recollected life, 
of walking in the presence of God, of desire for perfection, 
and by his consideration and expectation of heavenly bliss. 

Thus have many Religious lived, e.g., a St. Aloysius Gon- 
zaga, in whose life there was seen nothing grand or extraor- 
dinary, and who, by the exercises of an apparently ordinary 
life, raised himself to a very high degree of holiness. St. 
Mary Magdalen de Pazzi once beheld him in a vision clothed 
with brightest glory, at which sight she was so full of astonish- 
ment and wonder that she fell into an ecstasy. How did 
St. Aloysius reach such a height of virtue and glory? By 
constant fidelity to grace, by the faithful performance of all 
his duties, by his " inner and hidden life," so full of treasures 
of merits, so unknown to the world, but so pleasing to God 
and richly rewarded by Him. 

This grand model urges us to lead a perfect life, and cor- 
rects our many former errors concerning piety. It is very 
consoling to timorous souls, who do not feel strong enough 
to take a lofty flight like the eagle, but who can gather there- 
from the hope of attaining, even step by step, that degree 
of perfection to which they are called by their state and the 
grace of God. 



Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 487 



Let us also keep in view this exalted model, that he may 
serve us as a mirror wherein to contemplate how we may 
trace in us all his traits and. adapt to them our heart, our 
sentiments, and our conduct. 

XLbc flMcture of a ©00D 1Ro\nce t 

AND THE MARKS BY WHICH IT MAY BE KNOWN WHETHER 
HE WILL BECOME A GOOD AND FAITHFUL MEMBER OP 
HIS ORDER.* 

PERFECT novice, who in time will become a true 
Religious, may be known by the following signs: 

1. He never commits a venial sin with full deliberation. 

2. He conceals nothing from his Superiors, nor does he 
wish that they should remain in ignorance of anything about 
him whatever. 

3. He bears it without bitterness if his faults are shown 
to him. 

4. He cheerfully does penance for failings which scarcely 
deserve a punishment. 

5. He takes advantage of every chance to deny and mortify 
himself. 

6. He always speaks of matters that are in keeping with 
his vocation. 

7. He keeps so close a guard over his external conduct 
that a searching eye finds hardly anything to blame. 

8. Books that excite virtuous resolutions he reads with 
greater fervor and relish than those which merely satisfy 
curiosity and engage the mind. 

9. He entertains no special friendship that rests on purely 
natural grounds. 

10. He steadily combats self-love by undertaking, with 
the consent of his Superiors, whatever he dislikes. 

11. He struggles with success against weariness at prayer, 
reading, and other spiritual exercises. 

12. He estimates the practical value of meditation, not 
by the consolation he experiences, but by the amount of love 
he acquires for virtue and the care he takes to avoid wilful 
imperfections. 




* According to P. Dirkink, S.J. 



488 Various Exercises for Holy Communion. 

13. He longs for perfection, not to benefit self, but to 
please God. 

14. He avoids the smallest violation against the Rule and 
holds nothing unimportant that bears on perfection. 

15. He frequently consults his novice-master and submits 
to his guidance to the intent: 

(a) That he may be protected against the danger of mortally 
offending God, and lessen the number of venial sins and 
imperfections. 

(b) That he may practice virtue with safety. 

(c) That he may learn to perform his interior and exterior 
actions more perfectly from day to day. 

16. Of several good works he aims to choose the more 
perfect. 

17. He shows no preference for any occupation, office, or 
place, but simply accommodates himself to every situation 
and circumstance. 

18. He is always satisfied and cheerful, never ill-humored 
or self-willed. 

19. He is not easily worried about anything, and construes 
matters in the best light; but things that may injure the 
community, a wrong-doer, or a neighbor, he does not fail 
to report. 

20. A novice fashioned in this mould and rooted in solid 
virtue, leaves the novitiate with such a dread of sin and imper- 
fection, and such a love of virtue and perfection, that all 
alone and without fear of reproof he will lead a life as vir- 
tuous, pure, and guarded as if he were constantly under the 
observing eye of a most venerated Superior. 

I conclude with the short advice, " Do this and thou shalt 
live." Yes, you will live in your Community with pleasure, 
your life will be blameless, godly, and perfect, as becomes 
a true follower of Christ. I entreat you, only make a brave 
start; for "well begun is half done." "When you begin," 
says St. Bernard, "begin well; if you do, you will soon 
reach the end." And when, like the angels ascending, you 
have mounted, as up a Jacob's ladder, the rounds of virtue, 
you will find the Lord leaning upon the topmost round, and 
you will be clasped in the blessed, outstretched arms of God. 



Before and after Communion, 



489 



IReflecttons an& praters before ant> after 
Communion for IReUgtous** 

Gbnst <S>ur Xorfc as Iking. 

BEFORE COMMUNION. 

/. Who comes ? 
" E, Who is King of kings, and Lord of lords " (Apoc. 

r*-b xix.) ; " the King of glory " (Ps. xxiii.) ; " a power- 
ful King and greatly to be feared, Who sitteth upon His 
throne and is the God of dominion " (Ecclus. i.); He of 
Whom it is written: " On His head were many diadems" 
(Apoc. xix.); " Thousands of thousands ministered to 
Him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood 
before Him" (Dan. vii.); "And the armies that are 
in heaven followed Him " (Apoc. xix.) ; " And the four- 
and-twenty ancients fell down before Him and adored 
Him — and cast their crowns before the throne " (Apoc. 
iv-)- , 

"Afterwards He was seen upon earth, and conversed 
with men" (Baruch hi.). 

"Art Thou a King then? ... I am a King. For 
this was I born and for this came I into the world" (John 
xviii.); "I am appointed King over Sion" (Ps. ii.). 

Yet how little He parades His royalty. Among the 
things that are so sweet in the character of Our King, is 
the absence of condescension about Him. He says so 
little about Himself. He comes so silently into our 
midst. He drops so quietly into our ways that we 
have to be continually reminding ourselves Who He is. 
Kings never succeed in putting those around them quite 
at their ease. They betray themselves unconsciously by 
the attentions they exact. "Do you forget," said one, 



* By Mother Mary Loyola. 



490 Before and after Communion. 

"that I am your king?" With the King of kings it is 
not so. He does not show us that He is stooping to 
come among us, that He feels our companionship try- 
ing after what He has been used to, that our ways and 
our rudeness jar on His infinite refinement. No, He 
leaves St. Paul to speak about the annihilation of His 
Incarnation: "Taking the form of a servant, being 
made in the likeness of men, and in habit found as a 
man" (Phil. ii.). He Himself seems to be, if we might 
venture to say so, proud of what He gained by His com- 
ing. He loves to call Himself the Son of man. And 
once among us, He tries to be like us as far as He can. 
What we have to do and bear, He will do and bear, and 
as we take our daily privations and troubles as a matter 
of course, so will He. He speaks so seldom of Who He 
is, that some have said, He has never told us plainly 
that He is God. If He works miracles all day long 
during the three years of the public ministry, it is for 
our sakes, and He only speaks of them when our good 
requires that He should speak. Of His frightful suffer- 
ings He scarcely makes any mention — two or three 
times, that is all — and so calmly, quite as a thing to 
be looked for. WTien they were over, He said they 
were only what we ought to have expected our Messias 
to do for us. Ought not Christ to have suffered these 
things? "These things" (Luke xxiv.), as if the mock- 
ing, and the scourging, and the crucifixion, which had 
completely staggered the faith of His disciples, were 
nothing so very wonderful after all. 

" Cur igitur non amem Te 
O Jesu amantissime! " 

O dearest King, who will give me a single reason 
in the wide world why I should not love You, why I 
should not dedicate to You every fiber of my being, 
why I should not strive with all my heart and soul and 
mind and strength to return You love for love? 



Before and after Communion. 491 
Faith. 

" "tTT is a great glory to follow the Lord." I know it, O 
" Lord, I know it. And I know how utterly unworthy 
I am to be ranked among Your followers, Your per- 
sonal attendants, Your friends. I can not understand 
in the very least how You can have chosen me. But 
I make my act of faith, without understanding, and 
so come to Your feet, that by union with You I may 
become a little less unworthy. 

Love. 

"f^HOU also wast with Jesus of Nazareth" (Matt. 

xxvi.). My King and my Leader, put into my 
heart so strong a love of You, that I may be eager to 
follow You everywhere, even to pain and shame. Let 
the reproach which was flung at Peter be my glory. 
Let my highest ambition here, let my happiness here- 
after be, "Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth." 

II. To whom does He come ? 

I SEE the King standing on a grassy plain near Jeru- 
salem, surrounded by those who believe in Him 
and love Him. He is fair and beautiful, and the hearts 
of His servants go out to Him as He stands there in 
their midst, on the green grass with the wild flowers 
at His feet. I see Him calling a certain number, a 
jew to be His personal followers, His intimate com- 
panions, His friends. He chooses them here and there; 
He calls them by their names one by one. Shall I 
say to my infinite surprise — shall I say to my extreme 
confusion — shall I say to my intense joy, I hear my 
own name called? 

I see these so called stepping forth from the ranks 
and forming a little inner circle round Him — His per- 
sonal companions, His friends. "I will not now call 
you servants, but friends" (John xv.). Such a call is 
His free gift. He is Master of His gifts and He dis- 
penses them as He chooses. He binds all men by the 



492 



Before and after Communion. 



law of His commandments. He invites a few to the 
following of His counsels — / am of that jew. Some 
souls He designs for great gifts, others for greater, others 
again for greatest — / am elected to the greatest. 

Well may I cast down my eyes; well may I thank 
Him that He does not go by goodness or by fitness, but 
by His own glorious freedom of choice. 

OGIFT of gifts, O gracious call, 
My God, how can it be, 
That Thou Who hast discerning love 
Shouldst give that gift to me! 

How many hearts Thou might' st have had 

More innocent than mine, 
How many souls more worthy far 

Of that sweet touch of Thine. 

Ah, grace! into unlikeliest hearts 

It is Thy boast to come, 
The glory of Thy light to find 

In darkest spots a home. 

Thy choice, O God of goodness! then 

I lovingly adore; 
O give me grace to keep Thy grace 

And grace to merit more. 

QUID RETRIBUAM? What shall I give Him? 
Surely that for which He is looking — the corre- 
spondence befitting such a vocation. By my profession I 
am called to the special praise, reverence, and service of 
God. I must see that He gets this from me. Like a 
courtier living in the palace, always in the immediate 
presence of royalty, there must be in my praise, rever- 
ence, and service, a delicacy, an assiduity, an exactitude, 
a generosity not called for from those outside. Mine 
is a service more nearly observed and to be more glori- 
ously requited. 

God looks to Religious as to those with whom He 



Before and after Communion. 



493 



may solace Himself. Repelled by the generality of 
men, He turns to them — to open Hints el j to them. 
Therefore no minimizing for me, no paring down of a 
service, which when I have done my best, He must use 
all His condescension to accept. 

But there are degrees of devotedness even in the corps 
(T elite. There are those who are content to fulfil their 
engagements, to do their own work, to keep in view 
the movements of their own division. But as to the 
whole army, to the general interests, to following the 
King closely — this has no attraction for them — they 
are not eminent. 

And there are those whose one desire is to follow 
their King as closely as possible. Where the battle is 
thickest — where the blows are hardest — where the 
marches are longest — and the burdens heaviest — there 
they will be because He is there. Mortifications that 
are not necessary, pain, and injuries, and ignominy are 
their choice because they were His. 

"Always to do my very best for Him — all that I can 
possibly do I will do for Him." This is the cry of 
their hearts. It shall be my cry. He is a King to live 
for — a King to die for — a King to Whom it should be a 
joy to sacrifice personal interest, convenience, com- 
fort, health, strength, time, talents, life itself. 

Let me do all that lies in me, to make my Congre- 
gation a stronghold in His cause. This it will be if 
His principles reign supreme, if His service is the thought 
paramount in every heart — not those around me, cer- 
tainly not me, for the first and foremost consideration,, 
but everywhere and always the King — His interests, 
His glory, His greater service. 

" For oh, what is the single end 
Of this life's mortal span, 
Except to glorify the God 

Who for our sakes was man ? " 



494 



Before and after Communion. 



TqjHY KINGDOM COME !— in my own heart first,, 
and then in every heart that I can influence, in 
those near and dear to me, in those entrusted to me more 
than all. 

My own heart first. Yes, for all strong, lasting influ- 
ence for good must spring from the interior spirit. It 
must come of personal devotion to you, of close union 
with Your Sacred Heart. That Heart must win me 
to detachment from comforts and convenience, to detach- 
ment from honor and reputation, to detachment from 
self in all its forms if I am to follow my Lord closely, 
and win souls for Him. 

I see Him holding out His hands and saying to me: 
Will you come? Asking for help, asking for personal 
sen-ice, personal devotedness, personal sacrifice — such 
as He has given to me. Will you come? Will you be 
content with My food, with My cup, with My clothing, 
content to share My labors and privations, content this 
coming year with My food — the will of My Father, with 
My cup — suffering, with My livery, — humiliations and 
reproaches. Will you come? Can I hesitate? 

O Sovereign and true Leader, I fall on my knees 
before You. I am not worthy, I am most unworthy of 
Your call. But take me as I am. I give myself up 
into Your hands. "I will follow Thee whithersoever 
Thou goest" (Luke ix.). "In what place soever Thou 
shalt be, my Lord King, either in death or in life, there 
wdll Thy servant be" (2 Kings). 

Humility. 

OW St. Francis Borgia prized his vocation! Per- 
haps the humility and gratitude of that humble 
heart may find its way into mine, if I use his words 
and ask to feel as he felt: 

"O my Lord, in Whom alone I put my trust, what 
is there in me that Thou shouldst look upon me ? What 
hast Thou found in me, that Thou shouldst call me to 




Before and after Communion. 



495 



form one of the company of Thy chosen servants! For 
they ought to be valiant, and I am a coward; they 
ought to be despisers of the world, and I am a slave 
to its opinion; they ought to be haters of themselves, 
and I am full of self-love. What then didst Thou find 
in me? Perhaps Thou didst perceive me to be bolder 
than others in disobeying Thy commands, more indiffer- 
ent to Thy glory, more wedded to my own interests. 
Surely, if Thou didst seek these things, Thou didst 
find them in me." 

"Thy choice, O God of goodness! then 
I lovingly adore, 
Oh, give me grace to keep Thy grace, 
And grace to merit more." 

Contrition. 

IN return for all Your favor, my God, You do not 
ask much, but You do ask for faithfulness. And 
I have been so unfaithful. There has been so little 
alacrity in Your service, so much self-seeking, so many 
shortcomings every way. 

Yet I know You will not have me to be discouraged. 
I know You are ready to take us up at any time. For- 
give me all there is to forgive — You know, my God, 
what that means. Could I ask it of any other than You ? 

III. Why does He come? 

*"p^E comes to fire my heart with the loyal love of 
Him, with the devotion to His person, on which 
the fervor of my service depends. He comes to be 
near me, to put Himself within my reach, to unite Him- 
self intimately to me, that so I may be able to appre- 
ciate His character, to learn His ways, to know Him. 
Not to know Him is darkness and death. To know 
Him is light and life eternal. "This is eternal life, to 
know Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, Whom 
Thou hast sent" (John xvii.). He is the Model on the 



496 Before and after Communion. 

Mount, upon which all the elect are to be formed. The 
knowledge of Him is the condition in the order of God's 
providence for carrying out His mission in the world. 

What God required in the apostles was not that they 
should be learned men or able men, but that they 
should know His Son. St. Peter, too, required it when 
he proposed another to fill the place of Judas. "Of 
these men who have companied with us, all the time 
that the Lord Jesus came in and went out amongst 
us, . . . one of these must be made a witness with us" 
(Acts i.). The same personal knowledge was given 
to St. Paul, revealed to him by Our Lord Himself. 
The same is required in all those who by their voca- 
tion are chosen to carry on the work of Jesus Christ. 
It is the condition necessary to success. It is the train- 
ing the soldiers must go through before they can be 
let loose upon the enemy. An instrument, to be efficient, 
must be united to the main agent; we must be united 
to Our Lord, we must study Him, we must be like Him 
in His character, in His ways, in His likings and dis- 
likings, in His methods, in His principles, if we are to 
influence others as He did. He drew all to Him, that 
He might draw all to God. We must draw all to God 
by giving them Jesus Christ. 

Personal devotion to Him, familiarity with Him, is 
then an obligation for us. It must be the fruit of study 
and of prayer. We say of those whom we love, and 
with whom we are familiarly acquainted, "He would 
say this, he would act in this way, this reminds me of 
him, this is like him." So must we come to know 
Christ our Lord, that we may conform ourselves to 
Him and bring out His characteristics, some in one 
way, some in another. This is the secret of finding an 
easy way into the hearts of all. Those who have this 
strong, personal devotion to Our Lord, have a tact, an 
address, a facility of approach denied to others. For 
those who know Him best love Him most, and are 



Before and after Communion, 



497 



most blessed by Him. They are most near Him and 
like Him here, and are to be most near Him and like 
Him by-and-by. 

This personal devotion to Our Lord is the one thing 
needed by many souls to make them all that God wants, 
and all that they require to be most useful in His service. 

If this be true, O Lord, and I know that it is true, 
then it is plain why You are coming to me. I shall 
have much to talk to You about, much to ask, and 
much to obtain from Your Heart. 



XK 



Hope and Desire. 

HO COMES? 
The Word made flesh for me, 
The Lord Who died for me, 
The Love made food for me, 
He comes! 



To whom does He come? 

To one redeemed by Him, 
To one allied with Him, 
To one who longs for Him, 
He comes! 

Why does He come? 

To reign upon His throne, 
To reign supreme alone, 
To make me all His own, 
He comes! 



after communion. 
Adoration. 




OW therefore your King is here, Whom you 
have chosen and desired." (i Kings xii.) 



"f \ KING, live forever! " (Dan. vi.) 

^ "I will extol Thee, O God, my King." (Ps. 
cxliv.) 

Thou alone art my King and my God " the blessed 



49 8 



Before and after Communion. 



and only mighty, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" 
(i Tim. vi.), "my King Who is in His sanctuary" 
(Ps. lxvii.). 

"Sing praises to Our God, sing ye, sing praises to 
Our King, sing ye." (Ps. xlvi.) 

"For this is God, Our God unto eternity, and for ever 
and ever; He shall rule for evermore." (Ps. xlvii.) 

Thanksgiving. 

" BLESS Our God and make the voice of His praise 
^ to be heard." (Ps. lxv.) 

"I will cry to God, the most High, to God Who hath 
done good to me." (Ps. lvi.) 

"Bless the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, who 
stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the 
house of Our God." (Ps. cxxxiii.) 

"Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us extol 
His name together." (Ps. xxxiii.) 

"Blessed be the Lord, for He hath shown His wonder- 
ful mercy to me." (Ps. xxx.) 

"Let them say so that have been redeemed by the 
Lord, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the 
enemy and gathered out of the countries." (Ps. cvi.) 

"Oh, how hast Thou magnified Thy mercy, O God." 
(Ps. xxxv.) 

"What shall I render to the Lord for all that He 
hath rendered to me?" (Ps. cxv.) 

"Offer to God the sacrifice of praise and pay thy 
vows to the Most High." (Ps. xlix.) 

"I will pay my vows to the Lord in the courts of the 
house of the Lord, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem." 
(Ps. cxv.) 

"Let all Thy works, O Lord, praise Thee, and let 
all Thy saints bless Thee." (Ps. cxliv.) 

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, in my life I will praise 
the Lord, I will sing to my God as long as I shall be." 
(Ps. clxv.) 



Before and after Communion. 



499 



"What have I in heaven but Thee, and besides Thee 
what do I desire upon earth? Thou art the God of 
my heart, and the God that is my portion for ever." 
(Ps. lxxii.) 

"O Lord, my God, I will give praise to Thee for 
ever and ever." (Ps. xxix.) 

Love. 

u *TpEAR not, for I have redeemed thee and called 
thee by thy name: thou art Mine" (Is. xliii.). 
Yes, I am Yours, my God, Yours wholly, Yours only. 
I know that if it depended on Your will alone, my per- 
severance and salvation would be assured. But there 
is my own treacherous, inconstant will, ever ready to 
play me false. On what rock can I anchor it, what 
is there that will secure it against its own instability? 
One thing only, a strong personal love of Him Whom 
You have given me for my Redeemer and Saviour. 

Of all motives a personal love of Jesus is the strongest 
and lasts the longest. Others lose their force. The 
love of God in a vague sort of a way will not stand the 
test of time and trial ; temptation comes, and those who 
have relied on it fall away. But those who cling to Our 
Lord with a deep, personal love remain steadfast to the 
end. 

That this love may be possible, I must believe firmly 
in His personal love of me. I am not to say, "Of 
course Our Lord can love this one or that, but I can 
not see what He can find to love in me." My seeing 
has nothing to do with it. I am to believe it heartily, 
like all other mysteries. He does love me and He wants 
my love. 

Nor must I say, "My heart is cold and hard. He 
can not care for love such as mine." Our Lord wants 
my love, such as it is, such as I can give Him. No 
two hearts give Him the same kind of love. He does 
not ask me to give Him any one else's love, but my own. 



500 Before and after Communion. 

He wants of each what each can give. And so He asks 
of me a love which only my heart can give, a love which 
if I refuse Him He will never have. 

Lord and Master, how can I refuse what is Yours 
by every conceivable claim? How can I help bringing 
to You with joy the little I have to give? Take, O 
Lord, take all. 

O Sovereign and true Leader, O Christ my King, 
I kneel before You here like a vassal in the old feudal 
times to take my oath of fealty. I place my joined 
hands within the wounded hands and renew the dear 
vows of my Profession. And I bring up to You all 
that depend on me to show You homage and allegiance. 
All the powers of my soul, all the senses of my body, 
all the affections of my heart — I offer them all to You. 

Sutne et suscipe — Take, take all, O Lord! 

O ye angels, archangels, thrones and dominations, 
principalities and powers, virtues of heaven, cherubim 
and seraphim, adore Our God for me; thank Him, and 
love Him with me. Patriarchs and prophets, apostles, 
all ye martyrs of Christ, holy confessors, virgins of the 
Lord, and all ye saints, adore Him, thank Him, love 
Him with me. 

Mother of God, adore your Son for me, thank Him, 
and love Him for me. 

O Heart of Jesus, be my adoration and my thanks- 
giving to the three divine persons now dwelling within 
me. 

Eternal Father, look upon the face of Your Christ. 
Through Him and with Him and in Him be to You 
in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory. 
Amen. 

Petition. 

HAT a joy it is, my God, to lay down my soul at 
Your feet, and feel that You read it through 
and through. I know what You see there. I know I 
ought to fear Your all-holy glance. And yet I love to 



Before and after Communion, 



think of You as my inward Witness. It is a joy to 
know that "Thou hast understood my thoughts" (Ps. 
cxxxviii.), that there is nothing I can hide from You, 
even if I would. Bad as I am, I am content that You 
know all. I have no secrets from You, my God. 

And so I lay my heart here at Your feet, and open 
it out before You. All its needs, all its miseries, all its 
longings are known to You — what it is, what it ought 
to be, what You want it to be. Take it into Your hands. 
Put it right for me. You can, and You have the will. 
You are its Maker; You know exactly what is wrong. 
What springs to touch You know, and what to cleanse, 
and what to renew. 

" For Thou hast made this wondrous soul 
All for Thyself alone; 
Ah! send Thy sweet transforming grace 
To make it more Thine own." 

Your interest and Your intentions are mine, my 
God, because they are Yours. I love and care for them 
all, I pray for them every one. The interests of Your 
greater glory; the accomplishment of Your will; the 
extension of Your kingdom — for all this I pray. For 
the Church suffering, the holy, waiting souls; for the 
Church militant, and her almost infinite needs; for 
the Holy See above all. I think of the weight of solici- 
tude that day and night presses on the anxious head 
of the Vicar of Christ, . . . and I pray for him. I pray 
for all rulers in Church and State; for all who can much 
advance or hinder the good of souls. I pray for all 
laborers in Your vineyard, for all who are now bearing 
the burden and heat of the day. And I beg for all Your 
pity, Your blessing, and Your help. 

Special Petition for Perseverance. 
" *Tp^ E sent from on high and took me and drew me out 
of many waters. He delivered me from my most 
mighty enemy, and from them that hated me, for they 



502 Be/ore and after Communion, 

were too strong for me. And He brought me forth 
into a large place, He delivered me because I pleased 
Him." (2 Kings xxii.) 

" Therefore will I give thanks to Thee, O Lord, and 
will sing to Thy name." (2 Kings xxii.) 

My God, keep ever fresh in my heart the thanks- 
giving with which it gave itself to You on the day You 
called me from the world into Religion, on the day 
You clothed me with Your livery, on the day You re- 
ceived my vows. As long as that thanksgiving is there, 
my vocation is safe. At least I was in earnest then. 
At my Profession I chose You, I forsook all things for 
You. It was not much, but like Peter I could say 
it was all things; it was all I had, and if it had been a 
thousand times more I would gladly have left it to follow 
You, O Lord. All I had I gave You — body and soul, 
and mind, and heart, and will, that I might be all Yours 
and live only for You and for Your service. Has there 
been rapine in the holocaust? Have I broken my 
faith with You, my God? Oh, give me grace to be 
always what I was then, in my desires, in self-surrender, 
in the sincerity of my oblation. " Confirm, O Lord, 
what Thou hast wrought in us" (Ps. lxvii.). " Renew 
our days as from the beginning" (Lament, v.). 

God, Who called me then and gave me grace to 
begin, give me now more abundant grace to perfect 
my offering and make my election sure. 

1 commend to You all whom You have loved with 
me and sought out and gathered together with me into 
the same religious family, all who are under the same 
roof with me. You have Your designs on all and on 
each. I offer them each and all to You. Because of 
their merits, because of their company, in w T hich I hope 
to be found at my death, have mercy on me. You 
have numbered me with Your chosen ones in this life, 
number me with them in the life to come. Say to me 
at judgment: "Thou art one of them" (Mark xiv.). 



Before and after Communion. 



5°3 



Let it be said to each of our Superiors as to St. Paul: 
"God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. . . . 
And so it came to pass that every soul got safe to land " 
(Acts xxvii.). 

Oblation. 

Y God, what can I give to You in return for all 
You have given to me? I give You my heart, 
I give You my love, I give You my body with all its 
senses, my soul with all its powers, my heart with all 
its affections. I give You my vows. I give You all 
I have and am, now and always in time and eternity. 
I bring to You all I love, all my treasures, all who are 
dear to me, all who are in any way entrusted to me, 
and I give them all into Your keeping. 

I trust to You my temptations, my graces, my respon- 
sibilities, my opportunities. I trust to You my progress 
in the way of perfection, my desire of a closer, more 
uninterrupted union with You. Bring me up to the 
ideal You had in Your divine mind when You created 
my soul. I could not bear, my God, to fall short of 
Your designs after all You have done for me; I could 
not bear to be a disappointment to You throughout 
eternity. 

" Jesu, quern vela turn nunc aspicio, 
Oro, fiat illud, quod tarn sitio, 
Ut, Te revelata cernens facie, 
Visu sim beatus Tuse gloriae." 

" O Jesu, Whom by faith I now descry, 

Shrouded from mortal eye, 
When wilt Thou slake the thirsting of my heart 

To see Thee as Thou art, 
Face unto face in all Thy glad array, 

Tranced with the glory of that everlasting day?" 

Say the prayer before a crucifix, "Look down upon me, 
good and gentle Jesus," as on p. 213. 




504 Exercise for Holy Communion. 



H lt)ers Gommen&able lEjercise for 1bol£ 
Communion: /li>ostl^ from tbe iprapers 
of St* ©ertru&e anb ©tber Saints* 

©reparation tor Communion* 

Contrition, hope, confidence, desire. 

f\ JESUS, most sweet and loving Spouse of my 
soul, behold, the longed-for moment draws near: 
the rapturous moment, in which I, Thy unworthy 
creature, shall receive the Most Holy Sacrament of 
Thy body and blood, as the most effectual remedy for 
all my miseries. For the love of Thee I grieve most 
bitterly for every one of my sins and my negligences, 
whereby I have offended Thy tender goodness, and 
defiled my soul, which Thou didst ransom with Thine 
own most precious blood. How shall I presume to 
receive Thee into a heart all set around with briars 
and thorns, reeking with foul and unwholesome vapors 
of worldliness and vain desires! But, my merciful 
Jesus, though I am sick of soul, I remember the words 
which fell from Thine own gracious lips — that they who 
are whole need not the physician, but they who are sick — 
and this gives me confidence. Good Jesus, Who didst 
invite the blind and the lame, the poor and the needy, to 
Thy supper, behold, as one of them, yea, even as the 
poorest and most wretched of them all, I will draw 
near to the most sacred feast of Thy body and blood, 
the Banquet of the angels, not in presumption, but with 
a contrite and humble heart, with lowly confidence, 
with hope in Thy goodness and mercy, with love for 
all the love that Thou hast shown to me, with vehement 
desire to please Thee, to be all Thine, and to live hence- 
forth for Thee alone. 



Exercise for Holy Communion, 505 



TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

Prayer of St. Gertrude before communion , the efficacy 
of which Our Lord revealed to her. 

f \ MOST loving Lord Jesus Christ, I beseech Thee, 
by all the love of Thy sweetest Heart, that Thou 
wouldst vouchsafe to offer for me all that perfection 
wherewith Thou didst stand arrayed in the presence 
of God the Father when Thou didst ascend on high 
to enter into Thy glory; and through Thy sinless and 
unspotted manhood to render my polluted soul pure 
and free from every sin, and through Thy most glorious 
divinity to endow and adorn it with every virtue, and 
through the virtue of that love, which has forever united 
Thy supreme divinity to Thine immaculate humanity, 
to furnish it befittingly with Thy best gifts. Amen. 

TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 

Prayer, which the Blessed Virgin herself taught St. 
Gertrude. 

OMOST chaste Virgin Mary, I beseech thee by that 
unspotted purity wherewith thou didst prepare 
for the Son of God a dwelling of delights in thy virginal 
womb, that by thy intercession I may be cleansed from 
every stain. 

O most humble Virgin Mary, I beseech thee by that 
most profound humility whereby thou didst merit to 
be raised high above all the choirs of angels and of saints, 
that by thy intercession all my negligences may be 
expiated. 

O most amiable Virgin Mary I beseech thee, by that 
ineffable love which united thee so closely and so in- 
separably to God, that by thy intercession I may obtain 
an abundance of all merits. Amen. 



506 



Exercise for Holy Communion. 



INVITATION TO JESUS.* 

Love and Desire. 
£\ JESUS, surpassingly sweet, Who hast said with 
Thine own gracious hps that Thy delights are to 
be with the children of men, my soul longeth for Thee, 
my heart yearneth now toward Thee. Wherefore I 
invite Thee to come unto me with all that devotion and 
that love wherewith any loving soul hath ever invited 
Thee to itself. Come, then, O most beloved Spouse of 
my soul; come, my only love; come and turn aside 
awhile into the poor and wretched hovel of my heart. 
Come, Thou heavenly Physician, come and heal my 
stricken soul. Come, O Friend, a thousandfold above 
all others beloved, come and enrich my utter poverty. 

Come, Thou bright and genial Sun, and scatter the 
thick darkness which hangs upon my heart. Come, 
Thou sweetest Manna, and satisfy my soul's exceed- 
ing hunger. Come, O Jesus, incomparable in Thy 
loveliness; come, Thou beloved of my heart's vows; 
come and sup with me in the chamber of my heart. 
And although I have made ready nothing that is worthy 
of Thy dazzling magnificence, yet wilt Thou find therein 
one dish of savory meat such as Thou lovest, a will 
which tends to Thee alone, and affections wholly Thine. 

O Thou my only Love, I long for Thy coming with 
most eager desire, I await Thy coming with yearning 
love. O Thou fairest of the sons of men, O spring 
of inexhaustible sweetness, O Thou sweeter than all 
sweetest delights, come, oh, come unto me, and disdain 
not Thy poor and needy servant. Amen. 

Invocations. 

r\ MARY, my sweet Mother! Jesus is coming to 
me; hasten to my assistance; do thou prepare 
my heart as thou didst prepare thine own for the recep- 



* St. Gertrude. 



Exercise for Holy Communion. 507 

tion of thy beloved Son in the Holy Eucharist. Adorn 
the sanctuary of my soul with all those dispositions 
which thou knowest will make it a pleasure for Jesus 
to take up His abode therein. 

Dear St. Joseph, beloved father mine! prepare my 
heart as thou didst prepare so lovingly the crib of Bethle- 
hem; for the same divine Infant will soon repose there= 

My holy guardian angel, blessed patron saints — and 
all ye blessed spirits who surround the altar-throne 
of Our Lord in profound adoration, pray for me with 
St. Thomas Aquinas, "that I may receive the body 
of the only-begotten Son of God, Our Saviour Jesus 
Christ — the very body which He took of the Virgin 
Mary — in such a manner, that I may be truly incor- 
porated into His mystical body and so numbered among 
its members.' 7 

May the prayer of the angelic doctor be fulfilled in 
me: "Most gracious God, grant that I may receive 
the Bread of angels, the King of kings, and Lord of lords 
with such contrition and devotion, such purity and 
faith, such good-will and intention ; as may avail to 
the welfare and salvation of my soul. O most loving 
Father, grant that I may at last behold with open face 
and for evermore this same beloved Son of Thine, 
Whom I now purpose to receive in my pilgrimage, 
beneath the sacramental veils." 

VEXI, DOMINE JESU! 

O JESUS, hidden God, I cry to Thee; 
O Jesus, hidden Light, I turn to Thee; 
O Jesus, hidden Love, I run to Thee; 
With all the strength I have I worship Thee; 
With all the love I have I cling to Thee; 
With all my soul I long to be with Thee, 
And fear no more to fail, or fall from Thee. 

O Jesus, deathless Love, Who seekest me, 
Thou Who didst die for longing love of me, 



508 



Exercise for Holy Communion. 



Thou King, in all Thy beauty, come to me, 
White-robed, blood-sprinkled, Jesus, come to me, 
And go no more, dear Lord, away from me. 

My soul is dark away from Thee, my own; 
My eyes are dim in seeking Thee, my own; 
My flesh doth pine away for Thee, my own; 
My heart leaps up with joy to Thee, my own; 
My spirit faints receiving Thee, my own. 

Where in the height of heaven is light like Thee? 
Where in the breadth of heaven is bliss like Thee ? 
Where in the depth of heaven is peace like Thee? 
Where in the home of love is love like Thee? 
With all my heart I give myself to Thee, 
And waiting wait, O King and Spouse, for Thee, 
Till I am one forevermore with Thee. 

O sweetest Jesus, bring me home to Thee; 
Free me, O dearest God, from all but Thee, 
And all the chains that keep me back from Thee; 
Call me, O thrilling Love, I follow Thee; 
Thou art my All, and I love nought but Thee. 

O hidden Love, Who now art loving me; 

O wounded Love, Who once wast dead for me; 

O patient Love, Who weariest not of me — 

O bear with me till I am lost in Thee; 

O bear with me till I am found in Thee.* 

"dear lord, have MERCY." t 

*T"^EAR Lord, have mercy on me; take pity on me, 
and do not let me disappoint any longer the 
desires of Thy Sacred Heart. Give me the grace to be 
at last what Thou hast a right to expect me to be, favored 
as I have been in such unspeakable ways. May I 
receive Thee into the poor dwelling of my heart in this 
morning's communion, and in every communion that 



* By Father Rawes. 
f By Father Russell. 



Exercise for Holy Communion. 509 

may still be before me, and especially in my last com- 
munion — may I receive Thee, O my Lord, with such 
dispositions that that last communion may place me in 
safety before Thy judgment-seat. Thou wilt be my 
Judge then; now Thou comest as my Saviour. O 
merciful Jesus, come now and possess my heart, that 
then Thou mayest be able to say to me: "Come and 
possess My kingdom." Thy kingdom come, O King of 
my heart! Come, Lord Jesus. 

Stter Communion, 

FAITH, ADORATION, PRAISE, THANKSGIVING, PETITION. 

f~\ JESUS, my Lord my God, and my All! Jesus, 
my life, my love, Thou art really mine! Thou 
art truly within me, Thou art all mine! With the 
angels and saints I adore Thee. In union with the 
most blessed Virgin on the day of Thy Incarnation, and 
when later she received Thee in the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, I adore Thee with the liveliest faith, the most 
ardent devotion, and the most profound respect. "My 
soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced 
in God my Saviour, for He hath regarded the humility 
of His handmaid " (Luke i.). 

I praise Thee, I thank Thee, I will glorify Thee 
for evermore. 

" That He Who lay on Mary's knee, 

Who still' d the waves of Galilee, 

Was the dear Guest at Bethany, 

And bled and died on Calvary, 

That He in truth abides with me 

I hold with faith's sure certainty. 

O God, O hidden Deity, 

Profoundly I here worship Thee, 
Rabboni! 

" O God, most wonderful in all Thy ways, 
Most in this mystery of love, upraise 
My heart to Thee in canticles of praise, 
Rabboni! 



510 Exercise for Holy Communion. 

" And since my hungry soul this day is fed 
With 'meat indeed,' with Thee the living Bread, 
Give me to live by Thee as Thou hast said, 
Rabboni!" 

" JESUS, MY LORD.'' * 

ESUS, my Lord, fill my heart now with all the 
virtues which ought to have been there to wel- 
come Thee. Give me more faith and love, more hope 
and more contrition, more humility and patience and 
piety, a stronger will and a purer heart. I believe 
all that Thou hast in any way revealed to us; but, 
dearest Lord, make my faith more living, more loving, 
more vivid, more strong. I grieve for all my sins, 
offences, and negligences, from my first sin long ago 
down to the faults and shortcomings of yesterday and 
to-day. I grieve, too, over the dulness, coldness, and 
ingratitude of this heart which is now Thy tabernacle. 
I hope in Thee, O Lord, Who wilt never let me be con- 
founded. I thank Thee for this supreme gift, and 
for all the gifts of Thy goodness, particularly for all 
the graces which, in spite of my miserable unworthiness, 
I have received in this Sacrament so often since the 
happy day of my first communion; and I beg of Thee, 
O Lord, the grace never more to abuse Thy graces. 

And now, adoring Thee in this deepest mystery of 
Thy condescension, and loving Thee above all in this 
Sacrament of Thy love, I lay all the wounds and wants 
of my soul before Thee, O my merciful and loving 
Redeemer! See the wretched plight to which I am 
reduced: faith so dull, hope so dim, love so cold. Look 
upon me, and pity me, and heal me, and I shall be 
healed. I ask Thy loving Heart, now so close to mine, 
for all that I need and desire. But I need only Thy- 
self, O Lord; I desire none but Thee. I do not dare 
to ask for more grace, but I ask for more courage and 



* By Father Russell. 



Exercise for Holy Communion, 511 

generosity in making use of all Thy graces. During 
all the hours that follow of this day, my thoughts, my 
words, and my deeds must be the thoughts and words 
and deeds that are fitting one on whom so many graces 
are showered hour by hour, the latest being this sacra- 
mental communion. And so from day to day, from 
communion to communion, may I sanctify my soul 
and serve Thee, my almighty and all-merciful God, 
my Creator, my Redeemer, my Judge — from day to 
day, and from communion to communion, on to the last 
communion which I hope to receive as my Viaticum. 
May that Viaticum conduct my soul, pure from sin, 
safe to the feet of my Jesus, Who has just now come 
to me as my Saviour, but then must be my Judge, O 
Jesus, my Saviour, be to me indeed a Saviour then 
and now and for ever. Amen.* 

Love. 

IN Thy excess of love, O divine Lord! Thou hast 
given Thyself to me. Tell me, O Jesus! what 
Thou desirest of me. Is there any sacrifice Thy love 
demands of me? Speak, Lord! for Thy child, Thy 
servant, listeneth, and, with Thy gracious assistance, 
will accomplish Thy divine pleasure. I love Thee, O 
my God! I love Thee, and love Thee alone: I love all 
Thy creatures for Thee and in Thee; and, with St. 
Paul, I will labor to become all to all, in order to gain 
all to Thee, O sweetest Jesus, O most amiable, most 
loving Lord Jesus. Strengthen me with Thy grace , 
hide me within Thine adorable Heart, and there let me 
live and die as a victim of Thy pure and perfect love. 

* The " Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity before the Blessed 
Sacrament " (respectively by Father Ramiere, Father de la 
Colombiere, and Blessed Margaret Mary), which will be found 
among the prayers in honor of the Blessed Sacrament in the latter 
part of this book, may be appropriately recited here. Attention 
is also called to the Acts of Consecration and other prayers among 
the same devotions, many of which are most serviceable after holy 
communion. 



512 Exercise for Holy Communion. 

S el) -immolation* 

/~| GOD of my heart! behold this heart which is 
Thine; behold, I offer Thee all my love through 
the hands of Thy tender Mother. Mary, my Mother, 
accept this offering; guard my heart; obtain that it may 
never be ruled by any other love than that of Thy 
divine Son. "All in Him and Him in ally Sacred 
fire of the Heart of Jesus, consume in me all that is con- 
trary to the pure love of Thee! 

A PRAYER FOR THE FULFILLING OF THE WILL OF GOD. 

RANT me Thy grace, most merciful Jesus, that 
it may be with me, and labor with me, and con- 
tinue with me to the end. 

Grant me always to desire and will that which is 
most acceptable to Thee and which pleaseth Thee best. 

Let Thy will be mine, and let my will always follow 
Thine, and agree perfectly with it. 

Let me always will and not will the same with Thee; 
and let me not be able to will or not will anything ex- 
cept what Thou wiliest or wiliest not. Amen. 

Indulgence of 200 days, once a day. — Leo XIII.,- Feb. 27, 
1886. 

OFFERINGS AND THANKSGIVINGS FROM THE PRAYERS OF 
ST. GERTRUDE. 

Offering to God the Father, of Exceeding Efficacy. 
f~\ MOST holy Father, behold I, Thy most unworthy 
servant, trusting only in Thine ineffable com- 
passion, have received Thy beloved Son, Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and even now hold Him in my heart as 
my own possession, most intimately united with me. 
Wherefore, receiving this Thy Son into my arms, even 
as did holy Simeon, I offer Him to Thee with all that 
love and that fulness of intention wherewith He offered 




* According to St. Francis de Sales. 



Exercise for Holy Communion, 513 

Himself to Thee for Thine everlasting glory, while 
lying in the manger, and when He was hanging upon 
the cross. Look, O compassionate Father, on this 
offering, which I, Thine unworthy servant, make to 
Thee, my living and true God, to Thine everlasting 
praise and glory, for Thine infinite rejoicing and delight. 

I offer to Thee the same, Thy Son, for myself, and for 
all those for w T hom I am accustomed or bound to pray, 
in thanksgiving for all the benefits Thou hast bestowed 
on us, and in supply of all those virtues and good works 
which, of our own mere negligence, we have failed to 
practice. I offer Him to Thee to obtain Thy grace 
and Thy mercy, that we may be preserved and delivered 
from all evil and sin, succored in every necessity of 
body or of soul, and brought forth through a happy 
death into everlasting joys. Finally, I offer Him to 
Thee for the remission of all my sins, and in satisfaction 
for that huge debt which I can not pay Thee, seeing that 
it far exceeds even ten thousand talents; and therefore, 
casting myself at Thy feet, O most merciful Father, I 
acknowledge and plead my utter poverty, in union 
with the bitterness of the Passion of Thy most sinless 
Son, in Whom Thou hast declared Thyself well pleased; 
and in and through Him I make Thee full reparation 
and satisfaction for my sins, offering Thee all His sor- 
rows, griefs, and tears, and all that expiation which He 
made upon the cross for the sins of the whole world. 

Remember also, O Lord, Thy servants who have 
gone before us with the sign of faith, and sleep the 
sleep of peace : for all and each of whom (and especially 
for N) I offer Thee that saving Victim Whom I have 
now received, the body and blood of Thy beloved Son; 
beseeching Thee, that through His infinite dignity and 
worth, and through the merits of all saints, Thou wouldst 
grant them pardon of all their sins, and merciful 
release from all their pains. Amen. 



514 Exercise for Holy Communion. 

Ofjering to the Saints. 

You may form an idea of the efficacy of this offering from 
the vision vouchsafed to St. Gertrude when she had offered 
this Sacrament in honor of the holy angels; she saw these 
blessed spirits entranced with joy and gladness and overflow- 
ing with abundant and thrilling delights, as though they had 
never known bliss before. 

r\ MOST blessed Virgin Mary, behold, I most hum- 
bly and lovingly set before thee thy Son, Whom 
thou didst conceive in thy spotless womb, didst bring 
forth, and nourish at thy breasts, and press to thy heart 
with most tender and thrilling embraces; Him in Whose 
countenance Thou didst ever joy, and find ever fresh 
delights, and Who has this day given Himself to me 
in the ineffable condescension of His divine love. I 
offer Him to thee that thou mayest fold Him in thine 
arms, and kiss Him with the kisses of thy mouth, and 
love and worship Him for me and together with me, 
and offer Him, in deepest adoration, to the Most Holy 
Trinity for my sins and the sins of all the world; so 
that the prerogative of thy great dignity may obtain 
for me w T hat I dare not presume to hope of myself. 

O all ye saints of God, and ye especially, my most 
beloved patrons, behold Jesus Christ, your Lord and 
Spouse, Whom while ye lived in the flesh ye loved with 
all your heart and all your strength; for in and through 
Him Whom I have now received in the Most Holy 
Sacrament, I salute you all and each of you, and offer 
Him to you for the signal increase of your joy, your glory, 
and your blessedness, with all the love and the faith- 
fulness w r hich He showed you in time, and now showeth 
you evermore in eternity, beseeching you all to worship 
and adore Him for me, and to offer Him to the Most 
Holy Trinity with all your consummate devotion on 
behalf of my necessities and those of the whole Church, 
and in thanksgiving for all the benefits He has ever 



Exercise for Holy Communioji. 



5i5 



bestowed upon me. And whatever I am unable to obtain 
of myself, do you impetrate for me, through your merits 
and intercessions. Amen. - 



ET my heart and my soul, together with all my 



r " L * senses, and all my powers of mind and body, 
give praise and thanks to Thee, O sweetest Jesus, in 
union with all the creatures of Thy hand, for the con- 
descending mercy which Thou, O most faithful Lover 
of our salvation, hast deigned to show me, most un- 
worthy, in this sacred banquet of Thy body and 
blood. Acknowledging my utter insufficiency, I offer 
unto Thee, O Most Blessed Trinity, all the praises and 
thanksgivings which the most sacred humanity of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ rendered Thee throughout His whole 
earthly life, and especially when He instituted this 
Sacrament. Receive also, O compassionate Father, 
all those thanksgivings which the Blessed Virgin Mary 
and all Thy saints have ever rendered Thee with all 
their heart and all their soul, and especially when they 
have received this Sacrament; and mercifully grant 
that all my insufficiencies and my negligences may be 
supplied and satisfied for by their abundance and per- 
fection. Amen. 

OFFERING OF ALL ONE'S ACTIONS TO THE SACRED HEART 
OF JESUS.* 

/T\OST Sacred Heart of Jesus, I offer thee my will, 
1 » that thou mayest strengthen it; my understand- 
ing, that thou mayest enlighten it; my memory, that 
thou mayest occupy it; and all my desires and affec- 
tions, that thou mayest purify them. I offer thee also 
all my projects, that they may be guided by thee; my 
toils and labors, that they may be blessed by thee;. 



Thanksgiving of St. Gertrude. 




* St. Mechtilde of the Blessed Sacrament. 



5 1 6 Exercise for Holy Communion. 

and all my interior and exterior occupations, that they 
may be sanctified by thee. Thy Divine Heart, O 
Jesus, shall possess all that I have and all that I am. 
In the love which Thou dost bear me, I place all 
my hope and confidence. O Jesus, hear my prayer 
and grant that I may never be separated from Thee. 
Amen. 

ACT OF CONSECRATION BY BLESSED MARGARET MARY. 

IN.N., give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of 
) Our Lord Jesus Christ, my person and my life, 
my actions, troubles, and sufferings, wishing no longer 
to make use of any part of my being except to honor, 
love, and glorify Him. This is my irrevocable will, 
to belong entirely to Him, and to do all for love of Him, 
renouncing with all my strength all that could dis- 
please Him. I take thee, then, O Sacred Heart, as 
the sole object of my love, the protector of my life, the 
assurance of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty 
and inconstancy, the repairer of all the defects of my 
life, and my assured refuge at the hour of my death. 
Be then, O Heart of goodness, my justification with 
God, thy Father, and avert from me the darts of His 
just anger. O Heart of love, I place all my confidence 
in thee, for, while I fear everything from my malice 
and weakness, I hope everything from thy goodness. 
Consume, then, in me all that could displease or resist 
thee; may thy pure love impress thee so deeply on 
my heart that I may be unable ever to forget thee, ever 
to be separated from thee. I conjure thee by all thy 
favors that my name may be inscribed in thee, for I 
would make all my happiness and all my glory consist 
in living and dying as thy slave. Amen. 

PETITIONS OF ST. AUGUSTINE. 




LORD Jesus, let me know myself, let me know Thee, 
And desire nothing else but only Thee. 



Let me hate myself and love Thee, 



Exercise for Holy Communion. 517 

And do all things for the sake of Thee. 

Let me humble myself, and exalt Thee, 

And think of nothing else but .Thee. 

Let me die to myself, and live in Thee, 

And take whatever happens as coming from Thee. 

Let me forsake myself and walk after Thee, 

And ever desire to follow Thee. 

Let me flee from myself, and turn to Thee, 

That so I may merit to be defended by Thee. 

Let me fear for myself, let me fear Thee, 

And be amongst those who are chosen by Thee. 

Let me distrust myself, and trust in Thee, 

And ever obey for the love of Thee. 

Let me cleave to nothing but only to Thee, 

And ever be poor for the sake of Thee. 

Look upon me, that I may love Thee; 

Call me, that I may see Thee 

And forever possess Thee. Amen. 

Indulgence of 50 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., Sept. 25, 
1883. 

PETITIONS. 

OGOD, Who out of Thy immense love hast given 
to the faithful the most Sacred Heart of Thy 
Son, Our Lord, as the object of Thy tender affection; 
grant, we beseech Thee, that we may so love and honor 
this pledge of Thy love on earth, as by it to merit the 
love both of Thee and Thy gift, and be eternally loved by 
Thee and this most blessed Heart in heaven. Through 
the same Jesus Christ our Lord, Thy Son, Who liveth 
and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
one God, world without end. Amen. 

Through Thy Sacred Heart, O Jesus, overflowing 
with all sweetness, we recommend to Thee ourselves 
and all our concerns; we recommend to Thy tender 
mercy and protection the whole Catholic Church, our 
Holy Father, N.N., our bishop, our priests, our con- 
fessor, and in particular our Superiors N.N ; bless 
our friends and enemies, our relatives and benefactors. 



5 1 8 Vespers for Sundays, 

and all those for whom we have promised to pray; 
take under Thy protection our Community, this house, 
city, and country; extend this Thy care to all such as 
are under any affliction, and to those who labor in the 
agony and pangs of death; cast an eye of compassion 
on the obstinate sinner, and more particularly on the 
poor suffering souls in purgatory, as also on those who 
are engaged and united with us in honoring and wor- 
shipping Thy Sacred Heart in the Blessed Sacrament. 
Bless these in particular, O bountiful Jesus, and bless 
them according to the extent of Thy infinite love. 
Amen. 

PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

MARY, you who desire so much to see Jesus 
loved, if you love me, this is the favor which I 
ask of you, to obtain for me a great love of Jesus Christ. 
You obtain from your Son whatever you please; pray 
then for me and console me. Obtain for me a great 
love towards you, who, of all creatures, are the most 
loving and beloved of God. And through that grief 
which you suffered on Calvary, when you beheld Jesus 
expire on the cross, obtain for me a happy death, that 
by loving Jesus, and you, my Mother, I may come to 
love you and bless you forever in heaven. 

Despers for SunDa^s, 

Pater Noster and Ave Maria. 



V. C |^VEUS, in adjuto- 
JLJ rium meum in- 

tende. 

R. Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, 
et Spiritui Sancto. 

R. Sicut erat in principio, 
et nunc, et semper, et in sae- 




GOD, come to my 
assistance. 



R. O Lord, make haste to 
help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, 
and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost. 

R. As it was in the begin- 
ning, is now, and ever shall 



Vespers for Sundays. 



519 



cula saeculorum. 
luia. 



Amen. Alle- 



be, world without end. Amen. 
Alleluia. 



From Septuagesima to Palm Sunday, inclusively, is said: 

*T-^AUS tibi, Domine, Rex *-r^) RAISE be to Thee > 
< I 1 aeternae glorias. r l Lord, King of ever- 



J?' Lord, 
lasting glory. 
Ant. Dixit Dominus. Ant. The Lord said. 

(The Antiphons vary according to the Festival, etc.) 

Psalm CIX. — Dixit Dominus. 



1 T^\IXIT Dominus Domino 
JL/ meo: Sede a dextris 
meis. 

Donee ponam inimicos tuos : 
scabellum pedum tuorum. 

Virgam virtutis tuae emittet 
Dominus ex Sion: dominare 
in medio inimicorum tuorum. 

Tecum principium in die 
virtutis tuae, in splendoribus 
Sanctorum: ex utero ante 
luciferum genui te. 



Juravit Dominus, et non 
poenitebit eum: Tu es sa- 
cerdos in aeternum, secundum 
ordinem Melchisedech. 

Dominus a dextris tuis: 
confregit in die irae suae reges. 

Judicabit in nationibus, 
implebit ruinas: conquassa- 
bit capita in terra multorum. 

De torrente in via bibet: 
propterea exaltabit caput. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Dixit Dominus Do- 
mino meo: Sede a dextris 
meis. 

Ant. Fidelia. 



^^HE Lord said to my 
Vi/ Lord: Sit Thou at My 
right hand: 

Until I make Thy enemies : 
Thy footstool. 

The Lord will send forth 
the scepter of Thy power out 
of Sion: rule Thou in the 
midst of Thy enemies. 

With Thee is the princi- 
pality in the day of Thy 
strength, in the brightness 
of the saints: from the womb 
before the day-star I begot 
Thee. 

The Lord hath sworn, and 
He will not repent : Thou art 
a priest for ever according to 
the order of Melchisedech. 

The Lord at Thy right 
hand: hath broken kings in 
the day of His wrath. 

He shall judge among na- 
tions, He shall fill ruins: He 
shall crush the heads in the 
land of many. 

He shall drink of the tor- 
rent in the way: therefore 
shall He lift up the head. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

Ant. The Lord said to my 
Lord: Sit Thou at My right 
hand. 

Ant. Faithful. 



A 



S20 



Vespers for Sundays. 



Psalm CX. — i 

aONFITEBOR tibi, Do- 
mine, in toto corde 
meo: in consilio justorum, 
et congregatione. 

Magna opera Domini: ex- 
quisita in omnes voluntates 
ejus. 

Confessio et magnificentia 
opus ejus: et justitia ejus 
manet in sseculum saeculi. 

Memoriam fecit mirabilium 
suorum misericors et misera- 
tor Dominus: escam dedit ti- 
mentibus se. 



Memor erit in saeculum 
testamenti sui : virtutem 
operum suorum annuntiabit 
populo suo: 

Ut det illis hereditatem 
gentium : opera manuum 
ejus Veritas et judicium. 

Fidelia omnia mandata 
ejus: confirmata in saeculum 
saeculi: facta in veritate et 
aequitate. 

Redemptionem misit popu- 
lo suo : mandavit in aeternum 
testamentum suum. 

Sanctum et terribile nomen 
ejus: initium sapientiae timor 
Domini. 

Intellectus bonus omnibus 
facientibus eum : laudatio ejus 
manet in saeculum saeculi. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Fidelia omnia manda- 
ta ejus, confirmata in saecu- 
lum saeculi. 

Ant. In mandatis. 



^onfitebor Tibi. 

I WILL praise Thee, O 
Lord, with my whole 
heart, in the council of the 
just, and in the congregation. 

Great are the works of the 
Lord: sought out according 
to all His wills. 

His work is praise and 
magnificence ; and His justice 
continueth for ever and ever. 

He hath made a remem- 
brance of His wonderful 
works, being a merciful and 
gracious Lord: He hath 
given food to them that fear 
Him. 

He will be mindful for ever 
of His covenant: He will 
show forth to His people the 
power of His works: 

That He may give them 
the inheritance of the Gen- 
tiles: the works of His hands 
are truth and judgment. 

All His commandments are 
faithful; confirmed for ever 
and ever : made in truth and 
equity. 

He hath sent redemption to 
His people: He hath com- 
manded His covenant for ever. 

Holy and terrible is His 
name : the fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of wisdom. 

A good understanding to all 
that do it: His praise con- 
tinueth for ever and ever. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

Ant. All His command- 
ments are faithful, confirmed 
for ever and ever. 

Ant. In His command- 
ments. 



Vespers for Su?idays. 



Psalm CXL- 

BEATUS vir qui timet. 
Dominum: in manda- 
tis ejus volet nimis. 

Potens in terra erit semen 
ejus: genera tio rectorum be- 
nedicetur. 

Gloria et divitiae in domo 
ejus: et justitia ejus manet in 
saeculum saeculi. 

Exortum est in tenebris 
lumen rectis: misericors, et 
miserator, et just us. 

Jucundus homo qui misere- 
tur et commodat, disponet 
sermones suos in judicio: 
quia in aeternum non com- 
movebitur. 

In memoria aeterna erit 
justus: ab auditione mala 
non timebit. 

Paratum cor ejus sperare in 
Domino, confirmatum est cor 
ejus: non commovebitur do- 
nee despiciat inimicos suos. 

Dispersit, dedit pauperi- 
bus; justitia ejus manet in 
saeculum saeculi: cornu ejus 
exaltabitur in gloria. 

Peccator videbit, et irasce- 
tur; dentibus suis fremet et 
tabescet: desiderium pecca- 
torum peribit. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 
Ant. In mandatis ejus cu- 
pit nimis. 

Ant. Sit nomen Domini. 



-Beatus Vir. 

BLESSED is the man 
that feareth the Lord; 
he shall delight exceedingly 
in His commandments. 

His seed shall be mighty 
upon earth: the generation 
of the righteous shall be 
blessed. 

Glory and wealth shall be 
in his house: and his justice 
remaineth for ever and ever. 

To the righteous a light is 
risen up in darkness: he is 
merciful, and compassionate, 
and just. 

Acceptable is the man that 
showeth mercy, and lendeth; 
he shall order his words with 
judgment: because he shall 
not be moved for ever. 

The just shall be in ever- 
lasting remembrance : he 
shall not fear the evil hearing. 

His heart is ready to hope 
in the Lord; his heart is 
strengthened: he shall not 
be moved until he look over 
his enemies. 

He hath distributed; he 
hath given to the poor; his 
justice remaineth for ever and 
ever: his horn shall be exalted 
in glory. 

The wicked shall see, and 
shall be angry ; he shall gnash 
with his teeth, and pine away : 
the desire of the wicked shall 
perish. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

Ant. He delights exceed- 
ingly in His command- 
ments. 

Ant. May the name of the 
Lord. 



i 



5 22 



Vespers for Sundays. 



Psalm CXIL- 

*"| — ' AUDATE, pueri, Do- 
fM i minum: laudate no- 
men Domini. 

Sit nomen Domini bene- 
dict um : ex hoc nunc et usque 
in saeculum. 

A solis ortu usque ad occa- 
sum: laudabile nomen Do- 
mini. 

Excelsus super omnes gen- 
tes Dominus: et super ccelos 
gloria ejus. 

Quis sicut Dominus Deus 
noster, qui in altis habitat : et 
humilia respicit in ccelo et in 
terra ? 

Suscitans a terra inopem: 
et de stercore erigens pau- 
perem : 

Ut collocet eum cum princi- 
pibus : cum principibus populi 
sui. 

Qui habitare facit sterilem 
in domo: matrem filiorum 
laetantem. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Sit nomen Domini 
benedictum in saecula. 

Ant. Nos qui vivimus. 

(The fifth Psal 



■Laudate, Pueri. 

RAISE the Lord, ye 
children : praise ye the 
name of the Lord. 

Blessed be the name of the 
Lord: from henceforth now 
and for ever. 

From the rising of the sun 
unto the going down of the 
same: the name of the Lord 
is worthy of praise. 

The Lord is high above all 
nations : and His glory above 
the heavens. 

Who is the Lord our God, 
Who dwelleth on high: and 
looketh down on the low 
things in heaven and in 
earth ? 

Raising up the needy from 
the earth: and lifting up 
the poor out of the dung-hill: 

That He may place him 
with princes : with the princes 
of His people. 

Who maketh a barren 
woman to dwell in a house: 
the joyful mother of children. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

Ant. Blessed be the name 
of the Lord for ever. 

Ant. W^e that live, 
n often varies.) 




Psalm CXIIL- 

IN exitu Israel de iEgypto : 
domus Jacob de populo 
barbaro. 

Facta est Judaea sanctifi- 
catio ejus: Israel potestas 
ejus. 

Mare vidit et fugit : Jorda- 
nis conversus est retrorsum. 
Montes exultaverunt ut ari- 



-In Exitu Israel. 

m'HEN Israel went out 
> of Egypt: the house 
of Jacob from a barbarous 
people : 

Judea was made his sanc- 
tuary: Israel his dominion. 

The sea saw and fled : Jor- 
dan was turned back. 
The mountains skipped like 



Vespers for Sundays. 



5 2 3 



etes: et colles sicut agni 
ovium. 

Quid est tibi, mare, quod 
fugisti: et tu, Jordanis, quia 
conversus es retrorsum? 

Montes exultastis sicut ari- 
etes, et colles sicut agni 
ovium? 

A facie Domini mota est 
terra, a facie Dei Jacob. 

Qui convertit petram in 
stagna aquarum, et rupem 
in fontes aquarum. 

Non nobis, Domine, non 
nobis: sed nomini tuo da 
gloriam. 

Super misericordia tua, et 
veritate tua: nequando di- 
cant gentes: Ubi est Deus 
eorum ? 

Deus autem noster in ccelo : 
omnia quaecumque voluit 
fecit. 

Simulacra gentium argen- 
tum et aurum: opera manu- 
um hominum. 

Os habent, et non loquen- 
tur: oculos habent, et non 
videbunt. 

Aures habent, et non audi- 
ent: nares habent, et non 
odorabunt. 

Manus habent, et non pal- 
pabunt : pedes habent, et non 
ambulabunt: non clamabunt 
in gutture suo. 

Similes illis fiant qui faciunt 
ea : et omnes qui confidunt in 
eis. 

Domus Israel speravit in 
Domino: adjutor eorum et 
protector eorum est. 



rams, and the hills like the 
lambs of the flock. 

What aileth thee, O thou 
sea! that thou didst flee? 
and thou, O Jordan! that 
thou wast turned back? 

Ye mountains, that ye 
skipped like rams; and ye 
hills, like lambs of the flock? 

At the presence of the Lord 
the earth was moved, at the 
presence of the God of Jacob : 

Who turned the rock into 
pools of water and the 
stony hill into fountains of 
waters. 

Not to us, O Lord! not 
to us; but to Thy name give 
glory. 

For Thy mercy, and for 
Thy truth's sake: lest the 
Gentiles should say: Where 
is their God? 

But Our God is in heaven: 
He hath done all things what- 
soever He would. 

The idols of the Gentiles 
are silver and gold; the 
works of the hands of men. 

They have mouths, and 
speak not: they have eyes, 
and see not. 

They have ears, and hear 
not: they have noses, and 
smell not. 

They have hands, and feel 
not: they have feet, and walk 
not: neither shall they cry 
out through their throat. 

Let them that make them 
become like unto them: and 
all such as trust in them. 

The house of Israel hath 
hoped in the Lord: He is 
their helper and their pro- 
tector. 



5 2 4 



Vespers for Sundays. 



Domus Aaron speravit in 
Domino: adjutor eorum et 
protector eorum est. 

Qui timent Dominum spera- 
verunt in Domino: adjutor 
eorum et protector eorum est. 

Dominus memor f uit nostri : 
et benedixit nobis. 



Benedixit domui Israel : 
nedixit domui Aaron. 



be- 



Benedixit omnibus qui ti- 
ment Dominum : pusillis cum 
majoribus. 

Adjiciat Dominus super 
vos: super vos et super finos 
vestros. 

Benedicti vos a Domino: 
qui fecit ccelum et terram. 

Coelum cceli Domino: ter- 
ram autem dedit filiis ho- 
minum. 

Non mortui laudabunt te, 
Domine: neque omnes qui 
descendunt in infernum. 

Sed nos qui vivimus, bene- 
dicimus Domino: ex hoc 
nunc, et usque in saeculum. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



The house of Aaron hath 
hoped in the Lord: He is 
their helper and their pro- 
tector. 

They that fear the Lord 
have hoped in the Lord: He 
is their helper and their pro- 
tector. 

The Lord hath been mind- 
ful of us: and hath blessed 
us. 

He hath blessed the house 
of Israel: He hath blessed 
the house of Aaron. 

He hath blessed all that 
fear the Lord: both little 
and great. 

May the Lord add blessings 
upon you: upon you, and 
upon your children. 

Blessed be you of the Lord : 
Who made heaven and earth. 

The heaven of heavens is 
the Lord's: but the earth 
He has given to the children 
of men. 

The dead shall not praise 
Thee, O Lord; nor any of 
them that go down to hell. 

But we that live, bless the 
Lord: from this time now 
and for ever. 

Glory be to the Father, etc 



Instead of this psalm the following is sometimes said: 
Psalm CXVI. — Laudate Dominum. 



EAUDATE Dominum, 
omnes gentes : laudate 
eum, omnes populi. 

Quoniam confirmata est 
super nos, misericordia ejus: 
et Veritas Domini manet in 
aeternum. Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Nos qui vivimus, be- 
nedicimus Domino. 



*T5>RAISE the Lord, all ye 
nations: praise Him, 
all ye people: 

For His mercy is con- 
firmed upon us: and the 
truth of the Lord remaineth 
for ever. Glory be to the 
Father, etc. 

Ant. We that live, bless 
the Lord. 



Vespers for Sundays. 



525 



Then follow the little chapter and the hymn. These vary. 
LITTLE CHAPTER. 

©ENEDICTUS Deus, et ^r^LESSED be God and the 

Pater Domini nostri Father of Our Lord 

Jesu Christi, Pater miseri- Jesus Christ, the Father of 

cordiarum, et Deus totius mercies and the God of all 

consolationis, qui consolatur comfort, Who comforteth us 

nos in omni tribulatione no- in all our tribulation, 
stra. 

R. Deo gratias. R. Thanks be to God. 



The following is one of the Sunday hymns : 
*-p"^ UCIS Creator optime, 

Lucem dierum proferens, 

Primordiis lucis novae, 

Mundi parans originem. 



Qui mane junctum vesperi 
Diem vocari praecipis: 
Illabitur tetrum chaos, 
Audi preces cum fletibus. 

Ne mens gravata crimine, 

Vitae sit exul munere, 

Dum nil perenne cogitat, 

Seseque culpis illigat. 

Coeleste pulset ostium, 

Vitale tollat praemium; 

Vitemus omne noxium: 
Purgemus omne pessimum. 



O BLEST Creator of the 
light! 

Who dost the dawn from 
darkness bring; 
And framing nature's depth 
and height, 
Didst with the new-born 
light begin. 

Who gently blending eve 
with morn, 
And morn with eve, didst 
call them day; 
Thick flows the flood of dark- 
ness down; 
Oh, hear us as we weep 
and pray! 

Keep Thou our souls from 
schemes of crime; 
Nor guilt remorseful let 
them know ; 
Nor, thinking but on things 
of time, 
Into eternal darkness go. 

Teach us to knock at heaven's 
high door; 
Teach us the prize of life 
to win: 

Teach us all evil to abhor, 
And purify ourselves within. 



Vespers for Sundays. 



526 

Praesta, Pater piissime, 

Patrique compar Unice, 

Cum Spiritu Paraclito, 

Regnans per omne sseculum. 
Amen. 



Father of mercies! hear our 
cry; 

Hear us, O sole-begotten 
Son! 

Who, with the Holy Ghost 
most high, 
Reignest while endless ages 
run. Amen. 



The proper Versicle and Response follow. 

V. c p| IRIGATUR » Do " V. *T^BT my prayer as- 
mine, oratio mea, r*— * cend to Thee, O 
Lord, 

R. Sicut incensum in con- R. As incense in Thy sight. 

spectu tuo. 

THE MAGNIFICAT, OR CANTICLE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 




,AGNIFICAT: anima 
, mea Dominum. 



Et exultavit spiritus me- 
ns: in Deo salutari meo. 

Quia respexit humilitatem 
ancillae suae; ecce enim ex 
hoc beatam me dicent omnes 
genera ti ones. 

Quia fecit mihi magna qui 
potens est: et sanctum no- 
men ejus. 

Et misericordia ejus a pro- 
genie in progenies: timenti- 
bus eum. 

Fecit potentiam in brachio 
suo : dispersit superbos mente 
cordis sui. 

Deposuit potentes de sede: 
et exaltavit humiles. 

Esurientes implevit bo- 
nis : et divites dimisit inanes. 



Suscepit Israel puerum su- 



Y soul doth magnify the 
Lord. 

And my spirit hath rejoiced 
in God my Saviour. 

Because He hath regarded 
the humility of His handmaid : 
for behold from henceforth 
all generations shall call me 
blessed. 

Because He that is mighty 
hath done great things to me : 
and holy is His name. 

And His mercy is from 
generation unto generations, 
to them that fear Him. 

He hath shown might in 
His arm: He hath scattered 
the proud in the conceit of 
their heart. 

He hath put down the 
mighty from their seat, and 
hath exalted the humble. 

He hath filled the hungry 
with good things: and the 
rich He hath sent away 
empty. 

He hath received Israel His 



Vespers for Sundays, 



5 2 7 



urn, recordatus misericordiae 
suae. 

Sicut locutus est ad patres 
nostros: Abraham, et semini 
ejus in saecula. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



servant, being mindful of 
His mercy. 

As He spoke to our fathers, 
to Abraham and to his seed 
for ever. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 



Here follow the proper Collect, and the Commemorations. 



V. *Tt> ENEDICA- 

MUS Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Fidelium animae per 
misericordiam Dei requie- 
scant in pace. 

R. Amen. 



V. 



t T~^ET us bless the 
Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the 
faithful, through the mercy 
of God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



The Pater Noster is said in silence. 



y. 



R. Et 
Amen. 



DOMINUS det no- 
bis suam pacem. 



vitam aeternam. 



V. (T\ AY the Lord grant 
JLL1[ us His peace. 



R. And 
Amen. 



the life eternal. 



Here follows the Antiphon of the Blessed Virgin proper for 
the season. See after Compline, p. 157. 

PSALMS FOR THE FESTIVALS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 

Psalms "Dixit Dominus," etc., and "Laudate, pueri Do- 
minum," etc.; then: 

Psalm CXXL 



E STATUS sum in his 
quae dicta sunt mihi: 
in domum Domini ibimus. 

Stantes erant pedes nostri, 
in atriis tuis, Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem, quae aedificatur 
ut ci vitas, cujus participatio 
ejus in idipsum. 

Illuc enim ascenderunt tri- 
bus, tribus Domini, testi- 
monium Israel ad confitendum 
nomini Domini. 

Quia illic sederunt sedes in 
judicio, sedes super domum 
David. 



I REJOICED at the things 
that were said to me: 
we shall go into the house of 
the Lord. 

Our feet were standing in 
thy courts, O Jerusalem! 

Jerusalem, which is built 
as a city, which is compact 
together. 

For thither did the tribes 
go up, the tribes of the Lord ; 
the testimony of Israel, to 
praise the name of the Lord. 

Because their seats have 
sat in judgment-seats upon 
the house of David. 



5 28 



Vespers for Sundays. 



Rogate quae ad pacem sunt 
Jerusalem : et abundantia 
diligentibus te. 

Fiat pax in virtute tua, et 
abundantia in turribus tuis. 

Propter fratres meos et 
proximos meos, loquebar pa- 
cem de te. 

Propter domum Domini 
Dei nostri, quaesivi bona tibi. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Psalm 

ISI Dominus aedifica- 
verit domum, in va- 
num laboraverunt qui aedi- 
ficant earn. 

Nisi Dominus custodierit 
civitatem, frustra vigilat qui 
custodit earn. 

Vanum est vobis ante lucem 
surgere : surgite postquam 
sederitis, qui manducatis pa- 
nem doloris. 

Cum dederit dilectis suis 
somnum; ecce hereditas Do- 
mini, filii; merces, fructus 
ventris. 

Sicut sagittae in manu po- 
tentis, ita filii excussorum. 



Beat us vir qui implevit 
desiderium suum ex ipsis: 
non confundetur cum loque- 
tur inimicis suis in porta. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Psalm 

*~r~!AUDA, Jerusalem, Do- 
A — * minum; lauda Deum 
tuum, Sion. 



Pray ye for the things 
that are for the peace of 
Jerusalem ; and abundance 
for them that love thee. 

Let peace be in thy strength : 
and abundance in thy towers. 

For the sake of my breth- 
ren, and of my neighbors, I 
spoke peace of thee. 

Because of the house of the 
Lord our God, I have sought 
good things for thee. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 



XCEPT the Lord build 
the house, they labor 
in vain that build it. 

Except the Lord keep the 
city, he watcheth in vain that 
keepeth it. 

It is vain for you to rise 
before light: rise ye after 
you have sat, you that eat 
the bread of sorrow. 

When He shall give sleep 
to His beloved: behold, the 
inheritance of the Lord are 
children; the reward, the 
fruit of the womb. 

As arrows in the hand of 
the mighty, so the children 
of them that have been 
shaken. 

Blessed is the man that 
hath filled his desire w T ith 
them; he shall not be con- 
founded when he shall speak 
to his enemies in the gate. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

CXLVIL 

RAISE the Lord, O Jeru- 
salem, praise thy 
God, O Sion! 






Vespers for Sundays. 



5 2 9 



Quoniam confortavit seras 
portarum tuarum, benedixit 
filiis tuis in te. 

Qui posuit fines tuos pa- 
cem, et adipe frumenti satiat 
te. 

Qui emittet eloquium su- 
um terrae, velociter currit 
sermo ejus. 

Qui dat nivem sicut lanam, 
nebulam sicut cinerem spar- 
git. 

Mittit crystallum suam si- 
cut buccellas: ante faciem 
frigoris ejus quis sustinebit? 

Emittet verbum suum, et 
liquefaciet ea; nabit spiritus 
ejus, et fluent aquae. 

Qui annuntiat verbum su- 
um Jacob, justitias et judicia 
sua Israel. 

Non fecit taliter omni na- 
tioni, et judicia sua non mani- 
festavit eis. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

THE 

VE maris Stella, 

Dei Mater alma, 
Atque semper virgo, 

Felix coeli porta. 
Sumens illud Ave, 

Gabrielis ore, 

Funda nos in pace, 

Mutans Hevse nomen. 
Solve vincla reis, 



Because He hath strength- 
ened the bolt of thy gates: 
He hath blessed thy children 
within thee. 

Who hath placed peace in 
thy borders and filleth thee 
with the fat of corn. 

Who sendeth forth His 
speech to the earth: His 
word runneth swiftly. 

Who giveth snow like wool ; 
scattereth mists like ashes. 

He sendeth His crystal 
like morsels: who shall stand 
before the face of His cold? 

He shall send out His word, 
and shall melt them; His 
wind shall blow, and the 
waters shall run. 

Who declareth His word 
to Jacob; His justices and 
His judgments to Israel. 

He hath not done in like 
manner to every nation: 
and His judgments He hath 
not made manifest to them. 
Glory be to the Father, etc. 

HYMN. 

BRIGHT Mother of Our 
Maker, hail! 
Thou Virgin ever blest, 
The Ocean's Star by which we 
sail, 

And gain the port of rest! 

Whilst we this Ai^.thus to 
thee, 

From Gabriel's mouth re- 
hearse ; 

Prevail, that peace our lot 
may be, 
And Eva's name reverse. 

Release our long-entangled 
mind, 




53° 



Vespers for Sundays. 



Profer lumen csecis, 
Mala nostra pelle, 

Bona cuncta posce. 

Monstra te esse matrem, 
Sumat per te preces, 
Qui pro nobis natus 

Tulit esse tuus. 
Virgo singularis, 

Inter omnes mitis, 
Nos culpis solutos, 
Mites fac et castos. 

Vitam praesta puram, 

Inter para tutum, 
Ut videntes Jesum, 

Semper collaetemur. 
Sit laus Deo Patri, 

Summo Christo decus, 
Spiritui sancto, 

Tribus honor unus. Amen. 

V. Dignare me laudare te, 
Virgo sacrata. 

R. Da mihi virtutem con- 
tra hostes tuos. 



From all the snares of ill; 
With heavenly light instruct 
the blind, 
And all our vows fulfil. 

Exert for us a Mother's care, 
And us thy children, own; 

Prevail with Him to hear 
our prayer, 
Who chose to be Thy Son. 

O spotless Maid! whose vir- 
tues shine 

With brightest purity; 
Each action of our life refine, 

And make us pure like thee. 

Preserve our lives unstained 
from ill, 
And guard us in our way ; 
That Christ, one day, our 
souls may fill 
With joys that ne'er decay. 

To God the Father, endless 
praise : 

To God the Son, the same ; 
And Holy Ghost, Whose equal 
rays, 

One equal glory claim. 
Amen. 

V. Vouchsafe, O sacred 
Virgin, to accept my praises. 

R. Give me strength 
against thy enemies. 



PSALMS SUNG ON FESTIVALS OF THE APOSTLES- 

First Vespers:* Second Vespers, Psalms, "Dixit Dominus," 
"Laudate pueri Dominum; ,, then: 

Psalm CXV. 

aREDIDI, propter quod *T* HAVE believed, there- 
locutus sum; ego au- fore have I spoken : but 

tern humiliatus sum nimis. I have been humbled ex- 
ceedingly. 

* First four Psalms as on Sunday; last Psalm, "Laudate Domi* 
num" instead of "lift Exitu," etc. 



Vespers for Sundays. 



53* 



Ego dixi in excessu meo: 
Omnis homo mendax. 

Quid retribuam Domino 
pro omnibus quae retribuit 
mihi ? 

Calicem salutaris accipiam, 
et nomen Domini invocabo. 

Vota mea Domino reddam 
coram omni populo ejus pre- 
tiosa in conspectu Domini 
mors sanctorum ejus. 

O Domine, quia ego servus 
tuus; ego servus tuus, et 
films ancillae tuse. 

Dirupisti vincula mea: tibi 
sacrificabo hostiam laudis, et 
nomen Domini invocabo. 



Yota mea Domino reddam 
in conspectu omnis populi 
ejus; in atriis domus Domini, 
in medio tui, Jerusalem. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Psalm 

IN convertendo Dominus 
captivitatem Sion, facti 
sumus sicut consolati. 

Tunc repletum est gaudio 
os nostrum, et lingua nostra 
exult atione. 

Tunc dicent inter gentes: 
Magnificavit Dominus facere 
cum eis. 

Magnificavit Dominus face- 
re nobiscum ; facti sumus lae- 
tantes. 

Converte, Domine, captivi- 
tatem nostram, sicut torrens 
in austro. 



I said in my excess, every 
man is a liar. 

What shall I render to the 
Lord, for all the things that 
He hath rendered to me? 

I will take the chalice of 
salvation: and I will call 
upon the name of the Lord. 

I will pay my vows to the 
Lord, before all His people: 
precious in the sight of the 
Lord is the death of His 
saints. 

Lord! for I am Thy 
servant: I am Thy servant 
and the son of Thy hand- 
maid. 

Thou hast broken my 
bonds: I will sacrifice to 
Thee the sacrifice of praise, 
and I will call upon the name 
of the Lord. 

1 will pay my vows to the 
Lord in the sight of all His 
people: in the courts of the 
house of the Lord, in the 
midst of thee, O Jerusalem! 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

CXXV. 

HEN the Lord brought 
back the captivity of 
Sion, we became like men 
comforted. 

Then was our mouth filled 
with gladness; and our 
tongue with joy. 

Then shall they say among 
the Gentiles: The Lord hath 
done great things for them. 

The Lord hath done great 
things for us: we are become 
joyful. 

Turn again our captivity, 
O Lord! as a stream in the 
south. 



XK 



53 2 



Vespers for Sundays. 



Qui seminant in lacrymis, 
in exultatione metent. 

Euntes ibant et flebant, 
mittentes semina sua. 

Venientes autem venient 
cum exultatione, portantes 
manipulos suos. 

Gloria Patria, etc. 



They that sow in tears, 
shall reap in joy. 

Going, they went and wept, 
casting their seeds. 

But coming, they shall 
come with joyfulness, carry- 
ing their sheaves. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 



Psalm CXXXVIII. 



'T^OMINE, probasti me, et 
JLJ cognovisti me ; tu co- 
gnovisti sessionem meam et 
resurrectionem meam. 

Intellexisti cogitationes 
meas de longe; semitam me- 
am et funiculum meum in- 
vestigasti. 

Et omnes vias meas prae- 
vidisti; quia non est sermo 
in lingua mea. 

Ecce, Domine, tu cogno- 
visti omnia, novissima et 
antiqua: tu formasti me, et 
posuisti super me manum tu- 
am. 

Mirabilis facta est scientia 
tua ex me; confortata est, et 
non potero ad earn. 

Quo ibo a spiritu tuo? et 
quo a facie tua fugiam? 

Si ascendero in ccelum, tu 
illic es ; si descendero in infer- 
num, ades. 

Si sumpsero pennas meas 
diluculo, et habitavero in 
extremis maris. 

Etenim illuc manus tua de- 
ducet me, et tenebit me 
dextera tua. 

Et dixi: Forsitan tenebrae 
conculcabunt me; et nox 
illuminatio mea in deliciis 
meis. 

Quia tenebrae non obscu- 



^T^.ORD, Thou hast proved 
<-! — • me, and known me; 
Thou hast known my sitting 
down and my rising up. 

Thou hast understood 
my thoughts afar off; my 
path and my line Thou hast 
searched out. 

And Thou hast foreseen 
all my ways: for there is no 
speech in my tongue. 

Behold, O Lord! Thou 
hast known all things, the 
last and those of old: Thou 
hast formed me, and hast 
laid Thy hand upon me. 

Thy knowledge is become 
wonderful to me : it is high, 
and I can not reach to it. 

Whither shall I go from 
Thy spirit? or whither shall 
I flee from Thy face? 

If I ascend into heaven, 
Thou art there: if I descend 
into hell, Thou art present. 

If I take my wings early 
in the morning, and dwell in 
the uttermost parts of the sea, 

Even there also shall Thy 
hand lead me; and Thy 
right hand shall hold me. 

And I said : Perhaps dark- 
ness shall cover me: and 
night shall be my light in my 
pleasures. 

But darkness shall not be 



Vespers for Sundays. 



533 



rabuntur a te, et nox sicut 
dies illuminabitur ; sicut tene- 
brae ejus, ita et lumen ejus. 



Quia tu possedisti renes 
meos; suscepisti me de utero 
matris meae. 

Confitebor tibi, quia terri- 
biliter magnificatus es; mira- 
bilia opera tua, et anima mea 
cognoscit nimis. 

Non est occultatum os 
meum a te, quod fecisti in 
occulto; et substantia mea 
in inferioribus terrae. 

Imperfectum meam vide- 
runt oculi tui, et in libro tuo 
omnes scribentur : dies f orma- 
buntur, et nemo in eis. 

Mini autem nimis honori- 
ficati sunt amici tui, Deus; 
nimis confortatus et princi- 
patus eorum. 

Dinumerabo eos, et super 
arenam multiplicabuntur : 
exurrexi, et adhuc sum te- 
cum. 

Si occideris, Deus, pecca- 
tores, viri sanguinum, decli- 
nate a me. 

Quia dicitis in cogitatione: 
Accipient in vanitate civi- 
tates tuas. 

Nonne qui oderunt te, Do- 
mine, oderam?et super ini- 
micos tuos tabescebam? 

Perfecto odio oderam illos, 
et inimici facti sunt mihi. 

Proba me, Deus, et scito 
cor meum; interroga me, et 
cognosce semitas meas. 



dark to Thee and night 
shall be light as the day: 
the darkness thereof, and 
the light thereof, are alike to 
Thee. 

For Thou hast possessed 
my reins: Thou hast pro- 
tected me from my mother's 
womb. 

I will praise Thee, for Thou 
art fearfully magnified: won- 
derful are Thy works, and 
my soul knoweth right well. 

My bone is not hidden 
from Thee, which Thou hast 
made in secret ; and my sub- 
stance in the lower parts of 
the earth. 

Thy eyes did see my imper- 
fect being, and in Thy book 
all shall be written: days 
shall be formed, and no one 
in them. 

But to me, Thy friends, O 
God! are made exceedingly 
honorable: their principality 
is exceedingly strengthened. 

I will number them, and 
they shall be multiplied above 
the sand: I rose up, and am 
still with Thee. 

If Thou wilt kill the wicked, 
O God : ye men of blood, de- 
part from me. 

Because you say in thought : 
they shall receive thy cities 
in vain. 

Have I not hated them, O 
Lord! that hate Thee; and 
pined away because of Thy 
enemies ? 

I have hated them with a 
perfect hatred: and they are 
become enemies to me. 

Prove me, O God! and 
know my heart : examine me, 
and know my paths. 



534 



Vespers for Sundays. 



Et vide si via iniquitatis in And see if there be in me 

me est; et deduc me in via the way of iniquity: and 

aeterna. lead me in the eternal way. 

Gloria Patri, etc. Glory be to the Father, etc. 

ON FESTIVALS OF ONE MARTYR OR SEVERAL. 

First Vespers, as on feasts of Apostles; Second Vespers, instead of 
1 1 Laudate D ominum, ' ' the last Psalm is ' ' Credidi, ' ' page 5 30. 

ON FESTIVALS OF CONFESSORS, NOT BISHOPS. 

First Vespers, as on feasts of Apostles. 

ON FESTIVALS OF CONFESSORS, BISHOPS. 

First Vespers, as on feasts of Apostles; in the Second Vespers, 
the last Psalm is the following: 

Psalm CXXXI 



EMENTO, Domine, Da- 
vid, et omnis mansue- 
tudinis ejus. 

Sicut juravit Domino, vo- 
tum vovit Deo Jacob: 

Si introiero in tabernacu- 
lum domus meae ; si ascendero 
in lectum strati mei: 

Si dedero somnum oculis 
meis, et palpebris meis dor- 
mitationem. 

Et requiem temporibus me- 
is, donee inveniam locum Do- 
mino, tabernaculum Deo Ja- 
cob. 

Ecce audivimus earn in 
Ephrata: invenimus earn in 
campis sylvae. 

Introibimus in tabernacu- 
lum ejus ; adorabimus in loco 
ubi steterunt pedes ejus. 

Surge, Domine, in requiem 
tuam, tu et area sanctinca- 
tionis tuae. 

Sacerdotes tui induantur 



OLORD! remember Da- 
vid, and all his meek- 
ness. 

How he swore to the Lord : 
he vowed a vow to the God 
of Jacob: 

If I shall enter into the 
tabernacle of my house: if 
I shall go up into the bed 
wherein I lie: 

If I shall give sleep to my 
eyes, or slumber to my eye- 
lids. 

Or rest to my temples; 
until I find out a place for 
the Lord, a tabernacle for 
the God of Jacob. 

Behold we have heard of 
it in Ephrata ; we have found 
it in tne fields of the wood. 

We will go into His taber- 
nacle: we will adore in the 
place where His feet stood. 

Arise, O Lord! into Thy 
resting-place; Thou and the 
ark, which Thou hast sancti- 
fied. 

Let Thy priests be clothed 



Vespers for Sundays. 



535 



justitiam, et sancti tui exul- 
tent. 

Propter David servum tu- . 
um, non avertas faciem Chris- 
ti tui. 

Juravit Dominus David 
veritatem, et non frustra- 
bitur earn: de fructu ventris 
tui ponam super sedem tuam. 

Si custodierint filii tui te- 
stamentum meum, et testi- 
monia mea haec quae docebo 
eos: 

Et filii eorum usque in 
saeculum, sedebunt super se- 
dem tuam. 

Quoniam elegit Dominus 
Sion, elegit earn in habita- 
tionem sibi. 

Haec requies mea in saecu- 
lum saeculi; hie habitabo, 
quoniam elegi earn. 

Viduam ejus benedicens 
benedicam ; pauperes ejus 
saturabo panibus. 

Sacerdotes ejus induam 
salutari, et sancti ejus exulta- 
tione exultabunt. 

Illuc producam cornu Da- 
vid; paravi lucernam Chris- 
to meo. 

Inimicos ejus induam con- 
fusione; super ipsum autem 
efflorebit sanctificatio mea. 

Gloria, etc. 



with justice; and let Thy 
saints rejoice. 

For Thy servant David's 
sake, turn not away the face 
of Thy anointed. 

The Lord hath sworn truth 
to David, and He will not 
make it void: of the fruit of 
thy womb I will set upon 
thy throne. 

If thy children will keep 
My covenant, and these My 
testimonies which I shall 
teach them: 

Their children also for 
evermore shall sit upon thy 
throne. 

For the Lord hath chosen 
Sion: He hath chosen it for 
His dwelling. 

This is My rest for ever and 
ever: here will I dwell, for I 
have chosen it. 

Blessing I will bless her 
widow ; I will satisfy her poor 
with bread. 

I will clothe her priests 
with salvation : and her saints 
shall rejoice with exceeding 
great joy. 

There will I bring forth a 
horn to David: I have pre- 
pared a lamp for My anointed. 

His enemies I will clothe 
with confusion: but upon 
him shall My sanctification 
nourish. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 



ON FESTIVALS OF VIRGINS AND HOLY WOMEN. 

The Psalms as on festivals of the Blessed Virgin. 

ON THE FESTIVAL OF ALL SAINTS. 
In Second Vespers, the last Psalm is "Credidi." 



53^ 



Vespers for Sundays. 



ON CHRISTMAS DAY. 



First Vespers, as on feast of Apostles; Second Vespers, Psalms, 
"Dixit Dominus," " Confitebor," "Beatus vir." 

Psalm CXXIX. 



*T^\E profundis clamavi ad 
<-L^ te, Domine; Domine, 
exaudi vocem meam. 

Fiant aures tuae intenden- 
tes, in vocem deprecationis 
meae. 

Si iniquitates observaveris, 
Domine, Domine, quis su- 
stinebit ? 

Quia apud te propitiatio 
est; et propter legem tuam 
sustinui te, Domine. 

Sustinuit anima mea in 
verbo ejus; speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 

A custodia matutina usque 
ad noctem, speret Israel in 
Domino. 

Quia apud Dominum mise- 
ricordia, et copiosa apud eum 
redemptio. 

Et ipse redimet Israel ex 
omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



OUT of the depths I have 
cried to Thee, O Lord! 
Lord, hear my voice. 

Let Thy ears be atten- 
tive to the voice of my sup- 
plication. 

If Thou, O Lord! wilt mark 
iniquities, Lord, who shall 
stand ? 

For with Thee there is 
merciful forgiveness: and by 
reason of Thy law, I have 
waited for Thee, O Lord! 

My soul hath relied on His 
word : my soul hath hoped in 
the Lord. 

From the morning watch 
even until night, let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord 
there is mercy : and with Him 
plentiful redemption. 

And He shall redeem Israel 
from all his iniquities. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 



Fifth Psalm, "Memento Domine." * 

ON THE FESTIVAL OF EASTER. 
Second Vespers; Psalms as on Sundays. 
ON THE FESTIVAL OF PENTECOST. 
First Vespers as on Apostles' feasts; Second Vespers as on Sundays. 

ON THE FESTIVAL OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 

Psalms, "Dixit Dominus," "Confitebor," "Credidi." 
Psalm CXXVIL 



EATI omnes qui timent 



Dominum, qui ambu- 
lant in viis ejus. that walk in His ways 



BLESSED are all they 
that fear the Lord; 



Vespers for Sundays. 



537 



Labores manum tuarum For thou shalt eat the 
quia manducabis: beatus es, labors of thy hands; blessed 
et bene tibi erit. art thou, and it shall be well 

with thee. 

Uxor tua sicut vitis abun- Thy wife as a fruitful vine 
dans, in lateribus domus tuae. on the sides of thy house. 

Filii tui, sicut novellae oli- Thy children as olive plants 
varum, in circuitu mensae tuae. round about thy table. 

Ecce sic benedicetur homo Behold, thus shall the man 
qui timet Dominum. be blessed, that feareth the 

Lord. 

Benedicat tibi Dominus ex May the Lord bless thee 
Sion, et videas bona Jerusa- out of Sion : and mayest thou 
lem omnibus diebus vitae tuae. see the good things of Jeru- 
salem, all the days of thy life. 
Et videas filios filiorum And mayest thou see thy 
tuorum, pacem super Israel, children's children; peace up- 
on Israel. 

Gloria, etc. Glory be to the Father, etc. 

Fifth Psalm, "Lauda Jerusalem." 

JBenebiction of tbe J&lesseb Sacrament* 

O SALUTARIS HOSTIA. 

OSALUTARIS Hostia, f \ SAVING Victim, open- 
V^J ing wide 
Quae cceli pandis ostium: The gate of heav'n to man 

below ! 

Bella premunt hostilia : Our foes press on from every 

side; 

Da robur fer auxilium: Thine aid supply, Thy 

strength bestow. 



Uni trjnoque Domino, 

Sit sempiterna gloria: 

Qui vitam sine termino, 

Nobis donet in patria. 
Amen. 



To Thy great name be end- 
less praise, 
Immortal Godhead, one in 
three. 

Oh, grant us endless length 
of days 
In our true native land 
with Thee. Amen. 



TANTUM ERGO SACRAMENTUM. 

ANTUM ergo sacramen- *Y"^OWN i* 1 adoration fall- 
turn, JLJ ing, 
Veneremur cernui; Lo! the sacred Host we hail; 



538 



Vespers J or Sundays. 



Et antiquum documentum, 

Novo cedat ritui; 

Prgestet fides supplementum, 

Sensuum defectui. 

Genitori, Genitoque, 
Laus et jubilatio, 

Salus, honor, virtus quoque, 

Sit et benedictio: 
Procedenti ab utroque, 
Compar sit laudatio. Amen. 

V. Panem.de coelo praesti- 
tisti eis. 

R. Omne delectamentum 
in se habentem. 



Lo! o'er ancient forms de- 
parting, 

Newer rites of grace prevail; 

Faith for all defects supply- 
ing, 

Where the feeble senses fail. 

To the everlasting Father, 
And the Son Who reigns on 
high, 

With the Holy Ghost pro- 
ceeding 
Forth from each eternally, 
Be salvation, honor, blessing, 
Might and endless majesty. 
Amen. 

V. Thou hast given them 
bread from heaven. 

R. Replenished with all 
sweetness and delight. 



Prayer. 



^T^jEUS, qui nobis, sub sa- 
g**J cramento mirabili, pas- 
sionis tuae memoriam reliqui- 
sti, tribue quaesumus, ita nos 
corporis et sanguinis tui sa- 
cra mysteria venerari, ut re- 
demptionis tui fructum in no- 
bis jugiter sentiamus. Qui 
vivis et regnas in saecula saecu- 
lorum. Amen. 



OGOD, Who hast left us 
in this wonderful Sac- 
rament a perpetual memorial 
of Thy Passion: grant us, we 
beseech Thee, so to venerate 
the sacred mysteries of Thy 
body and blood that we may 
ever feel within us the fruit 
of Thy redemption : Who liv- 
est and reignest world without 
end. Amen. 



AT THE BLESSING. 

(~\ SACRAMENT most holy! O Sacrament divine! 

All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment 

Thine. 

Bless me, O Lord! in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 



DEVOUT ACTS OF PRAISE. 



B 



LESSED be God. 

Blessed be His holy name. 



Vespers for Sundays. 



539 



<5 



E Deum laudamus: Te 
Dominum confitemur. 



Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man. 
Blessed be the name of Jesus. 
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart. 
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the 
Altar. 

Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. 
Blessed be her holy and immaculate conception. 
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. 
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints. 

Indulgence of 2 years for every public recital after Mass or 
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. — Leo XIII., Feb. 2, 1897. 

I Jiang j/orfT JBflfypv^ifed 3jf .^ij^uia^y 32a$ z 'mlym xsntr j 

TE DEUM LAUDAMUS. 

V V) I 'E praise Thee, O God! 
VJlA* we acknowledge Thee 

to be Our Lord. 
All the earth worships Thee, 

the Father everlasting 
To Thee all the angels cry 
aloud; the heavens, and all 
the heavenly powers: 
To Thee the cherubim and 
seraphim continually do 
cry: 

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 

of Sabaoth. 
Heaven and earth are full of 

the majesty of Thy glory. 
The glorious choir of the 

apostles praise Thee. 
The admirable company of 

the prophets praise Thee. 
The noble army of the mar- 
tyrs praise Thee. 
The holy Church throughout 
the world acknowledges 
Thee. 

The Father of infinite majesty ; 
Thy adorable, true, and only 
Son; 

Also, the Holy Ghost, the 

Comforter. 
Thou, O Christ, art the King 
of glory. 



Te aeternum Patrem, omnis 

terra veneratur. 
Tibi omnes Angeli: tibi coeli, 

et universal potestates: 

Tibi cherubim et seraphim 
incessabili voce proclamant : 

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Do- 
minus Deus Sabaoth. 

Pleni sunt cceli et terra ma- 
jestatis gloriae tuae. 

Te gloriosus apostolorum cho- 
rus: 

Te prophetarum laudabilis 

numerus : 
Te martyrum candidatus lau- 

dat exercitus; 
Te per orbem terrarum sancta 

confitetur Ecclesia. 

Patrem immensae majestatis; 
Venerandum tuum verum et 

unicum Filium. 
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum 

Spirit um. 
Tu Rex gloriae, Christe. 



54o 



Vespers for Sundays. 



Tu Patris sempiternus es 
Filius. 

Tu ad liberandum susceptu- 
rus hominem, non horruisti 
Virginis uterum. 

Tu devicto mortis aculeo, 
aperuisti credentibus regna 
ccelorum. 

Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes in 
gloria Patris. 

Judex crederis esse venturus. 

* Te ergo quaesumus, tuis fa- 
mulis subveni, quos preti- 
oso sanguine redemisti. 

iEterna fac cum Sanctis tuis 
in gloria numerari. 

Salvum fac populum tuum, 

Domine, et benedic here- 

ditati tuae. 
Et rege eos, et extolle illos 

usque in aeternum. 
Per singulos dies, benedici- 

mus Te. 
Et laudamus nomen tuum in 

saeculum, et in saeculum 

saeculi. 

v Dignare, Domine, die isto sine 
peccato nos custodire. 

Miserere nostri Domine, mise- 
rere nostri. 

Fiat misericordia tua, Do- 
mini, super nos: quemad- 
modum speravimus in Te. 

In Te, Domine speravi; non 
confundar in aeternum. 



Thou art the everlasting Son 
of the Father. 

When Thou tookest upon 
Thee to deliver man, Thou 
didst not disdain the Vir- 
gin's womb. 

Having overcome the sting of 
death, Thou didst open the 
kingdom of heaven to all 
believers. 

Thou sittest at the right hand 
of God, in the glory of the 
Father. 

We believe that Thou shalt 
come to be Our Judge. 

We therefore pray Thee to 
help Thy servants, whom 
Thou hast redeemed with 
Thy precious blood. 

Make them to be numbered 
with Thy saints in glory 
everlasting. 

Save Thy people, O Lord, 
and bless Thy inheritance. 

Govern them, and raise them 

up forever. 
Every day we bless Thee. 

And we praise Thy name 
for ever and ever. 

Vouchsafe. O Lord, this day, 

to keep us without sin. 
Have mercy on us, O Lord, 

have mercy on us. 
Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be 

upon us, as we have hoped 

in Thee; 
In Thee, O Lord, I have 

hoped; let me never be 

confounded. 



On occasions of solemn thanksgiving the following prayers are 
added: 



* During this petition it is usual to kneel. 



Vespers for Su?idays. 



54i 



V. -TJENEDICTUS es, 
Jli Domine, Deus, 
Patrum nostrorum. 

R. Et laudabilis, et glori- 
osus in saecula. 

V. Benedicamus Patrem et 
Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu. 

R. Laudemus et superexal- 
temus cum in saecula. 

V. Benedictus es, Domine 
Deus, in firmament o cceli. 

R. Et laudabilis et glorio- 
sus, et superexaltatus in sae- 
cula. 

V. Benedic, anima mea, 
Dominum. 

R. Et noli oblivisci omnes 
retributiones ejus. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

Oremus. 

*T^VEUS, cujus misericordiae 
\J non est numerus, et 
bonitatis infinitus est the- 
saurus: piissimae majestati 
tuae pro collatis donis gratias 
agimus, tuam semper cle- 
mentiam exorantes: ut qui 
petentibus postulata concedis, 
eosdem non deserens, ad prae- 
mia futura disponas. 



REFLECTIONS 0> 



V. V TD LESSED art 
4^5 Thou, O Lord, 
the God of our fathers. 

R. And worthy to be 
praised, and glorious forever. 

V. Let us bless the Father 
and the Son, with the Holy 
Ghost. 

R. Let us praise and mag- 
nify Him for ever. 

V. Blessed art Thou, O 
Lord, in the firmament of 
heaven. 

R. And worthy to be 
praised, glorified, and ex- 
alted for ever. 

V. Bless the Lord, O my 
soul. 

R. And forget not all His 
benefits. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Whose mercies 
are without number, 
and the treasure of Whose 
goodness is infinite; we ren- 
der thanks to Thy most 
gracious Majesty for the gifts 
Thou hast bestowed upon us, 
evermore beseeching Thy 
clemency: that as Thou 
grantest the petitions of those 
who ask Thee, Thou wilt 
never forsake them, but wilt 
prepare them for the rewards 
to come. 

r BENEDICTION. 



*T$\ ELIGIOUS, in particular, ought to be grateful 
r*-^3 for the many opportunities they have of assisting 



542 



Vespers for Sundays, 



at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and they 
ought to show this gratitude by the fervor of their devo- 
tion, and by ever seeking to make this expression of 
their love of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and this tribute 
of their praise and adoration as splendid as the circum- 
stances will permit. Jesus must be pleased with this 
devotion. As though it were too long for His burning 
love to remain hidden all day in the tabernacle, He 
permits His priests to take Him out at evening and 
place Him aloft on His altar-throne, that He may look 
down upon us, love us with His Sacred Heart, and, 
loving us infinitely, bless us. O, how T good is our 
gentle Jesus 1 How many tender inventions of love 
has He devised to show His love to us ana win our 
love in return! When thus, in Benediction, He is 
raised on high before us amid starry lights and fragrant 
flowers and sweet-smelling incense, let us lift up our 
hearts to Him and ask Him very ardently to make us 
love Him. Let us tell Him all our wants, thank Him 
for all His love, ask Him that one day we may see His 
divine face in heaven, w r hich is now T veiled under the 
appearance of the little round white Host. Long ago, 
when on earth, having first embraced them, He blessed 
the little children who pressed around Him; so, too, 
He loves us, if w T e are innocent of heart, and will bless 
us at Benediction. 

Ask the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and your guardian 
angel to aid you in assisting worthily at Benediction. 

PRAYERS AT BENEDICTION. 
I. 

O JESUS, Who art about to give Thy Benediction 
to me, and to all who are here present, I humbly 
beseech Thee that it may impart to each and all of us 
the special graces we need. Yet more than this I ask. 
Let Thy blessing go forth far and wide. Let it be felt 



Vespers for Sundays. 



543 



in the souls of the afflicted who can not come here to 
receive it at Thy feet. Let the weak and tempted 
feel its power wherever they may be. Let poor sinners 
feel its influence, arousing them to come to Thee. Grant 
to me, O Lord, and to all here present, a strong, per- 
sonal love of Thee, a lively horror of sin, a higher esteem 
of grace, great zeal for Thy honor and glory, for the 
interest of Thy Sacred Heart, for the salvation of souls, 
for our sanctification and that of all those confided 
to our care, and grant that in our intercourse with others 
we may lead many souls to Thee. Amen. 

II. 

r\ DIVINE Redeemer of our souls, Who of Thy 
great goodness hast been pleased to leave us 
Thy precious body and blood in the Most Holy Sac- 
rament of the Altar, we adore Thee with the most pro- 
found respect, and return Thee our most humble thanks 
for all the favors Thou hast bestowed upon us, espe- 
cially for the institution of this Most Holy Sacrament. 
As Thou art the source of every blessing, we entreat 
Thee to pour down Thy benediction this day upon us, 
and upon all those for whom we offer our prayers. 
And that nothing may interrupt the course of Thy 
blessing, take from our hearts whatever is displeasing 
to Thee. Pardon our sins, O my God, which, for the 
love of Thee, we sincerely detest; purify our hearts, 
sanctify our souls, and bestow a blessing on us like 
that which Thou didst grant to Thy disciples at Thy 
Ascension into heaven; grant us a blessing that may 
change us, consecrate us, and unite us perfectly to 
Thee, and fill us with Thy spirit, and be to us in this 
life a foretaste of those blessings which Thou hast pre- 
pared for Thy elect in Thy heavenly kingdom. Amen.* 



* For Compline, see p. 157, after Evening Prayers. 



BOOK III. 



Xttanies, IRcwenas, IfntmlGencefc praters, 
©fftces, an& praters for particular ©o 
easterns* 

£be TUDieck Sanctified* 

COMMENDABLE practice of piety consists in con- 
secrating each day of the week to some particular 
devotion. 

Besides honoring the mystery or the saint of each day, 
and reciting the prayers assigned for it, you should take 
as the object of your endeavors and prayers the correction 
of the principal fault of which you accused yourself in your 
last confession. 

Select some prayers and ejaculations, from the following 
part of this book, appropriate to the devotions assigned 
to each particular day, and say them in connection with 
your daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament.* 



* In the following part we have endeavored, for the sake of 
method, to group and classify in seven sections, under the head- 
ings given for the sanctification of the week, namely, Sunday, 
the Holy Trinity: one God; Monday, the Holy Ghost and the 
Holy Souls; Tuesday, the Holy Angels; Wednesday, St. Joseph; 
Thursday, the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacred Heart; Friday, 
the Sacred Heart and the Passion of Our Lord and Saviour, 
and Saturday, the Blessed Virgin, — all the prayers and devotions 
appropriate to the various seasons of the whole year. The 
Novenas, however, will be found in a separate group. In regard 
to the devotions of the Sacred Heart and the Blessed Sacrament, 
given under Thursday, the Holy Hour and the Hour of Adora- 
tion, i.e., the former in honor of the Suffering Heart of Jesus (to 
render Christ homage in the extreme anguish He suffered on the 
night of His Passion), and the latter in honor of the Blessed 
Sacrament, are kept by Communities mostly on Thursday after- 
noon or evening, and prayers to the Sacred Heart as well as to 




547 



548 Sunday: The Holy Trinity. 



I. 

Qhe 1E>ol£ Urtnitp: ©ne Oofc. 

THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 
Make the sign of the cross, 4* saying: 




'N the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
> the Holy Ghost. Amen. 



This sacred sign may be regarded as a compendium of all 
the mysteries of our faith, as a homage rendered to the three 
Persons of the adorable Trinity, as an act of gratitude for all 
that the Godhead, — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, — 
has condescended to do in favor of man. 

Indulgence of 100 days. — Pius IX., March 23, 1876 

PRAYERS TO THE MOST HOLY TRINITY TO BE SAID AT 
THE END AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. 

Pope Pius IX., by a brief, December 5, 1876, granted to all the 
faithful, who, with at least contrite heart, during the last half 
hour of the year and the first half hour of the following year, 
shall pray to the Most Holy Trinity in thanksgiving for benefits 
received; beseeching the same Holy Trinity for peace among 
Christian nations, for concord among Christian princes, for the 
conversion of sinners, and for the triumph of holy Mother 
Church and its visible head, the Roman Pontiff, an indulgence of 
7 years. 

THE CANTICLE OF THE SERAPHIM. 

OLY, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts! the earth 
is full of Thy glory. Glory be to the Father, 
glory be to the Son, glory be to the Holy Ghost. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day; three times every Sunday 
and during the Octave of the festival of the Most Holy Trinity. — 
Clement XIV., 1769 and 1770. 

the Blessed Sacrament are then used by the pious adorers before 
the Sacred Host exposed upon the altar. That is why bom are 
included under Thursday. Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament 
generally unite prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus with devo- 
tions in honor of the sublime Mystery of the altar. Friday is 
given to the Sacred Heart as well as to the Passion, but the 
prayers for Sacred Heart devotions will be found, as we have 
said, under Thursday. 




Sunday : The Holy Trinity, 549 



PRAYER FOR SUNDAY TO THE BLESSED TRINITY. 

Q BLESSED Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
the Source and Fountain of all good, I most 
firmly believe in You, I most humbly adore You, and 
thank You with a grateful heart for all the blessings 
and benefits I have received from Your infinite good- 
ness. I most fervently consecrate and offer to You 
an unreserved sacrifice of my whole being. O my God, 
Who hast a right to every day, hour, and moment of 
my existence, accept the thoughts, words, and actions 
of this day, which I offer Thee in testimony of my 
sincere desire to satisfy my obligation of keeping it 
holy and as the first-fruits of the week; mercifully 
assist me to spend it in such a manner as may draw 
down Thy blessing. Increase in my soul the heavenly 
virtues of faith, hope, and charity, which I received 
at baptism, and teach me to make faith the rule of my 
conduct, that thereby it may avail me to life everlasting. 
Eternal Father, take possession of my memory; efface 
from it all images of vanity, and engrave therein the 
recollection of Thy adorable presence. Eternal Son, 
enlighten my understanding, and conduct me in the 
path of salvation by the fight of faith. Holy Spirit, 
sanctify my will by the most ardent love ; render it sub- 
missive under the contradictions of this life, and never 
permit that by attachment to my own ideas or judg- 
ment, I should forfeit the blessings of peace offered 
to men of good-will and obedient minds. Holy, ador- 
able, undivided Trinity, by Whose power, mercy, and 
providence I was created, redeemed, regenerated, and 
preserved to this moment, receive the oblation of my 
whole being, and take me out of the world rather than 
permit me to efface Your sacred image in my soul by 
mortal sin. I adore You, O Holy Trinity, I worship 
You, I most humbly give You thanks for having revealed 
to man this glorious, this incomprehensible mystery, 



55° Sunday: The Holy Trinity. 



and for granting to those who persevere until death 
in the faithful profession of it, the reward of beholding 
and enjoying in heaven, what we now believe and 
adore upon earth, one God in three Persons, the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Aspiration. 

^>fLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to 
^* the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is 
now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

XttanE of tbe %ovc of 0o&.* 

(Composed by His Holiness Pope Pius VI.) 

*~1 'ORD, have mercy on us. 
« * * Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. tt; 
God, the Father of heaven, 
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
God, the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity? one God, 
Thou Who art Infinite Love, 
Thou Who didst first love me, 
Thou Who commandest me to love Thee, 
With all my heart, 
With all my soul, 
With all my mind, 
With all my strength, 
Above all possessions and honors, 
Above all pleasures and enjoyments, 
More than myself, and everything belonging to me, 
More than all my relatives and friends, 
More than all men and angels, 
Above all created things in heaven or on earth, 
Only for Thyself, 

Because Thou art the sovereign Good, 
Because Thou art infinitely worthy of being loved, 

* For private devotion only. 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



S5i 



Because Thou art infinitely perfect, 
Even hadst Thou not promised me heaven, 
Even hadst Thou not menaced me with hell, 
Even shouldst Thou try me by want and misfortune 
In wealth and in poverty, 
In prosperity and in adversity, 
In health and in sickness, 
In life and in death, 
In time and in eternity, 

In union with that love wherewith all the saints and all 

the angels love Thee in heaven, 
In union with that love wherewith the Blessed Virgin 

Mary loveth Thee, 
In union with that infinite love wherewith Thou lovest 

Thyself eternally, 

Prayer. 

Y God, Who dost possess in incomprehensible 
abundance all that is perfect and worthy of 
love! Annihilate in me all guilty, sensual, and undue 
love for creatures, kindle in my heart the pure fire of 
Thy love, so that I may love nothing but Thee or in 
Thee, until, being entirely consumed by holy love of 
Thee, I may go to love Thee eternally with the elect 
in heaven, the country of pure love. Amen. 

II. 

XTbe 1bols <5bost 

HYMN AND SEQUENCE OF THE HOI/V GHOST. 

Hymn 

VENI Creator Spiritus, OME, Holy Ghost, Cre- 

V^, ator, come, 
Mentes tuorum visita, From Thy bright, heavenly 

throne ; 

Imple superna gratia Come, take possession of our 

souls, 

Quae tu creasti pectora. And make them all Thine 

own. 




552 Monday: 

Qui diceris Paraclitus, 

Altissimi donum Dei, 
Fons vivus, ignis, charitas, 

Et spiritalis unctio. 

Tu septiformis munere, 

Digitus paternae dexterae, 
Tu rite promissum Patris, 

Sermone ditans guttura. 

Accende lumen sensibus, 

Infunde amorem cordibus, 

Infirma nostri corporis 

Virtute firmans perpeti. 

Hostem repellas longius, 

Pacemque dones protinus: 
Duct ore sic Te praevio, 

Vitemus omne noxium 

Per Te sciamus da Patrem 

Noscamus atque Filium, 

Teque utriusque Spiritum 

Credamus omni tempore. 

Deo Patri sit gloria, 
Et Filio, qui a mortuis 
Surrexit, ac Paraclito, 

In saeculorum saecula. 
Amen. 



3 Holy Ghost. 

Thou Who art called the 
Paraclete, 
Best gift of God above; 
The living spring, the living 
fire, 

Sweet unction and true 
love. 

Thou Who art sevenfold in 
Thy grace, 
Finger of God's right hand; 
His promise, teaching little 

ones 

To speak and understand. 

Oh! guide our minds with 
Thy blest light. 
With love our hearts in- 
flame ; 

And with Thy strength, which 
ne'er decays, 
Confirm our mortal frame. 

Far from us drive our hellish 
foe, 

True peace unto us bring; 
And through all perils lead 
us safe 
Beneath Thy sacred wing. 

Through Thee may we the 
Father know, 
Through Thee, th' eternal 
Son, 

And Thee, the Spirit of them 
both,— 
Thrice-blessed Three in one. 

All glory to the Father be, 

And to His risen Son, 
The like to Thee, great Para- 
clete, 

While endless ages run. 
Amen. 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



553 



Sequence. 



^r'ENI Sancte Spiritus, 
Kt emitte coelitus 
Lucis tuae radium. 

Veni pater pauperum, 
Veni dator munerum, 
Veni lumen cordium. 



Consolator optime, 
Dulcis hospes animae, 
Dulce refrigerium. 



In labore requies, 

In aestu temperies, 
In fletu solatium. 

O lux beatissima, 
Reple cordis intima 

Tuorum fidelium. 

Sine tuo numine 
Nihil est in homine, 
Nihil est innoxium. 

Lava quod est sordidum, 

Riga quod est aridum, 
Sana quod est saucium. 



Flecte quod est rigidum, 

Fove quod est frigidum, 
Rege quod est devium. 



"T^OLY Spirit! Lord of 
r*-6 light! 

From Thy clear celestial 
height, 

Thy pure, beaming radiance 
give: 

Come, Thou Father of the 
poor! 

Come, with treasures which 
endure ! 
Come, Thou light of all 
that live! 

Thou, of all consolers best, 
Visiting the troubled breast, 
Dost refreshing peace be- 
stow : 

Thou in toil art comfort 
sweet ; 

Pleasant coolness in the heat ; 
Solace in the midst of woe. 

Light immortal ! light divine ! 
Visit Thou these hearts of 
Thine, 

And our inmost being fill: 

If Thou take Thy grace away, 
Nothing pure in man will stay ; 
All his good is turn'd to ill. 

Heal our wounds — our 

strength renew; 
On our dryness pour Thy dew ; 
Wash the stains of guilt 

away: 

Bend the stubborn heart and 
will; 

Melt the frozen, warm the chill ; 
Guide the steps that go 
astray. 



554 



Monday: The Holy Ghost 



Da tuis fidelibus 
In Te confitentibus 
Sacrum septenarium. 



Thou, on those who evermore 
Thee confess and Thee adore, 
In Thy sevenfold gifts de- 
scend : 



Da virtutis meritum, Give them comfort when they 

die; 

Da salutis exitum, Give them life with Thee on 

high; 

Da perenne gaudium. Give them joys which never 
Amen. end. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days each time for reciting either the hymn 
or the sequence. — Pius VI., May 26, 1796. 



Versicle, Response, and Prayer to the Holy Ghost. 
V. £^MITTE Spiritum V. <^END forth 1 



tuum et crea- Spirit, and they 

buntur. shall be created. 

R. Et renovabis f aciem ter- R. And Thou shalt renew 

rae. the face of the earth. 



Oremus. 

*T"\EUS, qui corda fidelium 
JLJ Sancti Spiritus illu- 
stratione docuisti, da nobis 
in eodem Spiritu recta sa- 
pere, et de ejus semper conso- 
latione gaudere. Per Chris- 
tum, etc. 

R. Amen. 



Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who hast taught 
the hearts of the faith- 
ful by the light of the Holy 
Spirit ; grant that, by the gift 
of the same Spirit, we may be 
always truly wise, and ever 
rejoice in His consolation. 
Through Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 



CHAPLET OF THE HOLY GHOST. 

IGN of the Cross. Short Act of Contrition. Solemn 
invocation (the hymn) "Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, 
come," V., R., and Prayer "O God, Who hast taught the 
hearts of the faithful." 

1. By the Holy Ghost is Jesus conceived of Mary. (Luke i. 

351) 

Our Father, once; Hail Mary, once; Glory be, seven 
times 




Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



555 



Practice: Conformity to Jesus by the aid of the divine 
Spirit through Mary's intercession. 

2. The Spirit of the Lord rests upon Jesus. (Matt. iii. 16.) 

Our Father, once; Hail Mary, once; Glory be, seven times. 

Practice: Esteem the gifts of the Holy Ghost and culti- 
vate them assiduously; live as becomes a child of God, and 
practice the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. 

3. By the Spirit is Jesus led into the desert. (Luke iv. 1, 2.) 
Our Father, once; Hail Mary, once; Glory be, seven 

times. 

Practice: Distrust self, and in all your ways yield yourself 
to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

4. The abiding presence of the Holy Ghost in the Church. 
(Acts ii.) 

Our Father, once; Hail Mary, once; Glory be, seven times. 
Practice: Devotion to the Holy See, the mouthpiece of the 
Holy Ghost. 

5. The Holy Ghost within the soul of the just man. (1 Cor. 
vi. 19.) 

Our Father, once; Hail Mary, once; Glory be, seven 
times. 

Practice: Interior recollection, purity of heart and constant 
devotion to fhe Holy Ghost. Be ever mindful of the personal 
presence of the Holy Ghost within you. Cultivate purity 
of soul and body, for you are the temple of the Holy Ghost. 
Correspond faithfully with the inspirations of the Holy 
Spirit, so that His twelve fruits may spring forth and nourish in 
your soul, namely: " Charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, 
goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, 
chastity" (Gal. v. 22). 

Our Father, Hail Mary, the Creed for the intention of the 
Pope. 

Leo XIII., in a brief of approval, dated March 24, 1902, speaks 
of the "Chaplet of the Holy Ghost" as a " salutary exercise," and 
hopes that by it " devotion toward the Paraclete may be more 
widely diffused." The indulgence granted for its public as well 
as private recital are seven years and seven quarantines for each 
recitation. 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



THE PRACTICE OF THE SEVEN GLORIA PATRIS IN HONOR OF 
THE HOLY SPIRIT. 

Indulgence of 7 days. — Pius IX., March 12, 1857. 

INDULGENCES GRANTED FOR THIS NOVENA TO THE HOLY 
GHOST. 

Pope Leo XIII., May 9, 1897, decreed that a novena to the 
Holy Ghost should be made every year in preparation for the 
Feast of Pentecost, and granted an indulgence of seven years 
and seven quarantines for each day of the novena, and plenary 
indulgence any one day of the novena on the usual conditions. 
The same indulgences may be gained any day of the week between 
Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. 

IRovena to tbe 1boig ©boat in preparation for tbe 
jfeast of ipentecoat* 

(Commencing on Ascension Day.) 

HE novena of the Holy Spirit is the chief of all the 
novenas, because it was the first that was ever cele- 
brated, and that by the holy apostles and the most holy 
Mary in the supper-room, being distinguished by so many 
remarkable wonders and gifts; principally by the gift of 
the same Holy Spirit, a gift merited for us by the Passion 
of Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus Himself made this known 
to us when He said to His disciples that if He did not die 
He could not send us the Holy Ghost: " If I go not, the Para- 
clete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to 
you" (John xvi. 7). We know well by faith that the Holy 
Ghost is the love that the Father and the Eternal Word bear 
one to the other; and therefore the gift of love, which the 
Lord infuses into our souls, and which is the greatest of all 
gifts, is particularly attributed to the Holy Ghost. As St. 
Paul says, "The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts 
by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us" (Rom. v. 5). In 
this novena, therefore, we must consider, above all, the 
great value of divine love, in order that we may desire to 
obtain it, and endeavor, by devout exercises, and especially 
by prayer, to be made partakers of it, since God has promised 




Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



557 



it to him who asks for it with humility: "Your Father from 
heaven will give the good Spirit to them that ask Him" (Luke 
xi. 13).* 

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR* THE CHURCH. 

C\ HOLY Spirit, Creator, propitiously help the 
Catholic Church, and by Thy supernal power 
strengthen and confirm it against the assaults of the 
enemy; by Thy charity and grace renew the spirit of 
Thy servants whom Thou hast anointed, that in Thee 
they may glorify the Father and His only-begotten Son, 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., Aug. 26, 1889. 

SHORT INDULGENCED PRAYER TO THE HOLY GHOST. 

OLY Spirit, Spirit of truth, come into our hearts ; 
give to all peoples the brightness of Thy light, 
that they may be well-pleasing to Thee in unity of faith. 
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., July 31, 1897. 




VARIOUS PRAYERS SUITABLE FOR A NOVENA TO THE 
HOLY GHOST. 

Prayer for the Feast of Pentecost. 

HOLY Spirit, O my God, I adore Thee, and 
acknowledge, here in Thy divine presence, that 
I am nothing and can do nothing without Thee. Come, 
great Paraclete, Thou Father of the poor, Thou Com- 
forter the best, fulfil the promise of our blessed Saviour, 
Who would not leave us orphans, and come into the 
mind and the heart of Thy poor, unworthy creature, 
as Thou didst descend on the sacred day of Pentecost 
on the holy Mother of Jesus and on His first disciples. 
Grant that I may participate in those gifts which Thou 



* During this novena no particular form of prayer is of obli- 
gation. Any prayer to the Holy Ghost will suffice. 



558 Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



didst communicate to them so wonderfully, and with 
so much mercy and generosity. Take from my heart 
whatever is not pleasing to Thee, and make of it a 
worthy dwelling-place for Thyself. Illumine my mind, 
that I may see and understand the things that are for 
my eternal good. Inflame my heart with pure love of 
Thee, that it may be cleansed from the dross of all 
inordinate attachments, and that my whole life may 
be hidden with Jesus in God. Strengthen my will, that 
it may be made conformable to Thy divine w T ill, and 
be guided by Thy holy inspirations. Aid me by Thy 
grace to practice the divine lessons of humility, pov- 
erty, obedience, and contempt of the world, which Jesus 
taught us in His mortal life. 

Oh, rend the heavens, and come down, consoling 
Spirit! that inspired and encouraged by Thee, I may 
faithfully comply with the duties of my holy state, 
carry my daily cross most patiently, and endeavor to 
accomplish the divine will with the utmost perfection. 
Spirit of love ! Spirit of purity ! Spirit of peace ! sanctify 
my soul more and more, and give me that heavenly 
peace which the world can not give. Bless our Holy 
Father, the Pope, bless the Church, bless our bishops, 
our priests, all Religious Orders, and all the faithful, 
that they may be filled with the spirit of Christ, and 
labor earnestly for the spread of His kingdom. 

O Holy Spirit, Thou Giver of every good and perfect 
gift, grant me, I beseech Thee, the intentions of this 
no vena. May Thy will be done in me and through 
me. Mayest Thou be praised and glorified for ever- 
more! Amen. 

ACT OF OBLATION TO THE HOLY GHOST. 

£\ GOD the Holy Ghost, infinite love of the Father 
and of the Son, through the hands of Mary, Thy 
immaculate spouse, I offer myself this day, and all the 
days of my life, upon Thy chosen altar, the Divine Heart 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 559 



of Jesus, as a holocaust to Thee, O Thou consuming 
fire, being firmly resolved, now more than ever, to hear 
Thy voice, and to do, in all . things, Thy most holy and 
adorable will. 

I am resolved to foster a special devotion to Thee, to 
love Thee more perfectly, to adore Thee more fervently, 
and to make Thee everywhere more known and loved. 

OFFERING TO THE HOLY GHOST. 

my knees, before the multitude of heavenly 
witnesses, I offer myself, soul and body, to Thee, 
Eternal Spirit of God! I adore Thee, great God, and 
acknowledge Thy dominion over me. 

Thou art the light and the strength of my soul. In 
Thee I live and move and have my being. I desire 
never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace, and 
I pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest 
sin against Thee. Make me faithful in every thought, 
and grant that I may always listen to Thy voice, watch 
for Thy light, and follow Thy gracious inspirations. 
I cling to Thee, and give myself to Thee, and ask Thee, 
by Thy compassion, to watch over me in my weakness. 
Holding the pierced feet of Jesus, and looking at His 
five wounds, and trusting to His precious blood, and 
adoring His open side and stricken Heart, I implore 
Thee, adorable Spirit, Helper of my infirmity, so to 
keep me in Thy grace that I may never sin against 
Thee with the sin which Thou canst not forgive. Give 
me grace, O Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and the 
Son, to say to Thee, always and everywhere, " Speak, 
Lord, for Thy servant heareth." 

Prayer. 

|^(RANT, we beseech Thee, almighty and merciful 
God, that Thy Holy Spirit may come to us, and 
make us to be a temple worthy of the habitation of His 



5 6 ° 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



glory, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son; Who 
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the 
same Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen. 



Xtttle ©ffice of tbe 1bol£ ©boet. 



AT MATINS. 



fPIRITUS Sancti gratia 
illuminet sensus et cor- 
da nostra. 
R. Amen. 

V. Domine labia mea ape- 
ries. 

R. Et os meum annuntia- 
bit laudem tuam. 

V. Deus in adjutorium me- 
um intende. 

R. Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

V. Gloria Patri. Alleluia. 



/T\AY the grace of the Holy 
r *" » Spirit enlighten our 
minds and our hearts. 
R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, open Thou our 
lips. 

R. And our mouths shall 
show forth Thy praise. 

V. O God, come to my 
assistance. 

R. O Lord, make haste to 
help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father. 
Alleluia. 

From Septuagesima to Easter, instead of Alleluia, Laus tibi 
Domine, Rex aeternae gloriae; Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King 
of everlasting glory, etc., is said: 

Hymn. 

&OBIS Sancti Spiritus 
gratia fit data 
De qua Virgo virginum fuit 

obumbrata, 
Cum per sanctum angelum 

fuit salutata. 
Verbum caro factum est, 
Virgo fecundata. 
Ant. Veni Sancte Spiritus 
reple tuorum corda fidelium. 
et tui amoris in eis ignem 
accende. 

V. Emitte, Spiritum tuum, 
et creabuntur. 

R. Et renovabis faciem 
terrae. 

Oremus. 



% J I'DSIT nobis, quaesumus, 
cJPL Domine, virtus Spiri- 



^AY the Spirit of glory 
His grace on us pour, 
Whose presence o'ershadowed 

The Virgin of yore: 
When she the archangel's 

Glad embassy heard, 
And conceived in the flesh 
The ineffable Word. 
Ant. Come, O Holy Spirit, 
fill the hearts of Thy faithful, 
and kindle in them the fire of 
Thy love. 

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, 
and they shall be created. 

R. And Thou shalt renew 
the face of the earth. 

Let us pray. 
V/II'E beseech Thee, O 
XJLA* Lord, that the 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



5 6r 



tus Sancti, quae et corda 
nostra clement er expurget et 
ab omnibus tueatur adversis. 
Per Dominum, etc. 



power of Thy Holy Spirit 
may be with us of His mercy, 
to cleanse our hearts, and 
defend us from all adversi- 
ties. Through Our Lord, etc. 



AT PRIME. 



TIRITUS Sancti gratia - 
illuminet sensus et cor- 
da nostra. Amen. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium me- 
um intende. 

R. Gloria Patri. Alleluia. 



L AY the grace of the Holy 
Spirit enlighten our 
minds and our hearts. Amen. 

V. O God, hasten to my 
aid. 

R. Glory be to the Father. 
Alleluia. 



Hymn. 



DE Maria Virgine Christus 
fuit natus; 
Crucifixus, mortuus atque 

tumulatus, 
Resurgens Discipulis fuit de- 

monstratus. 
Et ipsis cernentibus in ccelos 
elevatus. 

Ant. Veni, Sancte Spiritus, 
etc. V. et R. cum Oratione 
ut supra. 



"Y^URE offspring of Mary's 
w 1 „ Immaculate womb; 
Lifted high on the cross — 

Submerged in the tomb; 
Lo! Christ from His bondage 

Doth quickly arise, 
And in sight of His brethren 

Ascend to the skies! 

Ant. Come, O Holy Spirit, 
etc. V. and R. with the 
Prayer as above. 



AT TIERCE. 



B 1 



PIRITUS Sancti gratia 
illuminet sensus et 
corda nostra. Amen. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Gloria Patri. Alleluia. 



QAY the grace of the Holy 
Spirit enlighten our 
minds and our hearts. Amen. 

V. O God, hasten to my 
aid. 

R. Glory be to the Father. 
Alleluia. 



Hymn. 



SUUM Sanctum Spiritum 
Deus delegavit, 
In die Pentecostes Apostolos 

confortavit, 
Et de linguis igneis ipsos in- 

flammavit, 
Relinquere orphanos eos de- 
negavit. 



*-pi IS brethren He wills. 

A s orphans to leave, 
And on Pentecost morn 

His Spirit doth give. 
Descending in power 

Their hearts to inspire, 
In semblance of tongues 

Of miraculous fire. 



5 62 Monday: The Holy Ghost, 



Ant. Veni, Sancte Spiritus, 
etc. V. et R. cum Oratione, 
ut supra. 



Ant. Come, O Holy Spirit, 
etc. V. and R. with the 
Prayer as above. 



AT SEXT. 



fPIRITUS Sancti gratia 
illuminet sensus et 
corda nostra. Amen. 



V. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende, etc. 

R. Gloria Patri. Alleluia. 



t AY the grace of the 
Holy Spirit enlighten 
bur minds and our hearts. 
Amen 

V. O God, hasten to my 
aid, etc. 

R. Glory be to the Father. 
Alleluia. 



6 



Hymn. 



EPTIFORMEM gratiam 
tunc acceptaverunt, 



Quare idiomata cuncta cog- 

noverunt, 
Ad diversa climata mundi re- 

cesserunt, 
Et Fidem Catholicam tunc 

prsedicaverunt. 

Ant. Veni, Sancte Spiritus, 
etc. V. et R. cum Oratione, 
ut supra. 



STRAIGHT, wholly re- 
^7 plenished 

From Wisdom's high throne, 
Earth's languages all, 

Are to them as their own; 
And nothing accounting 

Of danger, or death, 
They spread through the na- 
tions 

The Catholic faith. 

Ant. Come, O Holy Spirit, 
etc. V. and R. with the 
Prayer as above. 



AT NONE. 

fPIRITUS Sancti gratia |T\AY the grace of the Holy 
^5 illuminet sensus et cor- Spirit enlighten our 

da nostra. Amen. minds and our hearts. Amen. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium V. O God, hasten to my 
meum intende. aid. 

R. Gloria Patri. Alleluia. R. Glory be to the Father. 

Alleluia. 

Hymn. 



6PIRITUS Paraclitus fuit 
appellatus, 
Donum Dei, charitas, fons, 

vivificatus, 
Spiritualis unctio, ignis in- 
flammatus, 



O SPIRIT of charity, 
Virtue, and might! 
Anointed by Whom 

They fought the good fight. 
Our sevenfold Treasure! 
And Lifespring divine! 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 563 



Septiformis gratia, charisma 
vocatus. 

Ant. Veni, Sancte Spirit us, 
etc. V. et R. cum Oratione, 
ut supra. 



Dread finger of God! 

All glory be Thine. 

Ant. Come, O Holy Spirit, 
etc. V. and R. with the 
Prayer as above. 



AT VESPERS. 



[PIRITUS Sancti gratia 
illuminet sensus et cor- 
da nostra. Amen. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium me- 
um intende. 

R. Gloria Patri. Alleluia. 



(T\ AY the grace of theHoly 
JJLJ Spirit enlighten our 
minds and our hearts. Amen. 

V. O God, hasten to my 
aid. 

R. Glory be to the Father. 
Alleluia. 



Hymn. 



*|^EXTER^ Dei Digitus, 

fjLJ Virtus spiritalis, 

Nos defendat, eruat ab omni- 
bus malis, 

Ut nobis non noceat daemon 
inf ernalis : 

Protegat et nutriat, fove- 
atque, sub alis. 
Ant. Veni, Sancte Spiritus, 

etc. V. et R. cum Oratione, 

ut supra. 



BO lovingly named 
By the lips of the Lord, 
Our Comforter, Guide, 

And Consoler adored, 
From Satan, from sin, 

And from all evil things, 
Deliver us under 
Thy fostering wings. 
Ant. Come, O Holy Spirit, 
etc. V. and R. with the 
Prayer, as above. 



at compline. 



BPIRITUS Sancti gratia 
illuminet sensus et cor- 
da nostra. Amen. 

V. Converte nos, Deus sa- 
lutaris noster. 

R. Et averte iram tuam a 
nobis. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Gloria Patri. Alleluia. 



|^T\AY the grace of the 
Holy Spirit enlighten 
our minds and our hearts. 
Amen. 

V. Turn us, O God our 
Saviour. 

R. And take away Thine 
anger that is towards us. 

V. O God, hasten to my 
aid. 

R. Glory be to the Father. 
Alleluia. 







Hymn 

PIRITUS Paraclitus nos 
velit juvare, 



<D AY Th ^ 

lighten 



splendor en- 
Our minds with its ray; 



564 Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



Gressus nostros regere et illu- 
minare, 

Ut cum Deus venerit omnes 

judicare, 
Nos velit ad dexteram omnes 

appellare. 

Ant. Veni, Sancte Spiritus, 
etc. V. et R. cum Oratione, 
ut supra. 



Thy guidance direct us 

Along the true way; 
So when at the solemn 

Tribunal we stand, 
The Saviour may set us 

Upon His right hand. 

Ant. Come, O Holy Spirit, 
etc. V. and R. with the 
Praver as above. 



COMMENDATION. 



AS horas canonicas cum 
devotione, 
Tibi, Sancte Spiritus, pia ra- 
tione 

Dixi, ut nos visites inspira- 
tion, 

Et vivamus jugiter in cceli 
regione. Amen. 



*^^HIS holy devotion, 
Vz) My Paraclete dear 
I render to Thee 

From a bosom sincere; 
And in hope by Thy grace, 

When I slumber to rest, 
To merit a place 

In the land of the blest! 



©ferns Bspirattons for ©btatnin^ tbe Seven <3tfts of 
tbe -fools ©boat. 

*^^ENI Sancte Spiritus 
Et emitte coelitus, 
Dona tuae gratiae, etc. 



VENI, O Spiritus Sapien- 
tice! Instrue cor meum, 
ut sciam aestimare et amare, 
bona coelestia eaque terre- 
nis omnibus anteponere. 
Monstra insuper viam, qua 
ilia consequi, aeternumque 
possidere valeam. 



Pater noster, etc. 

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, etc. 

VENI, O Spiritus Intel- 
lectus ! Illumina men- 
tern, ut omnia salutis my- 
steria, percipiam et amplectar, 
careque tandem in lumine 
Tuo lumen aeternum videre, 



aOME, Holy Ghost, send 
down those beams 
Which sweetly flow in silent 

streams, 
From Thy bright throne 
above, etc. 

aOME, O Spirit of Wis- 
dom / Dispose my 
heart, so that I may know 
how to value and love the 
good things of heaven, and 
prefer them before all earthly 
delights. Show me, more- 
over, the way whereby I 
may obtain and possess them 
for ever. 

Our Father, etc. 
Come, Holy Ghost, etc. 

fOME, O Spirit of Under- 
standing ! Enlighten 
my mind, that I may appre- 
hend and embrace all the 
mysteries of salvation, and 
at length may deserve to be- 



a 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



565 



plenamque Tui, Patrisque ac 
Filii cognitionem obtinere 
merear. 

Pater noster, etc. 

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, etc. 

VENI, O Spiritus Consilii! 
Assiste mini in omni- 
bus instabilis hujus vitae ne- 
gotiis, mentem in bonum 
inclina, et a mala absterre, 
meque per rectum mandato- 
rum tuorum tramitem ad 
optatam salutis aeternse me- 
tam dirige. 

Pater noster, etc. 

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, etc. 




ENI, O Spiritus Fortitu- 
dinis! Da robur cordi 



meo illudque in omni pertur- 
batione, et adversis casibus 
confirma, virtutemque contra 
noxios inimicorum meorum 
conatus largire, ne umquam 
victus, a Te Deo summo 
bono meo separer. 

Pater noster, etc. 

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, etc. 

VENI,0 Spiritus Sciential 
Fac, ut caduca hujus 
mundi bona eorumque vanita- 
tem perspiciam, et contem- 
nam, neque aliter iis utar, 
quam ad Tuam unius glori- 
am, meamque salutem; Tua 
vero seterna praemia omni- 
bus rebus terrenis antepo- 
nam. 

Pater noster, etc. 

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, etc. 

VENI, O Spiritus Pietatis! 
Cor meum ad veram 
pietatem, et sanctum Do- 



hold the Light eternal in Thy 
light, and to attain the full 
knowledge of Thee, and the 
Father, and the Son. 

Our Father, etc. 

Come, Holy Ghost, etc. 

aOME, O Spirit of Coun- 
sel! Be Thou with me 
in all the affairs of this pass- 
ing life, incline my soul unto 
good, withhold it from evil, 
and guide me through the 
straight path of Thy com- 
mandments to the wished- 
for goal of everlasting salva- 
tion. 

Our Father, etc. 
Come, Holy Ghost, etc. 

aOME, O Spirit of Might! 
Give strength to my 
heart, and establish it in 
every trouble and mishap; 
grant me power against the 
baneful efforts of mine ene- 
mies, lest being overcome, I 
be ever parted from Thee, O 
God, the sovereign Good. 
Our Father, etc. 
Come, Holy Ghost, etc. 

aOME, O Spirit of Knowl- 
edge! Grant I may 
see through the fragile goods 
of this world, and their 
emptiness, that so I may 
despise them, nor ever use 
them but for the glory of 
Thee alone, and mine own 
salvation, and may prize 
Thine everlasting treasures 
beyond all earthly things. 
Our Father, etc. 
Come, Holy Ghost, etc. 

aOME, O Spirit of God- 
liness! Stir up my 
heart to true godliness, and 



5 66 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



mini Dei mei amorem impelle, 
ut hunc in omni devotione 
mea semper quaeram et in 
vera dilectione inveniam. 

Pater noster, etc. 

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, etc. 

VENI, O Spiritus Timoris 
Domini! Confige ti- 
more Tuo carnes meas, ut 
provideam Te Dominum De- 
um meum in conspectu meo 
semper, omniaque sollicite 
caveam quae purissimis di- 
vinae Majestatis Tuae oculis 
displicere possunt. 
Pater noster, etc. 
V. Veni, Sancte Spiritus, 
reple Tuorum cor da fidelium. 

R. Et Tui amoris in eis ig- 
nem accende. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

Oremus. 
ENTIBUS nostris, quae- 
sumus, Domine, Spiri- 
tum Sanctum benignus in- 
funde, cujus et sapientia 
conditi sumus, et providentia 
gubernamur. Per Dominum. 

V. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 



to a holy love of the Lord 
my God, that I may ever 
seek Him in all my devotions, 
and may find Him in true 
love. 

Our Father, etc. 

Come, Holy Ghost, etc. 

aOME, O Spirit of the 
Fear of the Lord! Make 
my flesh to tremble with fear 
of Thee, that I may set the 
Lord before me always, and 
may carefully avoid whatever 
may displease the most pure 
eyes of Thy divine Majesty. 

Our Father, etc. 

V. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill 
the hearts of Thy faithful. 

R. And kindle in them the 
fire of Thy love. 

V. Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And may my cry come 
unto Thee. 

Let us pray. 
*T^O Thou, of Thy loving 
4-/ kindness, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, pour into our 
hearts the Holy Spirit, by 
Whose wisdom we have been 
fashioned, and by Whose 
providence we are guided. 
Through Christ, etc. 

V. May the divine help 
abide ever with us. 

R. 4jnen. 




THE HOLY GHOST AND RELIGIOUS ORDERS. 

ELIGIOUS should ever bear in mind that the great 
Orders and Congregations of the Church are the 
special work of the Holy Ghost, and that their personal 
call to the holy state of life in which they are living is a 
special grace of the Divine Spirit, to Whom, therefore, they 




Monday : The Holy Ghost. 



5 6 7 



should have or cultivate a special devotion. To the soul of 
every Religious, these words of the Holy Ghost may be 
applied in a particular manner: " Behold, I will allure her, 
and I will lead her into the wilderness; and I will speak to 
her heart." 

Father Marianus Fiege, O.M.Cap., writes on this sub- 
ject in "The Paraclete ": 

You who are a Religious, tell me, who "allured" you 
away from the vanities of a deceitful world? Who "led" 
you to your abode of sweet seclusion and retirement? Who 
first "spoke to your heart" of the peaceful sendee of God 
in the cloister? Who encouraged and strengthened you to 
"leave all things and follow Christ?" Who enabled you 
to consummate the sacrifice, when by the three vows of 
poverty, chastity, and obedience, you made of yourself a 
whole burnt-offering, and fastened yourself, so to speak, 
with Jesus to the cross? Who has ever since that moment 
enabled you to be faithful to the solemn promises you then 
made, and to be diligent in the discharge of the sublime 
duties of your noble calling? Who still aids you to lead 
that life of prayer and recollection, so necessary to you? 
Who is the source and fount of the interior life you now 
lead — a life utterly unknown to the lovers of the world? 
Who gives you strength to practice the virtues befitting your 
exalted state? Who encourages and comforts you amidst 
the many trials and hardships incident to your mode of life ? 
"I will speak, and do thou answer me." Is not all this the 
special work of the Holy Ghost, Who has singled you out 
from among the rest of mankind and called you to this blessed 
state of life? 

Religious soul! How can you be conscious of all you owe 
to the Holy Ghost, without cultivating a special devotion 
to Him in yourself, and others under your influence? Let 
the Spirit of God reign entirely in your hearts; let the fire 
of His love purify your hearts; let His will dominate your 
energies; then you will live, labor, and suffer for Him; then 
you will be filled with zeal for the glory of God and the sal- 
vation of souls. 

Make a daily act of consecration to the Holy Ghost ; trust 
in Him; love Him; think of Him; pray to Him in every 
important undertaking; beseech Him for a more perfect 



568 Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



following of Christ, and being yourself filled with the Divine 
Spirit, make known His gracious attributes everywhere, so 
that all may come under the sweet empire of His love and 
mercy, thus finding rest to their soul's eternal salvation. 

A PRAYER FOR THE CONVERSION OF UNBELIEVERS. 

OHOLY Spirit of truth, we beseech Thee to enlighten the 
minds of unbelievers in the midst of us, to incline their 
hearts to receive Thy word, and to believe the teachings of 
Thy Church; give them courage to accept the faith and 
openly profess it; that they may come into union with Thee 
and the Father, through Christ our Lord, Who liveth and 
reigneth for ever and ever. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

THANKSGIVING, CONSECRATION, AND PRAYER TO THE HOLY 

GHOST. 

OLY Spirit, divine Consoler! I adore Thee as my true 
God. I bless Thee by uniting myself to the praises 
Thou dost receive from the angels and the saints. I offer 
Thee my whole heart, and I render Thee heartfelt thanks 
for all the benefits that Thou hast bestowed and dost 
unceasingly bestow upon the world. Thou, Who art the 
Author of all supernatural gifts and Who didst enrich with 
immense favors the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the 
Mother of God, I beseech Thee to visit me by Thy grace 
and Thy love, and to grant me Thy sevenfold gift, in order 
that I may with constant love and perseverance walk in 
the way of my eternal salvation. 

PRAYERS TO THE HOLY GHOST IN CONNECTION WITH DEVO- 
TIONS TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. * 
I. 

OHOLY Ghost, help me to receive Jesus with love and 
reverence. Thou art my Teacher and my Sanctifier, 
and by Thee I live. Thou givest light and strength to my 
soul. Jesus, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, is my Saviour 
and my God. I long to be with Him, that He may abide 
more in me and I in Him. He is the Bread of life, the 
true Bread of God. I long to feed with adoration on that 
living Bread. Be with me, O Blessed Spirit, as in this great 
light I draw near to the altar, and give me always more 
faithfulness to Jesus and more love for Him. 




* From Father Rawes' "Bread of Life." 



Monday: The Holy Ghost. 569 



n: 

IN the light of the tabernacle I ask Thee, Holy Ghost, 
to fill my heart with pure desire for Jesus, the living 
Bread. Give me grace to adore Him with the holy angels, 
that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven, and 
that His will may be done in my soul. Help me to thank 
Him for all His gifts, and most of all for Himself. By this 
Holy Sacrament He strengthens souls on earth, and gives 
rest to souls in purgatory, and gladdens souls in heaven. 
He is the hidden Manna, promised by Himself to all who 
overcome. Thy grace will bring me in safety to God. May 
I taste the sweetness of Jesus! May my soul be kept by 
Thee very bright for the coming of my Spouse! 

III. 

OLEANSE my heart, O Holy Spirit, by this heavenly food, 
wherein Jesus gives me Himself. Strengthen my faith, 
that I may see Jesus in this Sacrament of His body and 
blood. There is in me a law by which I am in danger of 
falling into the captivity of sin. I have often to go on my 
heavenward way through darkness and many temptations, 
but Thou art my light and my strength. In Thee I trust. 
By Thy grace I can do all things that Jesus wishes me to 
do. Be ever in my soul as the dew of the light. With 
utter trust I rest upon Thee, and believe the testimony 
which Thou givest. Set up more and more Thy kingdom 
in my soul, that I may keep my body under, and bring it to 
subjection, lest I should be a castaway from Jesus and from 
Thee. 

IV. 

OHOLY Ghost, let my life be hidden with Jesus in 
God. Give me grace to live for God only, and to 
use creatures in Him and for His sake. Let the beauty 
of God blind me to the beauty of the world, and let the 
light of God blind me to the light of earth. Thou, O my 
God, art brighter than all things and sweeter. Take away 
from my soul all the dross, and purify it, giving it light 
and strength. To Thee, Spirit of deathless love, I turn 
for help. Take from me all human respect; for wrong 
regard of creatures blights the soul, so that its fruits are 
withered. Help me to be more faithful to Jesus, my Love, 
Who is coming to me from His altar. He is my life, as Thou 
art my life, and as the eternal Father is my life. Give me 
more love, that I may welcome Jesus as He comes to me 
in the hidden light, and the freshness of the morning dew. 



57o Monday: The Holy Ghost. 



V. 

OHOLY Ghost, fill me with the fear of the Lord, and 
drive far from me all thoughts of presumption. 
Save me from guilt like this. Keep me from offending 
God; and keep me from the wounds of His anger. Make 
me feel His goodness, and fill my heart with thankfulness. 
If I am faithful to Thee, Thou wilt give me much grace; if 
I am unfaithful, Thou wilt give me little grace, or, it may 
be, none at all. Dwell in my soul more and more, that I 
may be faithful with a great faithfulness, and inherit the 
fulness of Thy promises. 

VI. 

OHOLY Ghost, give me a great hunger for the Bread 
of life. Do Thou, by that Bread which is Jesus, satisfy 
my soul, and strengthen it, and make it full of life. I am 
needy with a great need; but this Bread of heaven is the 
life of the poor; let it be my life. I am very poor and 
needy; but Thou, my own Lord, dost always care for me. 
Without Thee, Blessed Spirit, I can not say, Jesus: without 
Thee, Helper of the needy, I can not feed on Him Who is 
the Bread from heaven. 

O Spirit of peace, give me a great love for the holy sac- 
rifice of the Mass. 

O Spirit of reconciliation, nelp all darkened souls, and 
bring them back to life. 

O Spirit of mercy, help the souls that are now suffering 
in the fire of purgatory. I ask Thee, by Thine own good- 
ness, to give them refreshment and joy and white robes of 
consoling love. 

O most pitiful Spirit, give me a great joy in this Sacra- 
ment of love. Thou dwellest inline, and by Thee I live 
to God. Thou makest me a temple of Thyself and of the 
Father and the Son. Thou makest me an heir of God. 
Bring me now, dear Spirit, in light to the altar; bring me 
in light to my grave; bring me in light to the city of the 
King and the song of the morning stars. 

VII. 

^N*TERNAL Father, wash me from my sins in the blood 
VJ[ of Jesus. 

Eternal Son, fill me with the fire of Thy Heart. 

Eternal Spirit, make me glad with the sweetness of the soul 
of Jesus. 

O eternal Father, crush all the powers of evil under my feet. 
Let me walk upon the asp and the basilisk; let me trample 
under foot the lion and the dragon by the blood of Thy Son. 



Monday : The Faithful Departed. 571 



O eternal Son, pour into my soul abundant gifts of grace. 
Thou didst die for me on the cross. There Thou didst 
merit for me the treasures of grace which now Thou givest. 
Thou didst give me Thyself in shedding of blood and in 
dimness of death. Now Thou, givest me Thyself in out- 
pouring of gladness and in Thy deathless life. Thou wast 
dead, and art alive for ever. 

O eternal Spirit, hide me more and more with God, and 
let there be in me more and more of the mind of Jesus. 
Touch the lips of my soul and give me a taste for this Bread 
of God, that I may know the graciousness of my Jesus, and 
the sweetness of His blood. The love of God is shed abroad 
in my heart, for Thou, O Holy Ghost, art given to me. Oh, 
lift me up, dear Spirit, from the dust. Oh, bring me in 
Thine own good time to the pavement of pure gold as clear 
as crystal. Fill my soul with Thy dew; fill it with Thy fire. 
There is no dew like Thine; and there is no fire like Thine. 
They mingle together in the fruitfulness of the garden of 
the Spouse. They mingle with the blood of Jesus, and 
with the water from His side. Oh, fire of the Holy Ghost, 
gentle and sweet as dew! Oh, dew of the Holy Ghost, pierc- 
ing and cleansing as fire ! O Holy Ghost, Whom I love, lift 
Thy little one to Thine uncreated Heart. 

O Blessed Trinity, show me the hidden things of the 
blood of Jesus, the holy mystery of Thy Church. Blessed 
Trinity: ~0 Blessed Trinity: O Blessed Trinity. 



Devotions for tbe jfaitbful Departed 

THE HEROIC ACT OF CHARITY. 

An offering of all works of satisfaction and of all the suffrages 

in behalf of the souls in purgatory. 
>^ HIS heroic act of charity in behalf of the souls in purgatory 
\z) consists in a voluntary offering made in their favor to 
the divine Majesty, by any one of the faithful, of all works of 
satisfaction done by him in his life, as well as of all the suf- 
frages which shall be offered for him after his death. Many 
of the faithful, devout to the Blessed Virgin, have followed 
the praiseworthy practice, introduced, or at least much 
spread since the last century, by F. D. Gaspar Oliden, Thea- 
tine, of placing them in the hands of the Blessed Virgin, 
that she may distribute them in behalf of those souls whom 
it is her good pleasure . to deliver sooner from the pains of 
purgatory. This heroic act of charity has been enriched 
with many indulgences. 



572 Monday: The Faithful Departed. 



As the " New Raccolta " tells us, a plenary indulgence, appli- 
cable only to the departed, is granted to all the faithful who 
shall have made this offering, whenever they go to holy 
communion, provided they visit a church or public oratory, 
and pray there, for some time, for the intention of his Holiness. 

A plenary indulgence, every Monday, to all who hear Mass 
in aid of the souls in purgatory, provided they fulfil the 
other conditions mentioned above. 

All indulgences granted or to be granted, which are to be 
gained by the faithful who have made this offering, may be 
applied to the holy souls in purgatory. 

Although this act of charity is called heroic vow of charity in 
some printed sheets, in which also is given a formula for 
making the offering, no inference is to be drawn therefrom 
that this offering binds under sin; neither is it necessary 
to make use of the said formula, or any other, since, in order 
to share in the said indulgences, no more is required than 
a heartfelt act of the will. 

The heroic act of charity is not a vow ; nor does this offer- 
ing prevent the maker of it from praying for himself, for 
his friends, or any other like intention, as by it he only 
foregoes that special fruit of his good works, which would 
belong to himself, as a satisfaction for the temporal punish- 
ment deserved by him on account of his sins. 

11 It is sometimes objected," we read in Murray's " Guide to 
Indulgences," "that this act of charity does an injustice to 
ourselves, because it takes away what is necessary to satisfy 
God's justice for our sins, and so leaves us much more suffering 
to endure in purgatory than would otherwise fall to our share. 

"The answer to this is, that even if this lengthening of 
our own punishment was an assured fact, it would be a 
small price to pay for the immense reward that God would 
bestow in heaven on those who performed such an heroic 
act of charity. But it is not true that those who make 
this offering will suffer more on account of it, for we may 
be sure that God would not have it so. On the contrary, 
He will reward those who are so generous by enkindling such 
a great love for Himself in their hearts that it will result 
in a full forgiveness not only of sin. but also of its tem- 
poral punishment; and, moreover, He has still the right to 
make their souls, if they go to purgatory, the beneficiaries 
of those prayers and good works which the living are con- 
tinually offering Him." 

Besides, those souls who may be released from their suffer- 
ings by these heroic offerings will not prove ungrateful, 
but rather will they constantly intercede for those to 



Monday: The Faithful Departed, 



573 



whom they owe their deliverance, and will not cease their 
prayers until the latter are either brought straight to heaven, 
or released from purgatory. 

REFLECTIONS. 

IT would seem like carrying coals to Newcastle, or water 
to the river, to exhort Religious to exercise charity 
by offering their suffrages in behalf of the poor, holy souls 
in purgatory. 

The true and zealous Religious will not fail to offer the 
holy sacrifice of the Mass and holy communion very fre- 
quently for the faithful departed. The Way of the Cross, 
the Rosary, Novenas, and Litanies are good devotions for 
the same purpose. The De Projundis, besides other indul- 
genced prayers and ejaculations, should be made use of 
daily and frequently during the day in aid of the poor souls. 

The good Religious will nourish the most tender com- 
passion for those who are now absolutely incapable of assist- 
ing themselves, and who must remain separated from God un- 
til the last farthing is paid, either by their own sufferings, 
or by the interposition of the faithful. Many powerful 
motives should induce you to be most fervent in assisting 
them: By this spiritual work of mercy you prove your love 
for God, you benefit your neighbor, and acquire great merit 
for yourself. You prove your love for God by interceding 
for those holy souls who are so dear to His divine Majesty, 
and whom He so ardently longs to glorify for ever. You 
perform an act of the greatest charity toward these suffer- 
ing, holy souls, by endeavoring to shorten their banish- 
ment where they are tortured by a fire far more terrible 
than any earthly fire, and deprived of the sight of God, a 
torment more excruciating than all other pains. And you 
essentially serve your own soul by providing for yourself 
powerful advocates who will not forget you when they 
stand before God. 

Let these considerations animate you to do all you can 
for the souls in purgatory. Devote fervently many prayers, 
good works, and various actions and mortifications to their 
relief, and endeavor to gain many indulgences for their 
benefit. Offer up, in particular, the holy sacrifice of the 
Mass on Mondays for this intention. But you should par- 
ticularly impress on your mind that sloth or negligence in 
the prayers or actions which you offer for the suffering souls 
would make you very unworthy of being heard, and, far 
from benefiting those for whom you pray, you would only 
expose yourself to a severe purgatory hereafter in the same 
fire which torments them. 



574 Monday: The Faithful Departed. 



PRAYER TO BE SAID ON MONDAY. 

OGOD of all holiness, infinitely pure and adorable Being! 
how great must be Thy horror of the least stain of sin, 
since Thou punishest so rigorously in the flames of purgatory 
the venial faults of those whom Thou so tenderly lovest. 
Ah! mercifully enlighten my understanding, that the tor- 
ments Thou inflictest on the least offence in the other world, 
may teach me the enormity of sin, and penetrate my heart 
with compassion for those souls who are now enduring inex- 
pressible pains for such failings as perhaps I too often look 
on as trivial. My God, though Thy justice banishes them 
from that kingdom where nothing defiled can enter, yet 
surely Thy mercy has not forgotten them; no, Thou art 
too good, too compassionate to abandon the work of Thine 
own hands. Though the season for merit and repentance 
is now past for them, yet Thou hast left them a resource 
in the prayers of Thy servants on earth. Despise not, then, 
O Lord, the supplication which I, Thy unworthy child, 
now make for those who can no longer implore Thy mercy 
for themselves. Remember, O infinite Goodness, that they 
are all the work of Thy hands, redeemed by the precious 
blood of Thine only Son; consider that they are the objects 
of Thine infinite love, who burn with the most ardent desire 
to be united to Thee. Have mercy on them, then, O infinite 
Mercy! and for Thine own sake stretch forth to their relief 
those sacred hands by which they were formed, and apply 
to them once more the merits of that adorable blood by 
which they were redeemed. I most humbly offer up, to 
implore this favor, the adorable sacrifice of the Mass, in 
union with all the Masses which will be celebrated through- 
out the world to-day. 

In union, also, with the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, I 
offer all my prayers, works, and sufferings this day for the 
relief of the holy souls. 

Mercifully accept this oblation, O Lord, on behalf of 
all who now suffer in purgatory, particularly those for 
whom Thou desirest I should pray — those who are most 
dear to me — those to whose sufferings I may have been in 
any respect accessory — those who are most forgotten by 
others, and who have no one to pray for them. Give them 
all speedy repose and eternal rest, 6 merciful Father of all 
mankind, and give me the grace to spend this day in such a 
manner that through Thy infinite goodness, I may obtain 
the relief of these suffering and blessed souls. 



Monday : The Faithful Departed. 575 



A SHORT IXDULGENCED PRAY 
SOULS IN 1 

V. V K> EQUIEM aeter- 
JL-X^ nam dona eis, 
Domine ; 

R. Et lux perpetua luceat 
eis. 

Indulgence, applicable to the 
time. — Leo XIII., March 22, iq< 



3R IN BEHALF OF THE HOLY 
URGATORY. 

V. TERNAL rest 
give to them, O 

Lord; 

R. And let perpetual light 
shine upon them. 

poor souls alone, 50 days each 



THE CHAPLET OR THE ROSARY FOR THE DEAD. 

HIS chaplet for the dead is composed of four decades, 
that is to say, forty beads, in honor and memory 
of the forty hours that Our Lord Jesus Christ passed in 
Limbo, to deliver and conduct to heaven all the souls of the 
saints who died before Him. 

Begin with the De Projundis. (Those who do not know 
it can say an Our Father and Hail Mary instead.) 

On the large beads say: Eternal rest give to them, O Lord. 
And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in 
peace. Amen. O my God, I believe in Thee, because Thou 
art truth itself ; I hope in Thee, because Thou art infinitely 
merciful; I love Thee with my whole heart, and above all 
things, because Thou art infinitely perfect, and I love my 
neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I am truly sorry 
for having sinned, because Thou art infinitely good, and 
sin displeases Thee. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy 
grace, never more to offend Thee. Amen. 
On each of the small beads say: 

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation. Conclude with 
the De Projundis. 

Indulgence of 60 years each time, applicable to the souls in 
purgatory. 



ftragers for Ever^ Dag in tbe WLeek in BID of tbe 
Souls in purgatory 

EOR SUNDAY. 

EORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the precious 
blood which Thy divine Son Jesus shed in the garden, 
deliver the souls in purgatory, and amongst them all, espe- 



576 Monday: The Faithful Departed. 



dally that soul which is most destitute of aid; and bring it 
to Thy glory, there to praise and bless Thee forever. Amen. 
Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De Projundis. 

FOR MONDAY. 

*T — 'ORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the precious 
4 ■ + blood which Thy divine Son Jesus shed in His cruel 
scourging, deliver the souls in purgatory, and amongst them 
all, especially that soul which is nearest to its entrance into 
Thy glory; that so it may soon begin to praise and bless Thee 
for ever. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De Projundis. 

FOR TUESDAY. 

*~| — 'ORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the precious 
4 ■ * blood which Thy divine Son Jesus shed in His bitter 
crowning with thorns, deliver the souls in purgatory, and in 
particular, amongst them all, deliver that one which would 
be the last to issue from those pains, that it tarry not so long 
a time before it comes to praise Thee in Thy glory and bless 
Thee for ever. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De Projundis. 

FOR WEDNESDAY. 

*~| — 'ORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the precious 
4 ■ * blood which Thy divine Son Jesus shed through the 
streets of Jerusalem when He carried the cross upon His sacred 
shoulders, deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially that 
soul which is richest in merits before Thee; that so, on that 
throne of glory which awaits it, it may magnify Thee and 
bless Thee for ever. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De Projundis. 

FOR THURSDAY. 

' * ORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the precious 
* body and blood of Thy divine Son Jesus, which He 
gave with His own hand upon the eve of His Passion to His 
beloved apostles to be their meat and drink, and which He 
left to His whole Church to be a perpetual sacrifice and life- 



Monday: The Faithful Departed. 577 



giving food of His own faithful people, deliver the souls in 
purgatory, and especially that one which was most devoted 
to this mystery of infinite love; that, with Thy divine Son, 
and with Thy Holy Spirit, it may ever praise Thee for this 
_Thy wondrous love in Thy eternal glory. Amen. 
Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De Pro fundi s. 

FOR FRIDAY. 

!ORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the precious 
* * * blood which Thy divine Son shed on this day, upon 
the wood of the cross, from His most sacred hands and feet, 
deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially that soul for 
which I am most bound to pray; that the blame rest not 
with me that Thou bringest it not forthwith to praise Thee in 
Thy glory and to bless Thee for ever. Amen. 
Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De Projundis. 

FOR SATURDAY. 

*1 . ORD God almighty, I beseech Thee, by the precious 
A — * blood which gushed forth from the side of Thy divine 
Son Jesus, in the sight and to the extreme pain of His most 
holy Mother, deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially 
that one amongst them all which was ever the most devout 
to this great Lady; that it may soon attain unto Thy glory, 
there to praise Thee in her, and her in Thee, world without 
end. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, and the De Projundis. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XII., Nov. 18, 1826. 

THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER. 

*"p^IS Holiness, Leo XIII., January 17, 1888, granted to 
the faithful who shall perform some pious practice 
for the relief of the souls in purgatory, every day during 
the whole month of November, whether in public or in 
private, an indulgence of seven years and as many quaran- 
tines on each day of the month; a plenary indulgence, once 
during the same month, on any day of the month, on the 
usual conditions: confession and communion, and a visit 
to a church or public oratory, and there praying for the 
intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. 



578 Tuesday: The Holy Angels. 



III. 

H>evotfons to tbe Bnaels 
Bn& tn particular to tbe angel (BuarOtan. 

PRAYER TO THE ANGEL GUARDIAN. 

< -t-|*NGELE Dei, qui custos *7J*NGELof God, my guar- 
cJpLt es mei, me tibi com- ^J^L, dian dear, 
missum pietate superna illu- To whom His love commits 
mina, custodi, rege, et gu- me here, 

berna. Amen. Ever this day be at my side, 

To light and guard, to rule 
and guide. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days; plenary indulgence on the feast of the 
holy guardian angels (Oct. 2), to those who shall have said this 
prayer, morning and evening, throughout the year, on usual con- 
ditions; plenary indulgence at the hour of death. — Pius VI., 
Oct. 2, 1795; June 11, 1796. Pius VII., on May 15, 182 1, granted 
a plenary indulgence, once a month, to all the faithful who shall 
have said it every day for a month, as above directed. 

A PRAYER TO THE GUARDIAN ANGEL. 

O ANGEL of God, my blessed protector, to whose care 
I have been committed by my Creator from the moment 
of my birth, unite with me in thanking the Almighty for having 
given me a friend, an instructor, an advocate, and a guardian 
in thee. Accept, O most charitable guide, my fervent thanks- 
giving for all thou hast done for me; particularly for the 
charity with which thou didst undertake to accompany me 
through life; for the joy with which thou wert filled when 
I was purified in the waters of Baptism; and for thy anxious 
solicitude in watching over the treasures of my innocence. 
Thou knowest the numberless graces and favors which my 
Creator has bestowed on me through thee, and the many 
dangers, both spiritual and temporal, from which thou hast 
preserved me. Thou knowest how often thou didst deplore 
my sins, animate me to repentance, and intercede with God 
for my pardon. Ah! why have I so little merited a con- 
tinuance of thy zealous efforts for my salvation? Why have 
I so often stained my soul by sin, and thereby rendered 
myself unworthy of the presence and protection of an angel, 



Tuesday : The Holy Angels, 



579 



of so pure a spirit as thou art, who never sinned? But, 
as my ingratitude and thoughtlessness have not lessened 
thy charitable interest for my salvation, so neither shall they 
diminish my confidence in thy goodness, nor prevent me 
from abandoning myself to thy care, since God Himself has 
entrusted thee with the charge of my soul. Penetrated with 
sorrow for the little progress I have made in virtue, though 
blessed with such a Master, and sincerely determined to 
correspond in future with thy exertions for my salvation, I 
most earnestly entreat thee, O protecting spirit, to continue 
thy zealous efforts for my eternal interest; to fortify my 
weakness, to shield me from the innumerable dangers of 
the world, and to obtain by thy powerful prayers that my 
life may rather be shortened, than that I should live to com- 
mit a mortal sin. Remember, O most happy spirit, that it 
was one act of profound humility, and one transport of ardent 
love for thy Creator, that caused God to establish thee forever 
in glory; obtain that those virtues may be implanted in my 
soul, and that I may seriously endeavor to acquire docility, 
obedience, gentleness, and purity of heart. Conduct me 
safely through this world of sin and misery; watch over me 
at the awful hour of my death; perform for my soul the last 
charitable office of thy mission, by strengthening, encouraging, 
and supporting me in the agonies of dissolution, and then, as 
the angel Raphael conducted Tobias safely to his father, 
do thou, my good angel and blessed guide, return with me 
to Him Who sent thee, that we may mutually bless Him, and 
publish His wonderful works for a happy eternity. Amen. 

Aspiration. 

£\ MY dear angel guardian, preserve me from the mis- 
fortune of offending God. 

Xitang ot tbe 0uarDtan BngeL* 

*T"! ORD, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 
A — * Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. 



For private devotion only. 



580 Tuesday : The Holy Angels. 

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. 

God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 

Holy Mary, Queen of Angels, 

Holy Angel, my guardian, 

Holy Angel, my prince, 

Holy Angel, my monitor, 

Holy Angel, my counsellor, 

Holy Angel, my defender, 

Holy Angel, my steward, 

Holy Angel, my friend, 

Holy Angel, my negotiator, 

Holy Angel, my intercessor, 

Holy Angel, my patron, ^ 

Holy Angel, my director, g 

Holy Angel, my ruler, - ^ 

Holy Angel, my protector, If 

Holy Angel, my comforter, s 

Holy Angel, my brother, 

Holy Angel, my teacher, 

Holy Angel, my shepherd, 

Holy Angel, my witness, 

Holy Angel, my helper, 

Holy Angel, my watcher, 

Holy Angel, my conductor, 

Holy Angel, my preserver, 

Holy Angel, my instructor, 

Holy Angel, my enlightener, 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare 
us, Lord! 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, gra- 
ciously hear us, O Lord ! 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy on us. 

Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 
V. Pray for us, holy angel guardian, 
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

LMIGHTY, everlasting God, Who, in the counsel of 
Thine ineffable goodness, hast appointed to all the 
faithful, from their mother's womb, a special guardian angel 
of their body and soul; grant that I may so love and honor 
him whom Thou hast so mercifully given me, that, protected 
by the bounty of Thy grace, and by his assistance, I may 




Tuesday : The Holy Angels. 



581 



merit to behold, with him and all the angelic host, the glory 
of Thy countenance in the heavenly country. Who livest 
and reignest, world without end. Amen. 

ANOTHER PRAYER TO ONE'S GUARDIAN ANGEL. 

OMOST faithful companion, appointed by God to be 
my guardian, my protector, and defender, and who 
never leavest my side; how shall I thank thee for thy faith- 
fulness and love, and for all the benefits which thou hast 
conferred upon me? Thou wat chest over me while I sleep; 
thou comfortest me when I am sad; thou liftest me up when 
I am down; thou avertest the dangers that threaten me; 
thou warnest me of those that are to come; thou withdrawest 
me from sin, and excitest me to good, thou exhortest me to » 
penance when I fall, and reconcilest me to God. Long ago 
should I have been thrust down into hell, unless by thy 
prayers thou hadst turned away from me the anger of God. 
Leave me not, nor forsake me ever, I beseech thee; but still 
comfort me in adversity, restrain me in prosperity, defend 
me in danger, assist me in temptations, lest at any time I 
fall beneath them. Offer up in the sight of the divine 
Majesty my prayers and' all my works of piety, and make 
me to persevere in grace until I come to everlasting life. 
Amen. 

Xittle ©fftce of tbe 1bolg %ngele. 

AT MATINS. 

Ant. /*^[OD hath given His angels charge of thee, that 

\§) they keep thee in all thy ways. Amen. 
O Lord, open Thou my lips, 
And my tongue shall declare Thy praise. 
O God, incline unto my aid. 
O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, etc. Alleluia. 

Hymn. 

OLORD, permit us here to raise our voice. 
And waft before Thy throne our feeble praise, 
And thank Thee for those angels whom Thy choice 

Hath lent our weakness to direct its ways, 
And free us from the envious foes that lurk 
To spoil the beauty of Thy cherished work. 



582 



Tuesday : The Holy Angels. 



Ant. O holy angels, our guardians, defend us in the com- 
bat, that we perish not in the dreadful judgment. 

V. In the sight of the angels I will sing to Thee, my God. 
R. I will adore at Thy holy temple, etc. 

Prayer. 

OGOD, Who, with unspeakable providence, hast vouch- 
safed to appoint Thy holy angels to be our guardians, 
grant to Thy humble suppliants to be always defended by 
their protection, and to enjoy their everlasting society, 
through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and 
reigneth, etc. Amen. 

AT PRIME. 

Ant. g^iOJ) hath given His angels charge of thee, that 

they keep thee in all thy ways. Amen. 
O God, incline unto, etc. 
O Lord, make haste, etc. 
Glory be to the Father, etc. Alleluia. 

Hymn. 

EOR Satan, driven from the happy land 
Where once he shone in splendor, ill can brook 
The kindly justice of the Almighty hand, 

That gives to man the throne that he forsook; 
And seeks to drag into his own disgrace 
Poor mortals thus design' d to fill his place. 
Ant. O holy angels, our guardians, etc. 
V. In the sight of Thy angels I will sing unto Thee, my 
God. 

R. I will adore at Thy holy temple, and confess to Thy 
name. 

Prayer. 

O God, Who with unspeakable providence, etc. 

AT TIERCE. 

Ant. (pf OD hath given His angels, etc. 

x5) O God, incline unto my aid. 
O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, etc. Alleluia 

Hymn. 

BRIGHT Spirit! whom a God supremely wise 
Hath given to be the guardian of this land, 
Come, arm'd with all thy power from the skies, 
And bear its children harmless in thy hand — 
Safe from all evil that defiles the soul, 
Safe from disunion's withering control. 



Tuesday : The Holy Angels. 583 

Ant. O holy angels, etc. 

V. In the sight of Thy angels, etc. 

R. I will adore at Thy holy temple, etc. 

Prayer. 

O God, Who with unspeakable providence, etc. 

AT SEXT. 

Ant. g^(OT> hath given His angels, etc. 

O God, incline unto my aid. 
O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, etc. Alleluia. 

Hymn. 

O JESUS! glory of the angelic choirs, 
Light of their brightness, sweetness of their bliss; 
Thou Who didst leave a world where nothing tires, 

To taste the pains and miseries of this; 
Be these same pains, endured to set us free, 
The germ of endless happiness with Thee. 
Ant. O holy angels, our guardians, etc. 
V. In the sight of Thy angels, etc. 
R. I will adore at Thy holy temple, etc. 

Prayer. 

O God, Who with unspeakable providence, etc. 

AT NONE. 

Ant. /^fOD hath given His angels charge over, etc. 

\£> R. Amen. 
V. O God, incline unto my aid. 
R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, etc. Alleluia. 

Hymn. 

NGEL of peace! come, Michael, to our aid, 
Thou who didst once chase discord from the sky; 
Come, calm those boisterous passions that have made 

Such havoc here as they have made on high; 
Drive strife and rancor to their kindred gloom, 
To hell, their fitting, their eternal tomb. 

Ant. Holy angels, our guardians, defend, etc. 
V. In the sight of Thy angels I will sing to, etc. 
R. I will adore at Thy holy temple, etc. 

Prayer. 

O God, Who with unspeakable providence, etc. 




584 Tuesday : The Holy Angels. 



at vespers. 

Ant. ^yOD hath given His angels charge over, etc. 

\S) V. O God, incline unto my aid. 
R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
Glory be to the Father, etc. Alleluia. 

Hymn. 

BPIRIT of might! O Gabriel, display 
Thy matchless power against our ancient foes; 
Visit those sacred temples where we pray — 

'Twas at thy potent word those temples rose; 
Whose worship raised these shrines throughout the earth; 
Thou wert the herald of His future birth. 
Ant. O holy angels, our guardians, etc. 
V. In the sight of Thy angels, etc. 

Prayer. 

O God, Who with unspeakable providence, etc. 

AT COMPLINE. 

Ant. g^>(OT> hath given His angels, etc. 

V£) V. Convert us, O God our Saviour. 
R. And avert Thy anger from us. 
O God, incline unto my aid 
Glory be to the Father, etc. Alleluia. 

Hymn. 

ND Raphael! of the glorious seven who stand 
Before the throne of Him Who lives and reigns; 
Angel of health! the Lord hath filled thy hand 

With balm from heaven to soothe or cure our pains > 
Heal or console the victim of disease, 
And guide our steps when doubtful of our ways. 

Ant. O holy angels, etc. 

V. In the sight of Thy angels, etc. 

R. I will'adore at Thy holy temple, etc. 

Prayer. 

O God, Who with unspeakable pro\idence, etc. 

COMMENDATION. 

OHOLY guardian! at thy feet 
This wreath of humble flowers I lay; 
O that their odor were as sweet 

As he desires, who sings the lay, 
Protect me at death's awful hour, 
Receive my soul to thy embrace, 




Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



585 



Rich with the wonders of thy power, 

To thank, to praise thee, face to face. Amen. 

ANTIPHON TO THE ARCHANGEL, MICHAEL. 

ANCTB Michael Arch- *Tp^ OLY archangel Michael, 
angele, defende nos in fjL-% defend us in battle, 
prselio, ut non pereamus in that we may not perish in the 
tremendo judicio. tremendous judgment. 

Indulgence of 100 days. — Leo XIII., Aug. 19, 1893. 

PRAYER TO ST. RAPHAEL, ARCHANGEL . 

LORIOUS archangel, St. Raphael, great prince of the 
heavenly court, illustrious by thy gifts of wisdom and 
grace, guide of travelers by land and sea, consoler of the 
unfortunate and refuge of sinners, I entreat thee to help me 
in all my needs and in all the trials of this life, as thou didst 
once assist the young Tobias in his journeying. And since 
thou art the " physician of God," I humbly pray thee to heal 
my soul of its many infirmities and my body of the ills that 
afflict it, if this favor is for my greater good. I ask, espe- 
cially, for angelic purity, that I may be made fit to be the living 
temple of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days. — Leo XIIL, June 21, 1890. 

PRAYER TO THE ARCHANGEL GABRIEL. 

O BLESSED archangel Gabriel, we beseech thee, do 
thou intercede for us at the throne of divine Mercy 
in our present necessities, that, as thou didst announce to 
Mary the mystery of the Incarnation, so through thy prayers 
and patronage in heaven we may obtain the benefits of the 
same, and sing the praise of God for ever in the land of the 
living. Amen. 

IV. 

2>evottons in Ibonor of St Josepb, 

DEVOTION OF THE SEVEN SUNDAYS IN HONOR OF ST. 
JOSEPH. 

HK Sovereign Pontiffs who have so gloriously occupied 
the chair of St. Peter in later days have enriched 
with great indulgences this tender devotion, in order to 
stimulate the faithful to its practice. 





586 



Wednesday ; *SV. Joseph. 



In virtue of a concession of Pope Gregory XVI. we may- 
gain an indulgence of 300 days on each of the first six Sun- 
days, and a plenary indulgence on the seventh Sunday, for 
saying the prayers of the Seven Sorrows and Joys of St. 
Joseph on any seven consecutive Sundays of the year. 

On February 1, 1S47, Pope Pius IX., of holy memory, 
wishing to extend this devotion, added to the indulgences 
already granted a plenary indulgence on each Sunday, appli- 
cable to the souls in purgatory. 

On March 2 2d of the same year his Holiness extended 
this indulgence to those who, owing to some good cause, 
being unable to recite the prayers of the Seven Sorrows and 
Joys of St. Joseph, say seven Our Fathers, seven Hail Marys, 
and seven Glorias, fulfilling the usual conditions for gaining 
a plenary indulgence, namely, confession, communion, and 
prayers for our holy mother the Church. 

The Sovereign Pontiff, Pius VII., Dec. 9, 1819, granted an 
indulgence of 100 days, once a day; an indulgence of 300 days, 
every Wednesday in the year, and on even' day of the two novenas 
preceding the feasts of St. Joseph, viz., the principal feast, March 
19, and the feast of the patronage, the third Sunday after Easter. 
A plenary indulgence, on these two feasts, to all those who, more- 
over, being truly penitent, shall have gone to confession and com- 
munion. A plenary indulgence, once a month, to all those who 
shall have said them even' day for a month, on the day when, 
being truly penitent, they shall go to confession and communion. 

DEVOUT EXERCISE IN HOXOR OF THE SEVEN SORROWS AND 
SEVEN JOYS OF ST. JOSEPH. 

1. ^T^JURE husband of most holy Mary, glorious St. 
«-■— Joseph, great was the travail and anguish of 

thy heart when, in sore perplexity, thou didst feel inclined 
to put away thy stainless spouse; but unspeakable was thy 
joy when the angel revealed to thee the high mystery of the 
Incarnation. 

By this, thy sorrow and thy joy, we pray thee, comfort 
our souls now and in their dying agony with the sweet con- 
solation of a well-spent life, and a death like unto thine own, 
in the embrace of Jesus and of Mary. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

2. Thrice happy patriarch, glorious St. Joseph, chosen 
to be the foster-father of the Word made man, keen was the 
pain thou didst feel when thou didst see the infant Jesus born 
in abject poverty; but thy pain was suddenly changed into 



Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



587 



heavenly joy when upon thee burst the harmony of the angel- 
choirs, and thou didst behold the glory of that refulgent 
night. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, we pray thee, obtain for 
us that, when the journey of our life is over, we too may 
pass to that blessed land where we shall hear the angel- 
chants, and enjoy the brightness of celestial glory. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

3. O thou who wast ever most obedient in fulfilling the 
law of God, glorious St. Joseph! when, at His circumcision, 
the infant Saviour's precious blood was shed, thy heart was 
pierced through and through; but with the name of Jesus 
came again to thee new life and heavenly joy. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, obtain for us that, freed 
in life from the vile yoke of sin, we too may die with joy, 
with the sweet name of Jesus in our hearts and on our lips. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

4. Faithful saint, who wast admitted to take part in man's 
redemption, glorious St. Joseph, Simeon's prophecy of the 
coming woes of Jesus and of Mary filled thy soul with agony 
like death: but thy soul was filled with blessedness when 
he foretold salvation and glorious resurrection to innumerable 
souls. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, help us with thy prayers 
to be of those who, by the merits of Jesus and His virgin 
Mother, shall be partakers of the glorious resurrection. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

5. Watchful guardian, bosom-friend of the Incarnate Son 
of God, glorious St. Joseph, how didst thou toil to nurture 
and to serve the Son of the Most High, especially in the 
flight into Egypt; but far greater was thy joy in having with 
thee God Himself, and in seeing Egypt's idols fall to the 
earth! 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, obtain for us to keep aloof 
from the infernal tyrant, quitting all dangerous occasions, 
that all earthly idols may be cast out from our hearts, and 
that, employed in the service of Jesus and Mary, we may 
ever live for them alone, and with them calmly die. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

6. Angel on earth, glorious St. Joseph, while thou didst 
marvel at seeing the King of heaven obedient to thy bidding, 



5 88 



Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



fear of the tyrant mingled with thy joy when thou didst bring 
riim back from Egypt; but, reassured by the angel, thou 
didst dwell at Nazareth with glad heart, in the sweet com- 
pany of Jesus and Mary. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, obtain for us that, with 
hearts set free from every hurtful fear, we too may taste the 
quiet of a tranquil conscience, safely dwelling with Jesus 
and with Mary, and one day die within their loving arms. 

Our Father. Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

7. Pattern of all holiness, glorious St. Joseph, without 
fault of thine, thou didst lose the holy Child, Jesus, and for 
three days, to thy great sorrow, didst seek for him, until, 
with joy unspeakable, thou didst find thy Life amid the 
Doctors in the Temple. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, we pray thee with all our 
heart, stand between us and danger, that we may never lose 
Jesus by mortal sin; but if, to our shame and disgrace, we 
lose him, may we seek him with such ceaseless grief that we 
may find him propitious to us, especially at the hour of our 
death, and thus go to enjoy Him in heaven, and there with 
thee sing His divine mercy for ever! 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

Ant. Jesus was about thirty years old, being, as was sup- 
posed, the son of Joseph. 

V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 
Let us pray. 

>^{OD, Who in Thine ineffable providence didst vouchsafe 
\& to choose blessed Joseph to be the husband of Thy 
most holy Mother: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may be 
made worthy to receive him for our intercessor in heaven, 
whom on earth we venerate as our holy protector. Who 
livest and reignest world without end. Amen. 

PRAYER OF A RELIGIOUS TO THE GLORIOUS PATRIARCH ST. 
JOSEPH, EOSTER-EATHER OF THE ETERNAL WORD, SPOUSE 
OF THE MOST HOLY VIRGIN, MODEL AND PATRON OF 
INTERIOR SOULS. 

*1^vEAR St. Joseph! man according to the Heart of God! 
<X-J Seraph of love! thou, whose heart was always on 



Wednesday: St. Joseph. 



589 



fire with the pure flames of the most ardent charity, and 
whose life was a constant prayer and continual contemplation! 
deign to accept me as thy protege, and to teach me the per- 
fection of the interior life. Teach me how to model my heart 
in accordance with the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Direct 
me in the way of salvation / and obtain for me that I may, 
day after day, without interruption, live and labor for God 
and my neighbor in the rigorous observance of my vows. From 
the height of thy throne, where thou reignest in heaven near 
Jesus and Mary, cast thy paternal and compassionate looks 
upon all Religious, and especially upon those of our own 
Order, who are filled with the most profound respect and 
tender veneration for thee. Be a father to us all; inspire 
our Superiors; protect our interests; shield us from danger 
and aid us in the spread of God's kingdom on earth. Obtain 
for all Religious the graces of which they stand in need, in 
order to arrive at the sanctity to which God calls them. 
Especially obtain for them the spirit of prayer, the gift of 
piety, that fervor of which thou art the perfect model. Teach 
them to pray as thou thyself hast learned it from Jesus and 
Mary. 

May they be always animated with the same sentiments 
of humility, purity of intention, respect, docility, faith, con- 
fidence, and love, with which thou thyself wert inflamed 
and actuated, when in thy hidden life, in the silence and seclu- 
sion of thy poor house at Nazareth, thou didst offer unceas- 
ingly with Jesus and Mary the most fervent and acceptable 
prayers to the divine Majesty. Amen. 

IRovena to St. Josepb* 

(Feast March 19th. Novena begins March 10th and ends 
March 18th.) 

DEDICATION TO ST. JOSEPH. 

O GLORIOUS descendant of the King of Juda! inheritor 
of the virtues of all the patriarchs! just and happy 
St. Joseph! listen to my prayer. Thou art my glorious pro- 
tector, and shalt ever be, after Jesus and Mary, the object 
of my most profound veneration and tender confidence. Thou 
art the most hidden, though the greatest saint, and art pecul- 
iarly the patron of those who serve God with the greatest 



Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



purity and fervor. In union with all those who have ever 
been most devoted to thee, I now dedicate myself to thy 
service, beseeching thee, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Who 
vouchsafed to love and obey thee as a son, to become a father 
to me, and to obtain for me the filial respect, confidence, 
and love of a child toward thee. O powerful advocate of 
all Christians! whose intercession, as St. Teresa assures us, 
has never been found to fail, deign to intercede for me now, 
and to obtain for me the particular object of this no vena. 
[Specify it.] Present me, O great saint, to the Adorable 
Trinity, with Whom thou hadst so glorious and so intimate 
a correspondence. Obtain that I may never efface by sin 
the sacred image according to the likeness of which I was 
created. Beg for me that my divine Redeemer may enkindle 
in my heart, and in all hearts, the fire of His love, and infuse 
therein the virtues of His adorable infancy, His purity, sim- 
plicity, obedience, and humility. Obtain for me likewise 
a lively devotion to thy virgin spouse, and protect me so 
powerfully in life and death that I may have the happiness 
of dying as thou didst, in the friendship of my Creator, and 
under the immediate protection of the Mother of God. 

For making a novena in honor of St. Joseph, an indulgence of 
300 days, -on each day, and a plenary indulgence during the 
novena or on any one of the eight days following it. — Pius IX., 
Nov. 28, 1876. 



AN OFFERING TO ST. JOSEPH. 

REAT St. Joseph, thou generous depositary and 
dispenser of immortal riches, behold us prostrate 
at thy feet, conjuring thee to receive us as thy servants 
and as thy children. Next to the sacred hearts of 
Jesus and Mary, of which thou art the faithful copy, 
we acknowledge that there is no heart more tender, 
more compassionate, than thine. What, then, have 
we to fear, or, rather, for what should we not hope, 
if thou dost deign to be our benefactor, our master, 
our model, our father, and our intercessor! 

Refuse not, then, the favor we ask of thee, O powerful 
protector! We ask it of thee by the love thou hast for 




Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



S9i 



Jesus and Mary. Into thy hands we. commit our 
souls and bodies, but above all, the last moment of our 
lives. May we, after having honored, imitated, and 
served thee on earth, eternally sing with thee the mercies 
of Jesus and Mary. Amen. 



?Ebe 3Little ©ffice of St* Joseph* 

AT MATINS. 

AIL, glory of the patriarchs, steward of God's holy 
Church, who didst preserve the Bread of life and 
the Wheat of the elect. 

V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips, 

R. And my mouth shall announce Thy praise. 

V. Incline unto mine aid, O God! 

R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Hymn. 

IGHTY Joseph, son of David! 
High and glorious is thy state- 
Of Our Lord the foster-father, 

Mary's spouse immaculate. 
The Almighty's faithful servant, 

Of the Holy Family 
Head and father. Oh! I pray thee, 
Be a father unto me. 

Ant. He made him master of His house, and ruler over all 
His possessions. (Psalm civ.) 

V. Pray for us, most blessed Joseph, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

^T\AY we, O Lord, we beseech Thee, be assisted by the 
merits of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that 
what of ourselves we can not possibly obtain, may through 
his intercession be granted to us by Thee, Who Hvest and 
reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer, 

R. And let my crv come unto Thee. 

V. Let us bless tne Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 





592 



Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the 
mercy of God rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

AT PRIME. 

'Tp^AIL, glory of the patriarchs, steward of God's holy 
fJL-l, Church, who didst preserve the Bread of life and 
the Wheat of the elect. 

V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips, 

R. And my mouth shall announce Thy praise. 

V. Incline unto mine aid, O God! 

R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 

R. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Hymn. 

ORELY was thy bosom troubled 
Till the mystery was revealed 
Which the Lord had wrought in Mary, 

Who in patience all concealed. 
But an angel soon from heaven 

Bids thy loving doubts to cease: 
So may every care and trial 
Turn for me to joy and peace. 

Ant. Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee 
Mary thy spouse, for what is conceived in her is of the Holy 
Ghost. 

V. Pray for us, most blessed Joseph, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

AY we, O Lord, we beseech Thee, be assisted by the 
merits of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that 
what of ourselves we can not possibly obtain, may through 
his intercession be granted to us by Thee, Who Hvest and 
reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 
V. O Lord, hear my prayer, 
R. And let my cry come unto Thee. 
V. Let us bless the Lord. 
R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the 
mercy of God rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 





Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



593 



AT TIERCE. 

AIL, glory of the patriarchs, steward of God's holy- 
Church, who didst preserve the Bread of life and 
the Wheat of the elect. 

V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my Hps, 

R. And my mouth shall announce Thy praise 

V. Incline unto mine aid, O God! 

R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Hymn. 

ITH the Virgin, young and tender, 
In the winter-time forlorn, 
Thou to Bethlehem didst journey, 

That Our Lord might there be born. 
As thy God thou didst adore Him, 

While He in the manger lay, 
Now is He in heaven exalted — 
Turn to Him for us and pray! 

Ant. Joseph went up out of Galilee from Nazareth into 
Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, 
with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child. 

V. Pray for us, most blessed Joseph, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 

AY we, O Lord, we beseech Thee, be assisted by the 
merits of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that 
what of ourselves we can not possibly obtain, may through 
his intercession be granted to us by Thee, Who Hvest and 
reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 
V. O Lord, hear my prayer, 
R. And let my cry come unto Thee. 
V. Let us bless the Lord. 
R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the 
mercy of God rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

AT SEXT. 





*Tp^AIL, glory of the patriarchs, steward of God's holy 
r 1 \ Church, who didst preserve the Bread of life and the 
Wheat of the elect. 



594 



Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips, 

R. And my mouth shall announce Thy praise. 

V. Incline unto mine aid, O God! 

R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
Ghost, 

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Hymn. 

TTjLEEING at the angel's warning, 
, I [ Far from Herod's fury wild, 
Long in Egypt didst thou tarry 

With the Virgin and the Child. 
By thy toil, and pain, and sadness, 

In that exile dark and drear, 
Help me in the cares and sorrows 

Which may be my portion here. 



Ant. Arise and take the Child and His Mother, and fly 
into Egypt, and be there until I shall tell thee; for it will 
come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him. 
(Matt. ii. 13.) 

V. Pray for us, most blessed Joseph, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 
Let us pray. 

AY we, O Lord, we beseech Thee, be assisted by the 
merits of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that 
what of ourselves we can not possibly obtain, may through 
his intercession be granted to us by Thee, Who livest and 
reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 
V. O Lord, hear my prayer, 
R. And let my cry come unto Thee. 
V. Let us bless the Lord. 
R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the 
mercy of God rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

AT NONE. 

AIL, glory of the patriarchs, steward of God's holy 
Church, who didst preserve the Bread of life and the 
Wheat of the elect. 

V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips, 

R. And my mouth shall announce Thy praise. 

V. Incline unto mine aid, O God! 





Wednesday: St. Joseph. 



595 



R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Hymn. 

OME from Egypt's land returning 
Thou wouldst rest in Galilee, 
But to Nazareth art bidden, 

That the Child secure may be. 
Souls retiring, sweet, and humble, 

Thou dost still for Jesus seek: 
That my heart may be His garden, 
' Make it humble, pure, and meek. 

Ant. Who arose, and took the Child and His Mother and 
came into the land of Israel . . . and he dwelt in a city which 
is called Nazareth. (Matt. ii. 23.) 

V. Pray for us, most blessed Joseph, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 

AY we, O Lord, we beseech Thee, be assisted by the 
merits of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that 
what of ourselves we can not possibly obtain, may through 
his intercession be granted to us by Thee, Who livest and 
reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 
V. O Lord, hear my prayer, 
R. And let my cry :ome unto Thee. 
V. Let us bless the Lord. 
R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the 
mercy of God rest in peace 
R. Amen. 

AT VESPERS. 

AIL, glory of the patriarchs, steward of God's holy 
Church, who didst preserve the Bread of life and the 
Wheat of the elect. 

V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips, 

R. And my mouth shall announce Thy praise. 

V. Incline unto mine aid, O God! 

R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 






59^ 



Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Hymn. 

HOU didst search w T ith loving anguish 
For the little Jesus lost; 
But, in finding Him, what rapture, 
Purchased at that sorrow's cost! 
Thee, my light, my life, my Jesus, 

May I never lose by sin! 
May my heart be pure and simple, 
So that Thou may'st rest therein. 

Ant. Son, why hast Thou done so to us? Behold, Thy 
father and I have sought Thee sorrowing. (Luke ii. 48.) 
V. Pray for us, most blessed Joseph, 
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

AY we, O Lord, we beseech Thee, be assisted by the 
merits of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that 
what of ourselves we can not possibly obtain, may through 
his intercession be granted to us by Thee, Who livest and 
reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 
V. O Lord, hear my prayer, 
R. And let my cry come unto Thee. 
V. Let us bless the Lord. 
R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the 
mercy of God, rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

AT COMPUNE. 

AIL, glory of the patriarchs, steward of God's holy 
Church, who didst preserve the Bread of life and 
the Wheat of the elect. 

V. Convert us, O Lord, our salvation, 
R. And avert Thine anger from us. 
V. Incline unto mine aid, O God! 
R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Hymn. 

J7ESUS, Mary, hung above thee, 
fj On that sad, yet happy day, 





Wednesday: St. Joseph. 



597 



When, with their fond arms around thee, 

Passed thy gentle soul away. 
Oh! when death shall come to take me, 

All its terrors I'll defy, 
If, with Jesus and with Mary, 

Thou, dear Joseph, wilt be nigh. 

Ant. In peace in the self -same I will sleep, and I will rest, 
for Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope. 
(Psalm iv. 9.) 

V. Pray for us, most blessed Joseph, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 
Let us pray. 

AY we, O Lord, we beseech Thee, be assisted by the 
merits of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that 
what of ourselves we can not possibly obtain, may through 
his intercession be granted to us by Thee, who Hvest and 
reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 
V. O Lord, hear my prayer, 
R. And let my cry come unto Thee. 
V. Let us bless the Lord. 
R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the faithful departed through the 
mercy of God rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

COMMENDATION. 

HUS, O glorious saint, my homage 
I, thy grateful client, pay. 
Hear my prayer and smile upon me, 

Guide and guard me on my way. 
May I, 'neath thy kind protection, 
Safely reach my journey's close, 
And with thee in heaven's bright palace 
Through eternity repose! 

ACT OF CONSECRATION AND CHOICE OF ST. JOSEPH AS A 
PATRON. 

O BLESSED Joseph, faithful guardian of my Redeemer, 
Jesus Christ, protector of thy chaste spouse, the virgin 
Mother of God, I choose thee this day to be my special patron 
and advocate, and I firmly resolve to honor thee all the days 
of my life. Therefore I humbly beseech thee to receive me 
as thy client, to instruct me in every doubt, to comfort me 




598 



Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



in every affliction, to obtain for me and for all the knowledge 
and love of the Heart of Jesus, and finally to defend and 
protect me at the hour of death. Amen. 

FOR A HAPPY DEATH. 

O BLESSED Joseph! who didst die in the arms of Jesus 
and Mary, obtain for me, I beseech thee, the grace of 
a happy death. Defend me from the attacks of my infernal 
enemy in that hour of dread and anguish, to which I now 
invite thee, that thou mayest assist me by thy presence and 
protect me by thy power. Obtain of thy divine Son that I 
may breathe out my soul in praise, saying in spirit, if I can 
not utter the words: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my 
heart and my soul. Amen. 

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH FOR THE OCTOBER DEVOTIONS. 

Ordered by Pope Leo XIII. to be said as part of the devo- 
tions for the month of October. 

O thee, O blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our afflic- 
tions, and, after imploring the help of thy most holy 
spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. By that 
affection which united thee to the immaculate virgin Mother 
of God, and by the fatherly love with which thou didst em- 
brace the Infant Jesus, look down, we beseech thee, with 
gracious eyes on the precious inheritance which Jesus Christ 
purchased by His blood, and help us in our necessities by 
thy power and aid. Protect, O most provident guardian 
of the Holy Family, the elect children of Jesus Christ; ward 
off from us, O most loving father, all plagues of errors and 
depravity; be propitious to us from heaven, O most power- 
ful protector, in this our struggle with the powers pf dark- 
ness; and as thou didst once rescue the Child Jesus from the 
greatest peril to His life, so now defend God's holy Church 
from the snares of the enemy and all adversity. Finally, 
shield every one of us with thy patronage, that, imitating 
thy example and strengthened by thy help, we may live a 
holy life, die a happy death, and attain to everlasting happi- 
ness in heaven. Amen. 

An indulgence of 300 days, applicable to the souls in purgatory; 
seven years and seven quarantines for each public recital during 
the month of October.— Leo XIII., Sept. 21, 1889. 



Wednesday : St. Joseph. 599 



ANOTHER APPROVED VERSION OF THIS FAVORITE PRAYER 
TO ST. JOSEPH, AS RECITED IN MANY PARTS OF THE 
UNITED STATES. 

E come to thee, O blessed Joseph, in our sore distress. 
Having sought the aid of thy most blessed spouse, 
we now confidently implore thy assistance also. We humbly 
beg that, mindful of the dutiful affection which bound thee 
to the immaculate virgin Mother of God, and of the fatherly 
love with which thou didst cherish the Child Jesus, thou 
wilt lovingly watch over the heritage which Jesus Christ 
purchased with His blood, and by thy powerful intercession 
help us in our urgent need. Most powerful guardian of 
the Holy Family, protect the chosen race of Jesus Christ; 
drive far from us, most loving father, every pest of error 
and corrupting sin. From thy place in heaven, most power- 
ful protector, graciously come to our aid in this conflict 
with the powers of darkness, and as of old thou didst deliver 
the Child Jesus from supreme peril of life, so now defend the 
holy Church of God from the snares of her enemies and 
from all adversity. Have each of us always in thy keeping, 
that, following thy example, and borne up by thy strength, 
we may be able to live holily, die happily, and so enter the 
everlasting bliss of heaven. Amen. 

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO ST. JOSEPH. 

O BLESSED St. Joseph! I consecrate myself to 
thy honor, and give myself to thee, that thou 
may est always be my father, my protector, and my 
guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me a great 
purity of heart and a fervent love of the interior life. 
After thy example may I do all my actions for the 
greater glory of God, in union with the Divine Heart 
of Jesus and the immaculate heart of Mary! And do 
thou, O blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may 
share in the peace and joy of thy holy death. Amen. 

Invocation to St. Joseph. 
Help us, Joseph, in our earthly strife; ever to lead 
a pure and blameless life. 

Indulgence of 300 days. — Leo XIII., March 18, 1882. 



6oo 



Wednesday : St. Joseph. 



PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH FOR PERSEVERANCE. 

f~\ DEAR St. Joseph, foster-father of our divine Redeemer, 
and spouse of our holy Mother Mary, thou didst live 
with them and toil for them through all the years of the hidden 
life, and thou didst die in their arms. By the love thou bear- 
est to them and the love they bear to thee, pray for us always, 
and guard us. Obtain for us, O patron of a happy death, 
the grace to live and die in God's love and favor, that we 
may spend our eternity with Jesus and Mary and with thee, 
O dear St. Joseph. 

NOVENA IN HONOR OF ST JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF MARY MOST 

HOLY. 

HE Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IX., Nov. 28, 1876, granted to 
all the faithful who, with contrite heart, devoutly make 
at any time during the year the novena in honor of St. Joseph, 
spouse of Mary most holy, with any formula of prayer, pro- 
vided it be approved by competent ecclesiastical authority, 
an indulgence of 300 days, once a day; plenary indulgence 
on usual conditions. 

Ejaculation. 

St. Joseph, model and patron of those who love the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day.-— Leo XIII., Dec. 19, 1891. 
Prayer. 

EM EMBER, O most pure spouse of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, my sweet protector St. Joseph! that 
no one ever had recourse to thy protection or implored 
thy aid without obtaining relief. Confiding therefore in 
thy goodness, I come before thee, and humbly supplicate 
thee. Oh, despise not my petitions, foster-father of the 
Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Pius IX., June 26, 1863. 
PRAYERS IN HONOR OF ST. JOSEPH FOR THE AGONIZING. 

TERNAL Father, by Thy love for St. Joseph, whom 
Thou didst select from among all men to represent 
Thee upon earth, have mercy on us and on the dying. 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 






Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament, 60 1 



Eternal divine Son, by Thy love for St. Joseph, who was 
Thy faithful guardian upon earth, have mercy upon us and 
upon the dying. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

Eternal divine Spirit, by Thy love for St. Joseph, Who so 
carefully watched over Mary, Thy beloved spouse, have 
mercy on us and on the dying. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day.. — Leo XIII., May 17, 1884. 

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH, PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH. 

OST powerful patriarch St. Joseph, patron of the Uni- 
versal Church, which has always invoked thee in 
anxiety and trouble, from the exalted seat of thy glory cast 
a loving glance upon the whole Catholic world. Let thy 
fatherly heart be touched at the sight of the mystical spouse, 
and the Vicar of Christ overwhelmed with sorrow and per- 
secuted by powerful enemies. Oh; by the bitter anguish 
thou didst experience upon earth, dry the tears of the vener- 
able Pontiff, defend him. liberate him, intercede for him 
with the Giver of peace and charity, that, all adversity being 
removed, and all error dissipated, the entire Church may 
serve God in perfect liberty: Ut destrnctis adversitatibus 
et erroribus universis Ecdesia secura Deo serviat libertate. 
Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 4, 1882. 

V. 

^Devotions to tbe 355lesset> Sacrament ant> to 
tbe Sacrefc Ibeart of Jesus** 

THE THREE THURSDAYS. 

"^7^ HE Three Thursdays" is not a phrase to which pious 
KzJ ears are used, as they are used to \ ' The Nine Fridays. ' ' 
Our readers, especially in Ireland and more especially in 
Dublin, are happily familiar with that magnificent exercise 
of persevering faith and piety by which so many continually 
increasing thousands endeavor to gain very special graces 
by receiving holy communion on the first Friday of nine 

* See page 547 for note concerning the intermingling of devo- 
tions to the Sacred Heart and the Blessed Sacrament. 




602 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



months following one another without a single break. By 
the way, why nine — not fewer and not more ? W as that par- 
ticular number honored by Our Lord's choice for this pur- 
pose in memory of the first nine months of His human life ? 

But ''The Three Thursdays" is only a name by which 
three special days of the year are perhaps now for the first 
time linked together on account of certain Eucharistic 
associations which I am going to explain — Holy Thursday 
Ascension Thursday, and the Feast of Corpus Christi. 
These are the only religious solemnities that are attached 
to the fifth day of the week as such; and they all three 
— two of them expressly, and one (as we shall presently 
see) indirectly and by suggestion — are special reminders 
and memorials of the Blessed Eucharist. Perhaps some 
devout souls who are eager to seize on any excuse or device 
for renewing their fervor will reproach themselves with 
having too completely overlooked the Eucharistic claims 
of Thursday, and with having scarcely heeded the invitation 
which its associations address to the pious faithful to extend 
practically to all the Thursdays of the year the liturgical 
title of Thursday in Holy Week — Feria quinta in coena Do- 
mini, Thursday of the Lord's Supper. 

The first, then, of the Three Thursdays is Maundy Thurs- 
day, for which the faithful have, with good reason, invented 
for themselves the name of Holy Thursday, though it is 
not called so in the Missal, as Holy Saturday is. This 
solemn day was not chosen arbitrarily to do honor to the 
Blessed Eucharist, but because it was on this day that Our 
Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled His promise and instituted this 
memorial of His love, on the night before He suffered, on 
the eve of Good Friday. 

So, too, the Feast of the Ascension is not an arbitrary 
feast in the calendar, but is kept on one fixed and deter- 
minate Thursday for this reason : because Our Saviour, after 
His Resurrection, fingered on for another forty days in the 
desert of this world, as He had spent forty days in the desert 
at the beginning of His public life; and in these forty days 
after Easter Sunday we reach exactly the Thursday of the 
sixth week of Paschal time, which is, therefore, the anni- 
versary of Our Lord's Ascension from Mount Olivet, and 
which we therefore call Ascension Thursday. 

The particular date, however, of Corpus Christi, the third 
of these Three Thursdays that I am linking together, was 
not thus fixed beforehand by the circumstances of the 
event that it commemorates; but it was chosen deliberately 
for the following excellent reasons. This great feast of 
the Blessed Sacrament was intended to make amends to 



and the Sacred Heart, 



603 



the faithful for the restraints placed on their piety on Holy 
Thursday itself, when the nearness of Good Friday hindered 
them from making it a sufficiently joyful festival. Now, 
what date should be selected for this Eucharistic consecra- 
tion, for the fuller gratifying of our pent-up feelings of 
joy and gratitude for the institution of the great banquet 
of love? There was a certain fitness in choosing some day 
that comes as soon as possible after the completion of the 
yearly cycle of feasts which commemorate the events of 
Our Lord's life on earth, ending with the establishment of 
His Church and the descent of the Holy Ghost. That 
cycle closes with Pentecost: what day, therefore, after 
the octave of Whitsunday, shall be the glorious feast of 
reparation and thanksgiving for the Sacrament of the body 
of Our Lord? The Thursday of the first week after Whit- 
suntide is Corpus Christi, not preferred at random (as we 
have said several times) to the other days of the week, 
but out of homage to that particular day on which this 
Most Blessed Sacrament was actually instituted. 

Finally, what individual claim can Ascension Thursday 
advance to be ranked as a Eucharistic festival, like the 
two other Thursdays which it comes between? Because 
the commemoration of the departure of our divine Re- 
deemer must needs call to our minds His abiding presence 
amongst us. He who is gone stays still. Hundreds of 
years before the Ascension the Royal Psalmist, w^ho fore- 
saw it, linked this consolation with his prophecy, or at 
least piety is delighted at discovering this hidden meaning 
in his words: "Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led 
captivity captive, Thou hast received gifts in men" (Psalm 
lxvii. 19). This was the supreme gift and love -token which, 
if it had not been given already, would have been given 
then, to console those who were left behind in loneliness 
on the mountain of the Ascension. Surely, as all the pathetic 
words spoken at the Last Supper have a deeper force, a 
more poignant significance, if we imagine them repeated 
by Jesus at the very last on Mount Olivet, when the final 
parting had indeed come, as they were repeated (if not with 
His lips) with His Heart; so, too, the "memorial of His 
marvels," memoria mirabilium suorum, the memento that 
He left behind Him, did not take effect, as it were, or come 
fully into play, until His visible presence was actually with- 
drawn. And therefore, when Our Redeemer goes from us 
on the clouds of heaven, it is impossible not to try and calm, 
our troubled hearts by reminding ourselves of the supreme 
device of His love by means of which, though He has gone, 



604 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



He will be with us still. May we not give this meaning 
to the warning of the white-robed angels: Hie Jesus qui 
assumptus est veniet? He will come: He will Himself be 
the greatest of the gifts that He gave to men when ascend- 
ing on high. Dedit dona hominibus. 

A holy man,* whose writings are marked by great sobriety 
of thought and the absence of all extravagance, has written: 
''The presence of Our Lord in the tabernacle may be said to 
be the very chief of all the mercies of God to us in our pres- 
ent state; more precious than the guardianship of the 
angels of which we think so little, or the practical benefits 
which flow from our membership of the Church, or from 
the prayers and protection of the saints, or even from the 
mightiness and power and vigilant tenderness of the motherly 
care of Mary herself " 

St. Paul's argument about the Incarnation applies with over- 
whelming force to this special phase or development of the 
Incarnation, in which the Word that was made flesh in order 
to dwell amongst us visibly has disguised that vesture of 
flesh under another form in order to dwell amongst us still, 
corporally and yet invisibly. St. Paul asks: " He that spared 
not even His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how 
hath He not also with Him given us all things?" (Rom. viii., 
32). And now we too may ask: since Jesus Christ, the 
eternal Son of God, has deigned to give Himself to us in so 
close a union, and to dwell night and day in our midst that 
He may come often into our hearts, what greater proof of 
His love can there be left for Him to give ? And ought not 
our gratitude and our love to be as unceasing and, in our 
poor finite measure, as intense as His infinite love and 
bounty? (Father Russell's "Communion Day.") 

DEVOUT EXERCISES FOR ALL THE THURSDAYS IN THE YEAR, 
AND ESPECIALLY FOR HOLY THURSDAY AND THE FEAST 
OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 

*>^HE Sovereign Pontiff, Pius VII., on Feb. 14, 1815, and 
V*) April 6, 1 8 1 6, granted : a plenary indulgence to all those 
who shall perform for one hour, in public or in private, on 
Holy Thursday, any devout exercise in honor of the insti- 
tution of the Blessed Sacrament, provided that they be 
truly penitent, and approach the sacraments of confes- 
sion and communion on that day, or on any day during, the 
following week. 

A plenary indulgence, on the same conditions, on the 



Henry James Coleridge, S.J. 



and the Sacred Heart, 



605 



Feast of Corpus Christi. An indulgence of 300 days for 
each of the other Thursdays of the year, on performing the 
said exercise with at least contrite heart and devotion. All 
these indulgences were confirmed by the Sovereign Pontiff, 
Pius IX., June 18, 1876. 

EMMANUEL.* 

"His name shall be called Emmanuel, which, being inter- 
preted, is God with us" (Is. vii. 14; Matt. i. 23). 

"HAT would this world of ours be without the 
Blessed Sacrament? How bleak and desolate 
the earth, if it were not for the living humanity of Our 
Lord present in our midst! I often think that those who 
are outside the Church, and debarred from the bodily pres- 
ence of Jesus on earth, are somewhat in the plight of the 
lost souls, who are debarred from the sight of the divine 
Essence in the other world. In a sad state, indeed, are 
those poor souls who know not that Jesus is on earth, that 
He is near them, in the same town with them, next door to 
them, and passes by them on the streets. And if they hear 
it, they will not believe it; just as the Jews did not believe it 
when He Himself told them (John vi.) . They do not under- 
stand their loss. Jesus is, or at least should be, our life, 
our joy, and our great desire. Our disposition here and now 
should be to rejoice and exult that He is present in the 
Blessed Sacrament, to thank Him all the day long and to 
find our happiness and consolation in staying before the 
altar; having only one further desire, the blessedness of 
beholding Him with our eyes face to face. But that is 
too great a thing for this mortal, temporary existence, 
where all is yet dark and imperfect, and we live in the faint 
twilight of dawn (for that is what this world is), and not 
in the full blaze of the heavenly noonday. That we must 
long for and pray for to come in the future ; then, in heaven 
we will behold Him face to face. This desire is expressed 
in that verse in the Canticles, where the soul, still seeing 
in a glass darkly, says to the Beloved, "Show me, O Thou 
Whom my soul loveth, where Thou feedest, where Thou 
liest in the mid-day" — that is, she desires to behold Him 
face to fjace, in the full light of heaven. But now she must 
be content with the presence of her Beloved in the dark, 
as it were, where she cannot see His human form, but, never- 
theless, knows well that she has His humanity here, in the 



* Adapted from "The Little Grain of Wheat." 



606 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



Blessed Sacrament, where He lives and feeds among pure 
souls; and so she says again, in the words of the Canticles: 
''My Beloved to me and I to Him, Who feedeth among 
the lilies, until the day break and the shadows flee away." 

So we should find our delight in Our Lord's presence with 
us in the darkness of this life ; and we should be very grate- 
ful that He has not left us alone in the darkness. If we 
greatly love and desire Him, we will greatly love His sacra- 
mental presence, that is, if we have a vivid, lively faith. 
And faith and love go together. 

Our Lord is not in the Blessed Sacrament as dead or asleep, 
nor simply there to receive your love and adoration. But 
just as the most blessed Virgin had her divine Son's life, 
and His holy examples, and actions, and words going on 
before her eyes, to her inconceivable advancement in grace 
and spiritual progress, even so we have her Son's life and 
example going on before our eyes, in all their stages, which 
we can study to our immense profit and advancement in 
grace. The life of our dear Lord in the divine Host is most 
active. He remains still in the tabernacle, it is true, but 
graces are flying forth from His Heart in inconceivable 
abundance. 

From the tabernacle Our Lord works miracles both on 
souls and bodies, as He did of old in Galilee and Judea. 

Our divine Lord, thus present in this Sacrament of His 
love, is the central object of the devotion and worship of 
the holy Catholic Church. From His Sacred Heart, present 
in the tabernacle, go forth streams of grace upon human souls, 
that lift them up in prayer and adoration to the throne of 
God. Ask yourselves whence comes the sense of awe with 
which even the least devout of us is filled when we enter 
a Catholic church? We feel ourselves, when we know that 
our divine Lord is present, in a spirit of prayer that lifts 
our souls up to God. That is what distinguishes the hum- 
blest Catholic church from heretical places of worship. It 
is the house and the very home of God. The very words 
we use, "a visit to the Blessed Sacrament," reminds us that 
we go to a living person, and that He is no other than our 
blessed Saviour, Who deigns to dwell amongst us that He may 
draw us to Himself and pour out His grace upon us. 

And how wonderfully is this gracious purpose of His 
mercy fulfilled! How many human souls are daily raised 
by this adorable Presence above the cares and interests, 
and sorrows and pleasures of life to the thought of God, 
and all that His service imports! If we could only see 
brought all together the acts of adoration, and love, and 



and the Sacred Heart. 



607 



thanksgiving, and resignation, and the outpourings of human 
hearts that go to make up the service of God on earth, that 
are daily and hourly drawn out of them in every quarter 
of the world by this Adorable Sacrament, we should then 
understand something of the way in which it fulfils the loving 
design of its institution. 

Before the tabernacle great saints have communed with 
God upon the heights which we may never reach; there, 
too, sinners have come, and, touched by the grace that 
goes out from Him, found the contrite and humble heart 
which He will never despise. Think of the millions of the 
ordinary faithful who, day by day, or, at least from time to 
time, come into the house of God to pray, and even for a 
moment catch a glimpse of holy things, and carry the memory 
of it like a saving influence back into their ordinary avoca- 
tions; think of the countless Religious — nuns and monks — 
to whom this presence is as the air they breathe, the very 
life and sustenance of their souls. No one shall ever know 
all that this Adorable Sacrament is for human souls; but 
we do know that in countless ways, ceaselessly, according 
to the multitudinous mercies of the Sacred Heart, it is work- 
ing upon us — converting the sinner, making perfect the 
saint, keeping the ordinary Christian in the way of God's 
commandments, raising all our hearts to that one Heart which 
is the center and source of grace and love. 

We should, then, try to cultivate in ourselves the spirit 
of devotion to our blessed Lord in the Holy Eucharist. 

He is with us in the Blessed Sacrament as a consea x uence 
of the Resurrection and Ascension; and His sacramental 
presence is a constant reminder of those happy mysteries. 
He is in the same actual state now, in the tabernacle, that 
He was in on the morning of the Resurrection, and when 
He was parted from His apostles on His Ascension day. He 
comes to us from the glory of heaven, fresh from the bosom 
of His Father, full of beauty, blessedness, and joy, full of 
the new wine of His Father's love, crowned and sceptered^ 
and Sovereign of the kingdom of God, and desiring to con- 
fer all this blessedness, glory, and royalty on all who will 
open to Him their hearts. Blessed are we, who have Him 
with us night and day! In Him we have all we want; for 
in the Holy Eucharist He gives us all He ever was, and is, 
and is to be. " Blessed are the eyes which see the things 
that you see; for I say to you that many prophets and 
kings have desired to see the things that you see, and have 
not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear, and 
have not heard them" (Luke x. 23). 



608 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



LOOKING THROUGH THE LATTICES.* 

' ' *"|T>EHOLD He standeth behind our wall." But the barrier 
JttJ) between Our Lord in His veiled presence and our- 
selves is not a drawback, an obstacle to union with Him — 
inseparable indeed from the present condition of things — 
yet an obstacle for all that. It is distinctly willed by Him 
as a necessary part of our trial, a wholesome discipline, 
a purification of love. It has in it all the privileges, advan- 
tages, blessings, that in this life belong to pain, and can 
be won by pain alone. It is a present blessing as well as 
a pledge of blessing to come. "Blessed are they that have 
not seen and have believed" (John xx.). It is a pledge of 
that full clear vision, "reserved in heaven for you, who, 
by the power of God, are kept by faith unto salvation, 
ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein you shall 
greatly rejoice, if now for a little time you must be made 
sorrowful. . . . That the trial of your faith (much more 
precious than gold which is tried by the fire) may be found 
unto praise and glory and honor at the appearing of Jesus 
Christ: Whom having not seen, you love; in Whom also 
now, though you see Him not, you believe, and believing 
shall rejoice with joy unspeakable" (i Pet. i.). 

"We see now through a glass in a dark manner: but then 
face to face" (i Cor. xiii.). "I shall see Him, but not now" 
(Num. xxiv., 17). How will that face to face vision be 
the brighter and the sweeter for the dimness now! How 
will the joy of that moment, when we part for ever with faith 
be intensified by what faith has cost us in the past! 

But meanwhile the Beloved is behind the wall. And He 
is there with all the sympathy for our difficulty which His 
perfect knowledge of it enables Him to have. "Jesus 
needed not that any man should tell Him for He knew what 
was in man." He knows the weariness of praying on against 
apparently unanswered prayer; against the pain of physical 
restlessness, the labor of thought, the irksomeness of con- 
centration, the perpetual gathering together of the forces 
that are playing truant in a thousand fields, recalled for a 
brief space only to be off again more wayward for their 
capture. All this He knows. And our remedy is to 
remember that He knows it. He Who has appointed 
prayer to be the channel of grace, means such prayer as 
we can bring Him. He does not ask impossibilities. He 
does not place us amid distracting work all day long and 



Canticles ii. 9. 



and the Sacred Heart, 



609 



expect us to shut it out by an effort of will the moment we 
kneel down to pray. Nor even to shut it out by repeated 
efforts. He would have us turn our distractions and weari- 
ness not so much into matter for self-reproach, or humili- 
ation even, as into a loving, trustful plea for His pity and His 
help. This is prayer. Lay the tired brain, the strained 
muscles, the aching head — lay them all down at His feet 
without a word, just for His eye to rest on and His Heart 
to help and heal. 

There are times when physical lassitude, cold or heat, an 
importunate thought, a trial with its sting still fresh, baffles 
every effort to fix the mind on the subject of prayer, and con- 
centrates the whole attention on what for the moment is 
all-absorbing. Times harder still to manage, when mind 
and heart are so absolutely vacant and callous that there 
is no rousing them to action. This reflection will some- 
times be helpful then — What should I have to say were I 
in the presence of the one I love best in the world; with 
whom I am quite at my ease; my friend par excellence; to 
whom my trials, difficulties, character, the secrets of my 
soul are known; that one in whose concerns and welfare 
I take the deepest interest ; whose plans and views are mine, 
discussed again and again together; in whose company time 
flies and the hour for parting comes too soon — what should 
I find to say? 

Say it, make an effort to say it to Him Who is in the 
tabernacle yonder. 

O Jesus, hidden God, "more friendly than a brother" 
(Prov. xviii. 24), I believe most firmly that You are present, 
a few feet only from where I kneel. You are behind that 
little wall, listening for every word of confidence, and love, 
and thanksgiving, and praise. Listening when my heart 
is free to pour itself out to You as the brook to the river 
in the days of spring. Listening more tenderly when the 
stream is ice-bound; when I kneel before You troubled, 
wearied, anxious about many things, about many souls 
perhaps, yet dry and hard, without a word to say. Make 
my heart so perfectly at ease with You, O Lord, that it may 
be able to turn to You even in its coldness and inertness; 
to confide to You naturally all that most intimately con- 
cerns it; to be content with this, when discontented with 
all else, with self most of all — that You know all men "and 
need not that any should give testimony of man, for You 
know what is in man " (John ii.). — Mother Mary Loyola. 



6io Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



XLbc Dour of Bfcoratioiu 

ONE of the methods for keeping the Hour of Adoration, 
recommended and explained by Pere Eymard in his 
beautiful work "La Presence Re'elle," is that which corres- 
ponds to the four ends of sacrifice. The Hour of Adoration 
is divided into four parts. During each quarter of an hour 
we are to honor Our Lord by one of the four ends of sacrifice, 
i.e., by Adoration, Thanksgiving, Reparation, and Supplica- 
tion. 

Meditation or Spiritual Reading and an Act of Spiritual 
Communion should also form part of the hour or half -hour 
of adoration. Litanies, Offices, Chaplets, suitable prayers 
and devout acts of various kinds are plentifully supplied 
in the following and other parts of this book for the use 
of the fervent Religious in her visits to Jesus, her divine 
Spouse, in the Sacrament of His love. 

Ipragers for Visits to tbe JBlesseb Sacrament anD tbe 
1bour of Bfcorattom 

ACTS OF ADORATION THANKSGIVING, REPARATION AND SUP- 
PLICATION. 




N my moments before the tabernacle, I will try to obey 
the pious counsels contained in the Latin distich: 



"Crede, dole, spera, grates age, dilige, adora, 
Vulnera pande animae, donaque sancta pete." 

Believing all that God has in any way to d to us — grieving 
for all my sins, offences, and negligences — hoping in Thee. 

Lord, Who wilt never let me be confounded — thanking 
Thee for this supreme gift, and for all the gifts of Thy good- 
ness — loving Thee, above all in this Sacrament of Thy love — 
adoring Thee in this deepest mystery of Thy condescension: 

1 lay before Thee all the wounds and wants of my poor soul, 
and ask for all that I need and desire. But I need only 
Thyself, O Lord; I desire none but Thee — Thy grace, and 
the grace to use well Thy graces, the possession of Thee 
by grace in this life, and the possession of Thee for ever in 
the eternal kingdom of Thy glory. Thus, day by day, espe- 
cially during my moments before the tabernacle, I will, with 
God's help — 



and the Sacred Heai't. 



611 



"Believe, and grieve, and hope; thank, love, adore, 
Show my soul's wounds, and holy gifts implore." 

There is no aspect of God's love for us which ought to 
affect our hearts more tenderly than the mere fact of His 
wishing to be loved by us; and there is no manifestation 
of that tenderness of the Sacred Heart more touching than 
the yearning to be remembered, expressed at many times 
and in many ways, but especially in the Eucharistic Do this 
hi commemoration of Me, which becomes at the altar even 
more simple and affecting, In Mei memoriam jacietis — "In 
memory of Me." When such infinite and utterly incom- 
prehensible love as this has Omnipotence for the instru- 
ment of its behests, how can any poor little creature of God — 
whose sole dignity is that he has a heart to love Him — how 
can he presume for one moment to discuss the limits of the 
possibilities of the divine condescension? — Fr. Russell, S.J. 

MOMENTS BEFORE THE TABERNACL/E. 

QY God, my Lord, in Thine own place, 
, I kneel before Thy sacred face — 
That face which once for me on high 
Hung white in death beneath the sky — 
And hail Thee King and Lord and Love, 
My heaven on earth, my all above. 

O Love supreme, O Love divine, 
Who stoopest low to make me Thine. 

Jesus, God and Master, pent 
Within this gracious Sacrament! 

1 love Thee, praise Thee, thank and bless 
Thy Godhead in Thy lowliness. 

For me made low! For me the Lord 

Of heaven, the uncreated Word 

Of God, doth condescend to dwell 

By night and day within this cell. 

Oh! break,, proud heart, such love to see 

Revealed in such humility. 

My God, my Jesus, Thou hast done 

All that Thou canst to make me one • 

With Thine own self. What need I more ? 

What grace is left me to implore? 

Bought with Thy blood, for me outpoured — 

Fed with the body of my Lord! 



6l2 



Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



Yet, ah! my Jesus kind and meek 
One other grace I still must seek: 
That all this love and all this pain 
May not be felt and borne in vain, 
But that Thy love may win my love 
And make me Thine in heaven above. 

Bets of 3faitb t 1bope t anfc Gbaritg before tbe JSlesseD 
Sacrament. 

For the Flour of Adoration and also at Holy Com- 
munion. 

AN ACT OF FAITH. 

(Father Ramiere, S.J.) 

JESUS! my Lord, my God, and my all! I 
believe that Thou art in Thy living manhood 
as truly present here in the Blessed Sacrament as 
when Thou didst walk amidst men, and converse with 
them. Relying on Thy word, which shall not pass 
away, I believe that Thou art here, ever living to make 
intercession for us. Here is Thy sacred body, which 
hung upon the cross; here is Thy soul, which was sor- 
rowful unto death and agonized in the Garden of Olives 
on account of my sins; here are those sacred wounds 
made by the nails and spear; here are those eyes which 
looked with pity and love on the penitent Peter, now 
gazing into my heart, now raised to plead for me with 
the heavenly Father, here are those ears, which heard 
the cruel cry of the Jews: " Crucify Him," which listened 
so compassionately to all the ills of men, and which 
now are listening to me. Lord, T believe that here 
on the altar Thy wounded Heart is beating for love of 
me, and I recall Thy blessed words: "My Heart is so 
consumed with love for men, that it can no longer 
restrain the flames of its charity.' ' Sweet words of 
Thine, O blessed Saviour! I believe that they are true, 
.and true as regards myself. 



and the Sacred Heart. 



613 



AN ACT OF HOPE. 

(Father de la Colombiere.) 

Y God, I am fully convinced that Thou dost watch 
over all those who hope in Thee, and that we 
can want for nothing whilst we expect all from Thee: 
therefore I am resolved from henceforth to live without 
anxiety, and to cast all my care upon Thee. 

R. In peace I will sleep and I will rest: for Thou, O 
Lord, hast wonderfully established me in hope. 

Men may turn against me: sickness may take away 
my strength, and the means of serving Thee; I may 
even lose Thy grace by sin; but I will never lose my 
hope. I will keep it even to the last moment of my life ; 
and all the demons in hell shall try in vain to tear it from 
me. 

R. In peace I will sleep and I will rest. 

Others may look for happiness from their riches or 
their talents; they may rely upon the innocence of their 
lives, the rigor of their penance, the number of their 
good works, or the fervor of their prayers; but for me, 

Lord, my confidence shall be my confidence itself. 

R. For Thou, O Lord, hast wonderfully established 
me in hope. 

This confidence has never deceived any one. "No 
one hath hoped in the Lord, and been put to shame." 

1 am sure, then, that I shall be eternally happy, because 
I hope firmly to be so, and it is from Thee, O Lord, 
that I hope it. 

R. In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; I shall not be 
confounded for ever. 

I know that I am frail and changeable; I know the 
power of temptation against virtues the most firmly 
based; I have seen the stars of heaven and the pillars 
of the firmament fall; but not even this can make me 
fear. As long as I hope, I am safe from every evil, and 




6 14 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



I am sure of always hoping, because I hope for this 
unchanging hope. 

R. For Thou, O Lord, hast wonderfully established 
me in hope. 

In fine, I am sure that I can not hope too much in 
Thee; and that I can not obtain less than I hope for 
from Thee. Thus I hope that Thou wilt uphold me 
in the greatest dangers, protect me in the most violent 
assaults, and make my weakness triumph over my most 
formidable enemies. I hope that Thou wilt love me 
always, and that I also shall love Thee with unfailing 
love ; and, to carry my hope at once as far as it can go, 
I hope for Thee from Thyself, my Creator, both in 
time and eternity. Amen. 

R. In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; I shall not be 
confounded for ever. 



AN ACT OF CHARITY. 

(Blessed Margaret Mary's Sentiments.) 

f\ GOOD and merciful Saviour, it is the desire of 
my heart to return Thee love for love. My 
greatest sorrow is that Thou art not loved by men, and, 
in particular, that my own heart is so cold, so selfish, 
and ungrateful. Deeply sensible of my own weakness 
and poverty, I trust that Thy own grace will enable 
me to offer Thee an act of pure and sincere love. And 
I wish to offer Thee this act of love in reparation for 
the coldness and neglect that are shown to Thee by 
Thy creatures in the Sacrament of Thy love. O Jesus, 
my sovereign Good, I love Thee, not for the sake of 
the reward which Thou hast promised to those who 
love Thee, but purely for Thyself. I love Thee above 
all things that can be loved, above all pleasures, and 
in fine above myself and all that is not Thee, protest- 
ing in presence of heaven and earth, that I will live and 



and the Sacred Heart. 



615 



die purely and simply in Thy holy love, and that if 
to love Thee thus I must be persecuted, tormented, 
and put to death, I am perfectly satisfied, and I will 
ever say with St. Paul: Nothing can separate me from 
the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, which I 
love and will love eternally. O Jesus, supreme Master 
of all hearts, I love Thee, I adore Thee, I praise Thee, 
I thank Thee, because I am now all Thine own. Rule 
over me, and transform my soul into the likeness of 
Thyself, so that it may bless and glorify Thee for ever 
in the abode of the saints. — (Adapted.) 

A PRAYER FOR A VISIT TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

(Including all the Acts Recommended.) 

Y Lord and my God, I firmly believe that Thou art 
really present in the sacred Host. I adore Thee be- 
neath the sacramental veil which Thou hast mercifully chosen 
in order to approach us. Permit me, O dearest Jesus, to 
render Thee my homage together with the angels who sur- 
round Thy altar-throne. I believe that Thou dwellest on 
our altars not only to receive our humble adoration, but also 
to be the food of our souls, our sacrifice to the infinite majesty 
of the heavenly Father, our light in darkness, our counsel 
in doubt, our consolation in affliction, our strength in tempta- 
tion, our solace in suffering, our joy in persecution, our 
friend in every need, our teacher in the school of perfection, 
our master and our model in striving to become saints. 

I am a poor sinner, but I hope in that boundless mercy 
which detains Thee a prisoner of love in the tabernacle. I 
come to Thee with a contrite heart, and I beg Thy pardon 
and mercy. Thou art truly called the "Lover of souls," 
for Thou hast sacrificed Thy life for our salvation; Thou 
hast said: "My delights are to be with the children of men"; 
and Thy death-bed gift to us was the Holy Eucharist. I 
behold the tabernacle surmounted by a cross, and this re- 
minds me, dear Lord and Saviour, that the Blessed Sacra- 
ment is a memorial of Thy Passion and death. I love that 
infinite goodness which induced Thee to institute this Holy 
Sacrament of the altar, which is the grandest memorial of 




616 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 

all Thy works, and in which Thou dost communicate Thy- 
self so wonderfully to Thy creatures. I thank Thee for this 
sublime proof of Thy love, and ardently wish that I could 
worthily acknowledge all the blessings that I have ever re- 
ceived from this fountain of grace and mercy. I sincerely 
regret that this precious pledge of Thy love is received by 
so many Christians with coldness and indifference. I wish 
to make amends for my own ingratitude, and heartfelt atone- 
ment for all those sinful acts of my life, by which I have 
wounded Thy loving Sacred Heart. I offer Thee my pro- 
found adoration, my reparation, my sorrow and my love, to 
appease and to rejoice, as much as I can, Thy Sacred Heart, 
in this Sacrament of love for all the acts of irreverence, 
profanation, and sacrilege which, to my shame, I may ever 
have committed, as well as for all those which have been 
committed by others. I adore Thee, my Lord and my 
God, with all the strength I have* I love Thee with the 
fervor of my whole soul; I acknowledge Thee as my only 
Master; I offer Thee all that I have, and all that I am. Jesus! 
I give Thee my heart with all its affections; I give Thee my 
soul with all its powers; I give Thee my body with all its 
senses. Jesus! I consecrate myseff entirely to Thee; I wish 
to live and labor and suffer and die for the love of Thee. I 
abandon myself to Thee. Give me but Thy love and Thy 
grace, then my heart will be satisfied, and I will ask for nothing 
more. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done! I desire to 
adore and love Thee now and always, not only to supply 
the defect of those Catholics who do not adore and love Thee, 
but also for the conversion of heretics, schismatics, atheists, 
blasphemers, Jews, and idolaters. O silent Dweller in the 
tabernacle, Thou art, indeed, a hidden God! here Thou art 
still the Victim of the cross! As I gaze upon the sacred Host, 
I recall that pathetic word of Thine, O Lord, at the Last 
Supper: "Do this in commemoration of Me" — "Remember 
Me!" Yes, the Blessed Sacrament is a memorial of the 
"Man oj sorrows," a memorial of the greatest pain a creature 
on earth ever endured, a memorial of the most tender, most 
constant, most unse'fish and most heroic love the world shall 
ever know — the last sweet gift of a Heart that fears to be 
forgotten. Oh, yes! Lord, I shall remember Thee. How 
could I forget Thy love, dearest Jesus! May est Thou be 



and the Sacred Heart. 



617 



known, adored, and loved by all, and may thanks be con- 
tinually given to Thee in the Most Holy and Most Adorable 
Sacrament. Amen. 

PRAYER OF ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI FOR A VISIT TO THE 
BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

*T""!ORD Jesus Christ, Who, through the love which Thou 
A — * bearest to men, dost remain with them day and night 
in this Sacrament, full of mercy and of love, expecting, invit- 
ing, and receiving all who come to visit Thee, I believe that 
Thou art present in the Sacrament of the altar. From the 
abyss of my nothingness I adore Thee, and I thank Thee 
for all the favors which Thou hast bestowed upon me, par- 
ticularly for having given me Thyself in this Sacrament, for 
having given me for my advocate Thy most holy Mother, 
Mary, and for having called me to visit Thee in this church. 

I this day salute Thy most loving Heart, and I wish to 
salute it for three ends: first, in thanksgiving for this great 
gift; secondly, in compensation for all the injuries Thou 
hast received from Thy enemies in this Sacrament; thirdly, 
I wish by this visit, to adore Thee in all places in which Thou 
art least honored and most abandoned in the Holy Sacra- 
ment. My Jesus, I love Thee with my whole heart. I am 
sorry for having hitherto offended Thine infinite goodness. I 
purpose, with the assistance of Thy grace, never more to 
offend Thee; and, at this moment, miserable as I am, I con- 
secrate my whole being to Thee. I give Thee my entire 
will, all my affections and desires, and all that I have. From 
this day forward, do what Thou wilt with me, and with 
whatever belongs to me. I ask and desire only Thy holy 
love, the gift of final perseverance, and the perfect accom- 
plishment of Thy will. I recommend to Thee the souls in 
purgatory, particularly those who were most devoted to 
the Blessed Sacrament and to most holy Mary; and I also 
recommend to Thee all poor sinners. Finally, my dear 
Saviour, I unite all my affections with the affections of Thy 
most loving Heart; and, thus united, I offer them to Thy 
Eternal Father, and I entreat Him, in Thy name, and for 
Thy sake, to accept them. 

Indulgence of 300 days when said before the Blessed Sacra- 
ment. Plenary indulgence on usual conditions. — Pius IX., Sept. 
7> l8 54- 



618 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



Pious Ejaculations. 

AY the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament 
be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, 
at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even 
to the end of time. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days. — Pius IX., Feb. 29, 1868. 

O SACRAMENT most holy! O Sacrament divine! 
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment 

Thine ! 

Indulgence of 100 days. — Pius VI., May 24, 1776. 

AY the most just, most high, most adorable will of God 
in all things be done, praised, and magnified for ever. 
Indulgence of 100 days. — Pius VII., May 19, 1818. 

Senttmente of a IReUgioua before tbe ffileseed 
Sacrament** 

How have I deserved this happy lot? 

BEHOLD me in Thy presence, O my Jesus! Hidden 
in the Sacrament, Thou art the self -same Jesus Who 
for me didst sacrifice Thyself on the cross. Thou art He 
Who lovest me so much, and Who hast therefore confined 
Thyself in this prison of love. Amongst so many who have 
offended Thee less than I, and who have loved Thee better 
than I, Thou hast chosen me, in Thy goodness, to keep 
Thee company in this house, where, having drawn me from 
the midst of the world, Thou hast destined me always 
to live united with Thee, and afterwards to have me nigh 
unto Thee to praise and to love Thee in Thy eternal king- 
dom. O Lord! I thank Thee. How have I deserved this 
happy lot? Happy indeed am I, O my Jesus! for having left 
the world; and it is my great desire to perform the vilest 
office in Thy house rather than dwell in the proudest royal 
palaces of men. Receive me, then, O Lord! to stay with 
Thee all my life long; do not chase me away, as I deserve. 
Be pleased to allow that, among the many pious souls who 
serve Thee in this house, I, though I ?m a miserable sinner, 
may serve Thee also. Many years have I lived far from Thee. 
But now that Thou hast enlightened me to know T the vanity 
of the world, and my own foolishness, I will not depart 
any more from Thy feet, O my Jesus! Thy sacramental 
presence shall animate me to fight when I am tempted. 
Dwelling so near to Thee, I shall be reminded of the obli- 





St. Alphonsus Liguori (adapted). 



and the Sacred Heart. 



619 



gation I am under to love Thee, and always have recourse 
to Thee in my combats against hell. I will always keep near 
to Thee. I love Thee, my God ! hidden in this Sacrament. 
Thou, for the love of me, .remainest always on this altar. 
I, for the love of Thee, will always remain in Thy presence 
as much as I shall be able. There enclosed Thou always 
lovest me, and here enclosed I will always love Thee. Always, 
then, O my Jesus, my Love, my all! shall we remain to- 
gether, — in time in this house, and during eternity in para- 
dise. This is my hope, so may it be. Most holy Mary, 
obtain for me a great love for the Most Holy Sacrament. 

Let us be always united; let us never more be separated. 

OMY Jesus, this is what I seek of Thee, and what I will 
always ask of Thee in holy communion: "Let us be 
always united; let us never more be separated. 7 ' I know that 
Thou wilt not abandon me. Thou art so good and merciful. 
But I fear my own weaknesses, O my blessed Redeemer. 
'' Suffer me not to be separated from Thee by sin! " As long 
as I am alive I am in danger from the enemies of my soul. 
Oh, through the merits of Thy Passion and death, I beseech 
Thee let me die, rather than commit a mortal sin. I repeat 
it, and pray Thee to grant me the grace always to repeat: 
"Suffer me not to be separated from Thee! " O God of my 
soul, my Lord and my all, I love Thee, I love Thee alone, 
and I will always love Thee! I desire but Thy love and 
Thy grace. May I be ever faithful to my vows. May I 
ever live according to the spirit of our Holy Rule. May 
I ever follow Thy example of humility, purity, obedience, 
poverty, and conformity to the will of our heavenly Father. 
Mary, dear Mother, pray for me, that I may love Jesus more 
and more and praise Him for ever with Thee in heaven. 

B&oratioiu 

AN APPROPRIATE PRAYER TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT FOR 
THURSDAY. 

OMOST adorable Jesus, merciful Saviour, Victim of 
love upon our altars, receive, I beseech Thee, my 
profound adoration. I firmly believe that Thou art really 
present in the Holy Eucharist, where Thou mercifully hid' st 
the splendor of Thy Majesty, lest it should deter us from 
approaching Thy sanctuary I believe that Thou art as 
powerful, as amiable and as adorable under the sacramental 



620 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 

veils as Thou art in heaven. I believe Thou dwellest on our 
altars, not alone to receive our adorations, but to listen to 
our petitions — to remedy our evils — to be the strength and 
nourishment of our souls, our powerful He 1 per, our Refuge, 
and our Sacrifice. I hope in that boundless mercy which 
detains Thee among us poor weak sinners. I love that 
infinite goodness which induces Thee to communicate Thy- 
self so liberally and so wonderful'v to Thy creatures. I thank 
Thee for this marvelous proof of Thy love, and ardently 
wish that I could worthily acknowledge all the blessings I 
have ever received from this Fountain of grace and mercy. 
I sincerely regret that this precious pledge of Thy love is 
received with such coldness and indifference. Alas! I my- 
self have too often wounded by my ingratitude Thy merciful 
Heart on this altar, and am more guilty than others because 
Thou hast not only granted me abundantly the general 
blessings which this Fountain of grace pours on the world, 
but Thou hast provided me with the most favorable oppor- 
tunities of loving and adoring Thee in this august Mystery. 
Thou hast placed me close to Thy sanctuary, where I can 
visit Thee frequently, and daily assist at the holy sacrifice of 
the Mass. Ah! my good God! Thou deservest all the love 
that my heart is capable of feeling; therefore, I humbly 
consecrate to Thee all my affections, and firmly resolve 
from this moment to endeavor to imitate the respect, grati- 
tude, and love wilich always distinguished those among 
Thy faithful servants who were specially devoted to the 
August Sacrament of the altar. Accept, O divine Jesus! 
the adorable sacrifice of the Mass, and all the thoughts, 
words, actions, and sufferings of this day, which I fervently 
offer in thanksgiving for the institution of this sublime Mys- 
tery; in atonement for all the insults, irreverences, and sac- 
rileges which have ever been committed against it; and to 
implore for myself, for all the faithful, and especially for 
priests and Religious a very fervent and fruitful devotion 
to the Holy Eucharist. 

Grant me, through Thy divine Heart, a share in the pure 
and ardent love of the angels, who day and night surround 
the tabernacle, and of all the saints, who loved Thee most 
in this sacred Mystery of the altar, that I may serve Thee 
with purity of intention, with ardor and perseverance during 



and the Sacred Heart. 



621 



my life, and enjoy Thee for ever in the splendor of Thy 
glory. Amen. 

INDULGENCED ACTS OF ADORATION AND ESPECIALLY THANKS- 
GIVING. 

Adoramus Te, Christe, et We adore Thee, Christ, 
benedicimus tibi. and we bless Thee. 

Quia per sanctam crucem Because by Thy holy cross 
tuam redemisti mundum. Thou hast redeemed the 

. . world. 

I ADORE Thee, eternal Father, and I give Thee thanks 
for the infinite love with which Thou didst deign to 
send Thy only-begotten Son to redeem me, and to become 
the food of my soul. I offer Thee all the -acts of adoration 
and thanksgiving that are offered to Thee by the angels 
and saints in heaven, and by the just on earth. I praise, 
love, and thank Thee with all the praise, love, and thanks- 
giving that are offered to The 2 by Thine own Son in the 
Blessed Sacrament; and I beg Thee to grant that He mav 
be known, loved, honored, praised, and worthily received 
by all, in this Most Divine Sacrament. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 
I adore Thee, eternal Son, and I thank Thee for the infinite 
love which caused Thee to become man for me, to be born 
in a stable, to live in poverty, to suffer hunger, thirst, heat, 
cold, fatigue, hardships, contempt, persecutions, the scourging, 
the crowning with thorns, and a cruel death upon the hard 
wood of the cross. I thank Thee, with the Church militant 
and triumphant, for the infinite 1 ve with which Thou didst 
institute the Most Blessed Sacrament to be the food of my 
♦ soul. 

I adore Thee in all the consecrated Hosts throughout the 
whole world, and I return thanks for those who know Thee 
not, and who do not thank Thee. Would that I were able 
to give my life to make Thee known, loved, and honored by 
all, in this Sacrament of love, an 1 to prevent the irreverences 
and sacrileges that are committed against Thee! I love Thee, 
divine Jesus, and I desire to receive Thee with all the purity, 
love, and affection of Thy blessed Mother, and with the love 
and affection of Thy own most pure Heart. Grant, O most 



622 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



amiable Spouse of my soul! in coming to me in this Most 
Holy Sacrament, that I may receive all the graces and bless- 
ings which Thou dost come to bestow on us, and let me 
rather die than receive Thee unworthily. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father 
I adore Thee, eternal Holv Ghost, and I give Thee thanks 
for the infinite love with which Thou didst work the ineffable 
mystery of the Incarnation, and for the infinite love with 
which Thou didst form the sacred body of Our Lord Jesus 
Christ out of the most pure blood of the blessed Virgin Mary, 
become in this Sacrament the food of my soul. I beg Thee 
to enlighten my . mind, and to purify my heart and the hearts 
of all men, that all may know the benefit of Thy love, and 
receive worthily this Most Blessed Sacrament. 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

TANTUM ERGO. 



ANTUM ergo Sacramen- 
tum 

Veneremur cernui: 

Et antiquum documentum 

Novo cedat ritui: 

Praestet fides supplementum 

Sensuum defectui. 

Genitori, Genitoque 
Laus et jubilatio: 

Salus, honor, virtus quoque, 

Sit et benedictio: 
Procedenti ab utroque 
Compar sit laudatio. 

V. Panem de coelo prae- 
stitisti eis. 

R. Omne delectamentum in 
se habentem. 

Oremus. 

V |^\HUS, qui nobis, sub sa- 
JLJ cramento mirabili 
passionis tuae memoriam re- 
liquisti: tribue, quaesumus, 




OWN in adoration fall- 
ing. 



Lo! the sacred Host we hail. 
Lo! o'er ancient forms de- 
parting, 
Newer rites of grace prevail; 
Faith for all defect supplying 
Where the feeble senses fail. 

To the everlasting Father, 
And the Son Who reigns on 
high, 

With the Holy Ghost pro- 
ceeding 
Forth from each eternally, 
Be salvation, honor, blessing, 
Might and endless majesty! 

V. Thou gavest them bread 
from heaven. 

R. And therein was sweet- 
ness of every kind. 

Let us pray. 

OD, Who, beneath this 
marvelous Sacrament, 
hast left us a memorial of Thy 
Passion : grant us the grace, we 



and the Sacred Heart. 



623 



ita nos corporis et sanguinis beseech Thee, so to venerate 
tui sacra mysteria venerari, the sacred mysteries of Thy 
ut redemptionis tuae fruc- body and blood, that we may 
turn in nobis jugiter sentia- ever feel within us the fruit 
mus. Qui vivis et regnas, etc. of Thy redemption, Who 

livest and reignest, etc. 

Plenary indulgence on usual conditions to all who, after con- 
fession and communion, on the first Thursday of the month, 
shall visit with devotion the Blessed Sacrament; 7 years and 
7 quarantines, on all the other Thursdays of the year; 100 days 
on any other day of the year, to those who say them with a 
contrite heart. — Pius VI., Oct. 17, 1796. 

INDULGENCED CHAPLET OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

Consisting of Acts of Thanksgiving, Contrition, and Love. 

V. Incline unto mine aid, .O God! 
R. O Lord, make haste to help me! 

1. fT^OST loving Jesus! my heart leaps for joy in think - 
N"> ing on Thy loving Sacred Heart, all tenderness 

and sweetness for sinful man; and, with trust unbounded, 
it never doubts Thy ready welcome. Ah me! my sins! how 
many and how great! With Peter and Magdalen, in tears, 
I bewail and abhor them, because they are an offence to 
Thee, my sole and chief good. Grant me, O grant me par- 
don for them all! O may I die, I beseech Thee, by Thy loving 
Heart, may I die rather than offend Thee, and may I live 
only to correspond to Thy love. 

Say the Our Father once, the Glory be to the Father five 
times; and then: 

O sweetest Heart of Jesus! I implore 
That I may ever love Thee more and more. 

2. My Jesus! I bless Thy most humble Heart; and I give 
thanks to Thee. Who, in making it my model, not only dost 
urge me with much pressing to imitate it, but, at the cost of 
so many humiliations, dost Thyself stoop to point me out 
.the path and smooth for me the way to follow Thee. Foolish 
and ungrateful that I am, how have I wandered far away 
from Thee! Mercy, my Jesus, mercy! Away, hateful pride 
and love of worldly honor! With lowly heart I wish to fol cw 
Thee, my Jesus, through humiliations and the cross, and 



624 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



thus to gain peace and salvation. Only be Thou at hand 
to strengthen me, and I will ever bless Thy Sacred Heart. 
Our Father once, Glory be to the Father five times. 

O sweetest Heart of Jesus, etc. 

3. My Jesus! I marvel at Thy most patient Heart and I 
thank Thee for all those wondrous examples of unwearied 
patience which Thou didst leave me to guide me on my way. 
It grieves me that I have still to reproach myself with my 
extravagant delicacy, shrinking from the slightest pain. Oh, 
pour, then, into my heart, dear Jesus, eager and enduring 
love of suffering and of the cross, of mortification and of 
penance, that, following Thee to Calvary, I may with Thee 
attain the joys of paradise! 

Our Father once, Glory be to the Father five times. 

O sweetest Heart of Jesus, etc. 

4 Dear Jesus! at the sight of Thy most gentle Heart, I 
shudder to see how unlike mine is to Thine, since at a shadow, 
at a look, at a word of opposition, I fret and grieve. Oh, 
then, pardon my excesses, and give me grace that, in every 
contradiction, I may follow the example of Thy unchange- 
able meekness, and so enjoy an everlasting holy peace 

Our Father once, Glory be to the Father five times. 
O sweetest Heart of Jesus, etc. 

5 Sing praise to Jesus for His most generous Heart, the 
Conqueror of death and hell; yet never wilt thou reach its 
due with all thy praise. More than ever am I confounded, 
looking upon my coward heart, which, through human respect, 
dreads even a passing word. Courage, my soul] it shall be 
so with thee no more. My Jesus, I pray Thee for such 
strength that, fighting and conquering on earth, I may one 
day rejoice triumphantly with Thee in heaven. 

Our Father once, Glory be to the Father five times. 
O sweetest Heart of Jesus, etc. 

Let us turn to Mary, consecrating ourselves y to her more 
and more, and, trusting in her maternal heart, let us say 
to her: 

By the precious gifts of thy sweetest heart, obtain for me, 
great Mother of my God and my Mother Mary, a true and 
lasting devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, thy well-beloved 



and the Sacred Heart. 



Son, that, united in every thought and affection with that 
Heart, I may fulfil all the duties of my state of life with ready 
heart, serving my Jesus ever more, but especially on this day. 



V. Cor Jesu fiagrans amore 
nostri, 

R. Inflamma cor nostrum 
amore tui. 

Or emus. 

ILXO nos igne, quaesumus, 
Domine, Spiritus Sanctus 
inflammet, quern Dominus no- 
ster Jesus Christus e penetra- 
libus cordis sui misit in ter- 
rain et voluit vehementer ac- 
cendi. Qui tecum vivit et 
regnat in unitate ejusdem 
Spiritus Sancti Deus per 
omnia saecula sseculorum. 
Amen. 



V. Heart of Jesus, burning 
with love of us, 

R. Inflame our hearts with 
love of Thee. 

Let us pray. 
v T-' ORD, we beseech Thee, 
JLL let Thy Holy Spirit 
kindle in our hearts that fire 
of charity which Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, Thy Son, sent 
forth from His inmost Heart 
upon this earth, and willed 
that it should burn with 
vehemence. Who liveth and 
reigneth with Thee, in the 
unity of the same Holy 
Spirit, God, for ever and ever 
Amen. 



Indulgence of 300 days every time, and plenary indulgence 
once a month on usual conditions. — Pius VII., March 20, 1815. 

IReparation* 

AN ACT OF REPARATION OF HONOR TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST 
IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR. 

/T\OST adorable Saviour, in Thy wondrous love for us 
Thou dost remain in the Blessed Sacrament of the 
altar, in order to be the perpetual Sacrifice of the New Law, 
the propitiatoiy Victim for our sins, the life-giving Manna 
of our souls, our powerful Mediator, our good Master, our 
best and kindest Friend 

But, alas! with what ingratitude on our part has Thine 
infinite goodness been repaid. Prostrate before Thy veiled 
majesty, at the foot of the altar, where Thou art as trulv 
and really present as in heaven, we come to make reparation 
and offer atonement for all the injuries and for all the in- 
gratitude inflicted on Thee in the acrament of Thy love. 

O divine Jesus, O meek and humble Jesus, accept our 
feeble efforts to compassionate Thy suffering Heart, and to 



626 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



make a fitting reparation to Thy outraged majesty for all 
blasphemies, profanations, and sacrileges ever committed; 
for our own want of devotion and reverence in Thy sacred 
presence, for our poor preparations and thanksgivings at 
holy communion, and for the little fruit we have drawn from 
holy communion through our own fault. 

Pardon, O Lord, pardon, we beseech Thee, these and all 
our offences against Thee. We are truly sorry for having 
sinned, because Thou art infinitely good and sin displeases 
Thee. Thou wilt not despise a contrite and humble heart. 
We offer Thee our poor hearts filled with sentiments of 
sincere repentance and deep affection. We offer Thee, in 
atonement, Thy own bitter sufferings, the sorrows of Thy 
Blessed Mother, and the merits of all the saints. By the 
fervor of our love we desire to make amends to Thee for 
the injuries inflicted on Thee by ourselves, by infidels, here- 
tics, and all negligent Christians. Yes, Jesus, we love Thee 
now above all things, and we are resolved to please Thee by 
doing Thy will and by faithfully discharging the obligations 
of our state of life. Thy kingd m come; Thy will be done 
on earth as it U in heaven! 

How happy should we be. O Jesus, could we but make 
reparation to Thy glory, by our respect, by our zeal, aye, 
even by the shedding of our blood. At least, most adorable 
Saviour, grant us the grace to love Thee in the Most Holy 
Sacrament of the altar, with the most tender, the most gener- 
ous, the most perfect, the most constant love. 

O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, 

All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine ! 

Virgin most holy, by thy holy and immaculate heart, make 
us enter into the adorable Heart of thy divine Son, Jesus Christ. 

O sweet St. Joseph! obtain for us the gift of prayer and of 
perpetual union with Jesus and Mary. Amen. 

AN ACT OF REPARATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS 
FOR THE FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH. 

DORABLE Heart of Jesus, glowing with love for us, 
and inflamed whh zeal for our salvation: O Heart! 
ever sensible of our misery and the wretchedness to which 




and the Sacred Heart, 



627 



our sins have reduced us, infinitely rich in mercy to heal the 
wounds of our souls, behold us humbly prostrate before 
thee to express the sorrow that fills our hearts for the cold- 
ness and indifference with which we have so long requited 
the numberless benefits that thou hast conferred upon us. 
With a deep sense of the outrages that have been heaped 
upon thee by our sins and the sins of others, we come to 
make a solemn reparation of honor to thy most sacred 
majesty. It was our sins that overwhelmed Thy Heart with 
bitterness; it was the weight of our iniquities that pressed 
down Thy face to the earth in the Garden of Olives, and 
caused Thee to expire in anguish and agony on the cross. 
But now, repenting and sorrowful, we cast ourselves at Thy 
feet, and implore forgiveness. Adorable Heart of Jesus, 
source of true contrition and ever merciful to the penitent 
sinner, impart to our hearts the spirit of penance, and give 
to our eyes a fountain of tears, that we may sincerely bewail 
our sins now and for the rest of our days. Oh, would that 
we could blot them out, even with our blood! Pardon them, 
O Lord, in Thy mercy, and pardon and convert to Thee all 
that have committed irreverences and sacrileges against 
Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love, and thus give another 
proof that Thy mercy is above all Thy works. Divine Jesus, 
with Thee there are mercy and plentiful redemption; deliver 
us from our sins, accept the sincere desire we now entertain; 
and our holy resolution, relying on the assistance of Thy 
grace, henceforth to be faithful to Thee. And in order to 
repair the sins of ingratitude by which we have grieved Thy 
most tender and loving Heart, we are resolved in the future 
ever to love and honor Thee in the Most Adorable Sacra - 
m nt of the altar, where Thou art ever present to hear and 
grant our petitions, and to be the food and life of our souls. 
Be Thou, O compassionate Jesus! our Mediator with Thy 
heavenly Father, Whom we have so grievously offended, 
strengthen our weakness, confirm these, our resolutions of 
amendment, and as Thy Sacred Heart is our refuge and our 
hope when we have sinned, so may it be the strength and 
support of our repentance, that nothing in life or death may 
ever again separate us from Thee. Amen. 



628 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



INDULGENCED ACTS IN HONOR OF THE SACRED HEART OF JE-SUS. 

{Reparation and Petitions?) 
I. 

Verbum caro factum est, The Word was made flesh, 
et habitavit in nobis. and dwelt amongst us. 

TERNAL Word, made man for love of us! humbly 
prostrate at Thy feet, we adore Thee with our soul's 
deepest veneration; and to repair our ingratitude for the 
great boon of Thy Incarnation, we join our hearts with the 
hearts of all who love Thee, and we offer to Thee with them 
our most humble and loving thanksgiving. Filled with the 
thought of the exceeding great humility, goodness, and ten- 
derness which we behold in Thy divine Heart, we pray Thee 
to give us Thy grace, that we may imitate these virtues so 
dear to Thee. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

II. 

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis He was crucified also for 
sub Pontio Pilato, passus et us, suffered under Pontius 
sepultus est. Pilate, and was buried. 

ESUS, loving Saviour! humbly prostrate at Thy feet, 
we adore Thee with our soul's deepest veneration; and 
to give Thee proof of our real sorrow for our want of feeling 
for all those outrages and woes which Thy loving Heart 
made Thee suffer for our salvation in Thy sorrowful Pas- 
sion and most bitter death, we join our hearts with the hearts 
of all who love Thee, to thank Thee with our whole soul. 
We marvel at the boundless patience and the generosity of 
Thy Sacred Heart; and we pray Thee to fill our hearts with 
the spirit of Christian penance, that thereby we may cour- 
ageously embrace suffering, and make Thy cross our greatest 
comfort and our glory. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

III. 

Panem de coelo praestitisti Thou didst give them bread 
eis. from heaven to eat. 

Omne delectamentum in se In whose taste was every 
habentem. heavenly sweetness. 




and the Sacred Heart. 



629 



J7ESUS, full of love for us! humbly prostrate at Thy feet, 
O we adore Thee with our soul's deepest veneration: 
and in reparation for the outrages which Thy Sacred Heart 
daily receives in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar, we 
unite ourselves with the hearts of all who love Thee, and 
give Thee tenderest thanks. We love, too, in that Sacred 
Heart of Thine, the incomprehensible fire of Thy love for 
Thy eternal Father; and we pray Thee to inflame our hearts 
with burning charity toward Thee and toward our neighbors. 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

IV. 

~| — * ASTLY, O most loving Jesus ! we pray Thee by the 
r-L* sweetness of Thy Sacred Heart, convert sinners, con- 
sole the suffering, help the dying, succor the souls in purgatory. 
Make our hearts one with Thine in the bonds of true peace 
and charity, save us from a sudden and unprovided death, 
and grant us a death holy and peaceful. Amen. 

V. Cor Jesu fla grans amore V. Heart of Jesus, burning 
nostri. with love of us. 

R. Inflamma cor nostrum R. Inflame our hearts with 
amore tui. love of Thee. 

Or emus. Let us pray. 

aONCEDE, qusesumus, f^RANT, we beseech Thee, 
omnipotens Deus, ut x£j Almighty God, that we 
qui in sanctissimo dilecti who glory 7 in the Most Sacred 
Filii tui corde gloriantes, Heart of Thy well-beloved 
praecipua in nos charitatis ejus Son, and renew in our hearts 
beneficia recolimus, eorum the remembrance of the great 
pariter et actu delectemur et benefits of His heavenly 
fructu. Per eumdem Chris- charity toward us, may 
turn, etc. rejoice in their operation 

and fruit within our souls. 
Through the same Christ, 
Our Lord, etc. 
Prayer. 

BTVINE Heart of my Jesus! I adore thee with all the 
powers of my soul; I consecrate them to thee for 
ever, with my thoughts, my words, my works, and my whole 
self. I purpose to offer to thee, as far as I can, acts of 
adoration, love, and glory like unto those which thou offerest 
to thine eternal Father. Be thou, I beseech thee, the re- 
pairer of my transgressions, the protector of my life, my 



630 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



refuge and asylum in the hour of my death. By thy sighs, 
and by that sea of bitterness in which thou wast plunged 
for me throughout thy whole mortal life, grant me true con- 
trition for my sins, contempt of earthly things, a burning 
desire of eternal glory, trust in thy boundless merits, and 
final perseverance in thy grace. 

Heart of Jesus, all love! I offer thee these humble prayers 
for myself and for all who unite with me in spirit to adore 
thee; vouchsafe out of thy great goodness to hear and 
answer them, chiefly for that one among us who first shall 
end this mortal life. Sweet Heart of Jesus! pour into his 
heart in his death agony thine inward consolations; take 
him within thy sacred wounds; cleanse him from all stains 
in that furnace of love, that so thou mayest soon open to 
him the gates of thy eternal glory, there to intercede with 
thee for all those who tarry in this land of exile. 

Holiest Heart of my most loving Jesus! for myself, a 
wretched sinner, and for all who unite with me in adoring 
thee, I purpose to renew and offer to thee these acts of 
adoration and these prayers, at every moment, and to the 
last instant of my life. I recommend to Thee, my Jesus, 
the Church, Thy well-beloved Spouse, and our true Mother; 
the souls who are following the path of justice, poor sinners, 
the afflicted, the dying, all men on the whole face of the earth. 
Let not Thy blood be shed in vain for them; and vouchsafe, 
lastly, to apply it to the relief of the souls in purgatory, and, 
above all, to those who in life were wont to adore Thee devoutly. 

Most loving heart of Mary, which, amongst the hearts of 
all God's creatures, art at once the purest and the most in- 
flamed with love for Jesus, and the most compassionate 
toward us, poor sinners! obtain for us from the Heart of 
Jesus, Our Redeemer, all the graces which we ask of thee. 
Mother of mercies, one throb, a single beat of thy burning 
heart, offered by thee to the Heart of Jesus, has power to 
console us to the full. Grant us then this favor; and then the 
Heart of Jesus, through the filial love He had for thee, and will 
ever have, will not fail to hear and answer our request. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day, to all the faithful who 
shall say these prayers, with the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and 
the Glory be to the Father, each three times; plenary indulgence 
once a month on usual conditions. — Pius VII., Feb. 12, 1808; 
Pius IX., June 18, 1876. 



and the Sacred Heart. 



631 



•(Reparation anD Consecration for IReligious* 

3ESUS, my Lord, in Thy presence I rejoice that I am 
permitted to dwell in this holy house as one of Thy 
special friends; I thank Thee for the grace of my sublime 
vocation: I rejoice that I am privileged to bear the fetters of 
the religious vows, which bind me to Thee. How true are 
Thy words, divine Master: "My yoke is sweet, and My 
burden light." In sacrifice I find the sweetest joy, in Thy 
love the greatest consolation, and in Thy service that peace 
which the world can not give. With the Royal Psalmist, I 
will sing Thy praises: 

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? 
"The Lord is the protector of my life, of whom shall I be 
afraid ? . . . 

"One thing I have asked of the Lord; this will I seek 
after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days 
of my life. 

"That I may see the delight of the Lord, and may visit 
His temple. 

"For He hath hid me in His tabernacle: in the day of 
evils, He hath protected me in the secret place of His taber- 
nacle. 

"He hath exalted me upon a rock: and now He hath lifted 
up my head above my enemies. 

"I have offered a sacrifice of jubilation; I will sing a psalm 
to the Lord. 

"Hear, O Lord, my voice, with which I have cried to Thee: 
have mercy on me and hear me. 

"Turn not away Thy face from me: decline not in Thy 
wrath from Thy servant. 

"Be Thou my helper: forsake me not, do not Thou despise 
me, O God my Saviour. 

"For my father and my mother have left me: but the Lord 
hath taken me up. 

"Set me, O Lord, a law in Thy way, and guide me in the 
right path, because of my enemies. ..." (Ps. xxvi.) 

"Thou art my God, and I will praise Thee: Thou art my 
God, and I will exalt Thee. 

"I will praise Thee, because Thou hast heard me: and 
art become my salvation. 



632 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



"O praise ye the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy en- 
dureth forever" (Ps. cxvii.). 

"I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God 
rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners; for better 
is one day in Thy courts above thousands " (Ps. lxxxiii.). 

I place myself unreservedly in Thy hands, O Lord, to do 
with me what Thou pleasest. I desire but Thy love and 
Thy grace; I desire to love and please Thee alone. Glory 
and praise to Thee for evermore. How good and kind Thou 
art to us in the Sacrament of Thy love! Thou art indeed 
our hope, our support, our consolation, our joy, our very 
life in the daily routine of our duties. And yet even in Re- 
ligious Houses, Thou dost sometimes surfer from the cold- 
ness and neglect of Thy chosen and highly favored friends. 
Pardon us, O Lord, pardon our offences, in Thy mercy. 
Surely we all love Thee sincerely and above all things, even 
though at times, like thoughtless children, we have given 
Thee pain. Pardon our carelessness, our want of devotion 
and recollection, our irreverences and all our shortcomings 
at Mass, at holy communion, and in Thy adorable presence. 
Behold me prostrate before Thee and desiring to make Thee 
a worthy reparation for all the indignities that have been 
offered Thee in this house. 

In my weakness and poverty I have nothing that I can 
offer Thee by way of reparation for the offences committed 
against Thee in the Sacrament of the altar. But in Thy infinite 
goodness and love, Thou art content with a contrite and 
humble heart. Take my heart, dear Jesus; take all that 
I am and have; grant that I may love Thee and please Thee 
daily more and more, by cultivating the spirit of my vows, by 
greater fidelity to my holy Rule, by imitating Thy example 
of humility and obedience, and thus arrive at that perfection 
for which Thou hast destined me. 

AX ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

O ADORABLE Heart of Jesus, the tenderest, the most 
amiable, the most generous of all hearts! penetrated 
with gratitude at sight of thy benefits, I come to conse- 
crate myself wholly and unreservedly to thee! I wish to 
devote all my energies to propagating thy worship and win- 
ning, if possible, all hearts to thee. Receive my heart this 



and the Sacred Heart. 



6 33 



day, O Jesus! or rather take it and change it, purify it, to 
render it worthy of Thee; make it humble, obedient, gentle, 
patient, faithful, and generous like Thine, by inflaming it 
with the fire of Thy love- Hide it in Thy divine Heart 
with all the hearts which love Thee, and are consecrated to 
Thee; never permit me to take my heart from Thee again. 
Ah! let me rather die than ever grieve Thy Adorable Heart. 
Yes, Heart of Jesus, to always love thee, to honor thee, 
to serve thee, to ever be wholly thine is the desire of my 
heart for life, for death, and for all eternity. Amen. 

IRenovmtton of Uowa for IRellgioue perBons* 

(By Rev. Father de la Colornbihre, S.J.) 

OMY amiable Redeemer! I give and consecrate 
myself to Thy Sacred Heart in the most per- 
fect manner of which I am capable. 

I have in a manner nailed myself to Thy cross by 
the vows of my profession; I renew them in this divine 
Heart, in the presence of heaven and earth. I return 
Thee thanks for having inspired me to make them. 

I own that the yoke of Thy holy service is neither 
hard nor weighty; I do not find myself embarrassed 
with my chains; on the contrary, I would wish to mul- 
tiply them, or rivet them yet closer upon me. 

I embrace, then, the dear cross of my vocation, even 
to my death; it shall be all my pleasure, all my glory 
and my delight. 

God forbid that I should glory, that I should ever 
rejoice, save in the cross of Jesus Christ. 

God forbid that I should ever have any other treasure 
than His poverty, any other delight than His sufferings, 
any other love than Himself. 

No, no, my amiable Lord, never will I separate my- 
self from Thee. 

I hope, then, O Lord! that Thou wilt render me 
steadfast under all temptations, victorious against the 
assaults of my enemies, and that Thou wilt stretch out 
over me that beneficent hand which has bestowed 



634 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



upon me so many favors, that I may be ever more 
and more generous in my love of Thee. 

I entreat this of Thee, O my adorable Jesus! by Thy 
blood, by all Thy wounds, and by Thy Sacred Heart. 

Grant that by the consecration which I make to 
Thee of all that I am, I may become this day a new 
production and a complete victim of Thy love. 

ACTS OF HOMAGE TO THE EUCHARISTIC HEART OF JESUS. 

I. 

Prayer. 

EART of Jesus in the Eucharist, sweet companion of 
our exile, I adore thee. 
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus; 
Solitary Heart, humiliated Heart; 
Abandoned Heart, forgotten Heart; 
Despised Heart, outraged Heart; 
Heart unknown by men; 
Heart loving our hearts; 
Heart desiring to be loved; 
Heart patient in waiting for us; 
Heart eager to grant our requests; 
Heart desirous of being besought; 
Heart source of new graces; 
Silent Heart, wishing to speak to our souls; 
Heart, sweet refuge of the hidden life; 
Heart, teaching the secrets of divine union; 
Heart of Him Who sleeps yet ever watches; 
Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. 
Jesus, victim! I wish to console Thee; 
To unite myself with Thee; 
To immolate myself with Thee; 
To annihilate myself before Thee; 
To forget myself to think of Thee; 
To be forgotten and despised for love cf Thee — 
Not to be loved or understood save only by Thee; 
I will be silent to listen to Thee — 
I will leave myself, to lose myself in Thee. 
Grant that I may thus quench Thy thirst, the thirst for 




and the Sacred Heart. 635 



my salvation and sanctification, and that, purified, I may 
offer Thee a pure and true love. 

I will no longer weary Thy patience; take me, I give my- 
self to Thee. 

I offer The 1 all my actions; my mind, that Thou mayest 
illuminate it; my heart, that Thou mayest direct it; my 
will, that Thou mayest render it firm; my misery, that Thou 
mayest succor it; my soul and my body, that Thou mayest 
nourish them. 

Eucharistic Heart of my Jesus, Whose blood is the life of 
my soul, I will no longer live, but live thou alone in me. Amen. 

II. 

Consecration. 

3ESUS! adorable Saviour, hidden in the Sacrament of 
Thy love, dwelling amongst us to sweeten our exile, 
shall I not exert myself to console Thine? Shall I not offer 
Thee my heart, since Thou hast given me Thine? It is 
true that to give myself to Thee is for my own advantage; 
it is to find the inestimable treasure of a loving, disinterested, 
faithful Heart, such as I would wish my own to be. Thus I, 
who can give nothing, am always receiving. Lord, I can not 
rival Thee in generosity, but I love Thee; deign to accept 
my poor heart, and although it is worth nothing, still it may 
become something by Thy grace. Since it loves Thee, do 
Thou make it good for something and keep it. Eucharistic 
Heart of Jesus! I consecrate to thee all the faculties of my 
soul, all the powers of my body. I wish to endeavor to know 
and love thee ever more and more, and to make thee better 
known and loved by others. I wish to labor only for thy 
glory, and to do only that which thy Father wills. I con- 
secrate to thee all the moments of my life in a spirit of ado- 
ration before thy royal presence; of thanksgiving for this 
incomparable gift; in reparation for our cruel indifference; 
and in incessant supplication that our prayers offered to 
thee, with thee, and in thee, may ascend purified and 
fruitful to the throne of God's mercy and for His eternal 
glory. Amen. 

Ejaculation. 

UCHARISTIC Heart of Jesus, burning with love of 
us, inflame our hearts with love of thee. 




636 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



ACT OF ATONEMENT. 

UCHARISTIC Heart of my God, breathing and pal- 
pitating beneath the veils of the most sicred speci s, 
I adore thee. Moved by a new love in the presence of the 
immense benefit of the Divine Eucharist, penetrated with 
regret at my own ingratitude, I humbly annihilate myself 
in the still greater abyss of thy mercies. Thoa l ast chosen 
me from my }outh; thou hast not disdained my infirmity; 
descending into my poor heart, thou didst come to invite 
it to a mutual love, giving happiness and peace. And I lost 
all because I was unfaithful to Thee, O my Jesus. I allowed 
my mind to become distracted and my heart to become cold; 
I listened to myself and I forgot Thee. Thou didst wish 
to be my Guide, my Counsellor, the Protector of my life, 
and I, allowing my passions to smother this sweet attraction, 
lost sight of Thee and forgot Thee. In the salutary pains 
of trial, in the joys of consolation, in my difficulties and my 
necessities, instead of having recourse to Thee, I sought crea- 
tures and forgot Thee. I forgot Thee in the beloved taber- 
nacles wherein Thy love languishes; in the churches of the 
city wherein Thou art insulted; in sacrilegious and indiffer- 
ent hearts, and in my own guilty one, O Jesus, even before 
and after having received Thee. Eucharistic Heart of my 
Saviour, the delight of my first communion and duri-g the 
days of my fidelity, I surrender myself to thee. Come back, 
come back, and draw me anew to thyself. Pardon me 
once more, and I will expiate all by the strength of my love. 
Glorious archangel St. Michael, and you, beloved St. John, 
offer my reparation to Jesus and be propitious to me. Amen. 
Indulgence of 200 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., July 18, 1885. 

DAILY OFFERING TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

OLORD Jesus Christ, in union with that divine intention 
with which Thou, whilst on earth, didst give praise 
to God through Thy most Sacred Heart, and which Thou 
dost still everywhere offer to Him in the Holy Eucharist, 
even to the consummation of the world, I, in imitation of 
the most sacred heart of the ever-immaculate Virgin Mary, 
do most cheerfully offer to Thee, during this entire day, all 




and the Sacred Heart. 



637 



my thoughts and intentions, all my affections and desires, 
my words and all my works. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., Dec. 19, 1885. 

EJACULATION TO THE SACRED HEART. 

AY the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament 
be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, 
at every moment in all the tabernacles of the world even 
to the end of time. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days. — Pius IX., Feb. 29, 1868. 

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION. 

(By St. Alphonsus Ligiwri.) 

1. /T%Y Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly present in the 

Most Blessed Sacrament. I love Thee above all 
things and I desire to possess Thee within my soul. Since 
I am unable now to receive Thee sacramentally, come at 
least spiritually into my heart. I embrace Thee as being 
already there, and unite myself wholly to Thee; never, never 
permit me to be separated from Thee. 

2. Such an act of spiritual communion should b2 made 
at every visit to Jesus in the tabernacle; at holy Mass, when 
we do not receive the Sacrament; occasionally during the 
day or at least at morning and night prayers. The pious 
adorer should live in constant union with Jesus. 

3. St. Teresa was wont to say to her spiritual daughters: 
"As often as ye hear holy Mass, although ye be unable to 
communicate sacramentally, you can make a spiritual com- 
munion, which is of great value." The Council of Trent 
requires for a spiritual communion an ardent desire, lively 
faith, and fervent charity. How often shall we communicate 
spiritually? As often as God inspires the holy desire, at 
any time, but especially at Mass, at Benediction, and at Visits. 
No particular form is required. We may use any form we 
please. With a contrite and a pure and loving heart we 
may simply say: "Come, dearest Jesus, come into this my 
poor unhappy heart; come and satiate my longings; come 
and sanctify my soul; come, my sweetest Jesus, come." 

We read in the lives of some of the saints how Our Lord, 
to satisfy their burning desire to receive the Holy Eucharist, 
communicated Himself to them in miraculous ways, as by 




6 3 8 



Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



going from the priest's hand to St. Catharine of Sienna, and 
to blessed Imelda, or piercing through the breast of St. Juli- 
ana Falconieri, or as by the hands of angels or of His Blessed 
Mother to St. Bonaventure and St. Stanislaus. In various 
ways and by signal miracles, Jesus has manifested His appro- 
bation of spiritual communion. 

ANOTHER PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL COMMUNION. 

/T\Y Saviour and my God! I am not worthy to appear 
f > ' < < » before Thee, for I am a poor sinner; yet I approach 
Thee with confidence in Thy goodness and mercy, for Thou 
hast said: "Come to Me, all you that labor and are heavy- 
laden, and I will refresh you." Thou wilt not despise a 
contrite and humble heart. I am truly sorry for my sins, 
because by them I have offended Thee, Who art infinitely 
good. Whatever may have been my foolish transgressions 
in the past, I love Thee now above all things, and with all 
my heart. I have a great desire, a vehement longing, O 
divine Spouse of my soul, to receive Thee in holy communion, 
and since I can not now receive Thee in the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, I beseech Thee to come to me spiritually and to re- 
fresh my soul with Thy sw etness. 

Come, my Lcrd, my God, and my all! Come to me, and 
let me never again be separated from Thee by sin. Teach 
me Thy blessed ways; help me with Thy grace to practice 
meekness, humility, charity, and all the virtues of Thy Sacred 
Heart. Receive me, as one who wishes to follow Thee, and 
let me live and labor and surfer and pray in union with Thee, 
for the glory of God, for the accomplishment of the heavenly 
Father's will, and for the salvation of souls. Jesus! I give 
Thee my heart with all its affections, my soul with all its 
powers, and my body, with all its senses. My divine Master, 
help me with Thy grace, that I may be ever mindful of Thy 
presence, and that I may be faithful to the end in Thy ser- 
vices. Bless me in life and in death, that I may praise Thee 
for ever in heaven. Amen. 

SIGHS TO JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

O JESUS, sweetest Love, come Thou to me; 
Come down in all Thy beauty unto me; 
Thou Who didst die for longing love of me; 
And never, never more depart from me. 



and the Sacred Heart, 



6 39 



Oh, melts my heart receiving Thee, my Own ; 
My eyes are dim for lack of Thee, my Own; 
My flesh doth hunger, needing Thee, my Own; 
My soul doth faint apart from Thee, my Own. 

Free me, O beauteous God, from all but Thee; 
Sever the chain that holds me back from Thee; 
Call me, O tender Love, I cry to Thee ; 
Thou art my all! O bind me close to Thee. 

O suffering Love, that hast so loved me; 
O patient Love, that weariest not of me; 
Alone, O Love! Thou weariest not of me! 
Ah! weary not till I am lost in Thee; 
Nay, weary not till I am found in Thee. 

Say the "Anima Christi." 

FRUIT OF THE VISIT AND SPIRITUAL COMMUNION. 

1. EHOLD Christ seated in thy heart as a kind Lord, 

Who hath made a friend of thee, His unworthy 
servant: regard thyself as a guest at His table, or rather as 
a hireling, since thou dost love Him when thou receivest con- 
solation, but, when thou art scourged for thy good, dost grow 
cold in love. 

2. Love Him with thy whole strength, that so, in union 
with His strength and senses, thou mayest offer to God all 
the powers of thy soul, all the senses and members of thy 
body, and mayest resolve to use them always in obedience to 
Him. 

3. Ask thy Lord for the virtue of obedience; that thou 
mayest imitate Him Who for thy salvation humbled Him- 
self and became " obedient unto death, even to the death of 
the cross' ' (Phil. ii. 8). 

"Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of Heart" 
(Matt. xi. 29). 

Ejaculation. 

Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like 
unto Thine. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Jan. 25, 1868. 

V. Blessed and praised every moment; 

R. Be the Most Holy and Divine Sacrament. 



640 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



Let us pray 

OGOD, Who in this wonderful Sacrament hast left us 
a memorial of Thy Passion; grant us the grace so 
to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy body and blood, 
that we may ever feel within us the fruit of Thy redemp- 
tion; Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen. 

Supplication. 

General and Special Prayers. 

PRAYER FOR THE GLORIFICATION OF THE BLESSED SACRA- 
MENT AND FOR THE WANTS OF THE HOLY CHURCH. 

HATHER in heaven, Lord of mercy, we praise Thee and 
thank Thee for the benefits that have come to us 
through the Blessed Eucharist. Thy infinite goodness sub- 
stituted for the shadowy sacrifices of the Old Law, which 
could not satisfy Thee, this supreme Holocaust; and for 
the manna which of old poured down from heaven to nourish 
Thy first people in the desert, Thou givest to us the living 
flesh, the precious blood of the God-Man. This, His sacrifice, 
is daily offered on our altars; receive it, O Lord, as worthy 
of Thy greatness, and as the truest witness of Thy sovereignty; 
receive it as the solemn thanksgiving for a world's redemption, 
and especially from that Church which Thou hast filled 
with blessings. Take it, dear Lord, as the infinite satisfac- 
tion which appeases for the sins that have irritated Thy jus- 
tice; and, above all, accept it as the most efficacious of all 
prayers whereby to obtain from Thy goodness the graces 
we need to sanctify our souls; for the exaltation of Thy holy 
Church, for the spread of Thy Gospel, and for the glory of 
Thy most holy name. Behold, O King of heaven and earth! 
the face of Thy Christ, immolated on Calvary for our sins; 
consider this dear object of Thy complacency disfigured on 
the cross, annihilated on the altar, hidden in the taber- 
nacle, a Victim for the salvation of His people; and when 
Thou, O Lord, lookest upon this august spectacle, pardon 
our offences, grant us Thy protection, and receive us into 
Thy eternal kingdom. Thou didst perfect with infinite gifts 
His sacred humanity; for our sakes Thou didst enrich it with 
all grace, and didst constitute Him our Teacher, our High- 
Priest, our Mediator, the firm Rock of our salvation. To 
Thee He pleads for us, in Thy name He instructs us, He 



and the Sacred Heart. 



641 



sacrifices Himself for our redemption. Oh! suffer the 
anger of Thy justice to be appeased by His powerful media- 
tion, that it may obtain for us all the riches of Thy eternal love. 

Vindicate, O Father, the" glory of Thy Son against sinners, 
and against the blasphemers of the Adorable Eucharist, as 
of old Thou didst declare Thine own. The innocent Lamb 
of God is as a sign of contradiction, against which the darts 
of infidels and heretics, of schismatics, of impious and wicked 
Christians, are maliciously cast. Too often He . is a father 
forgotten by His own children, a monarch slighted by His 
subjects, a master abandoned by His disciples, a God dis- 
honored by His creatures. But now grant, O eternal Father, 
that this Thy dearly beloved Son, to Whom we owe our all, 
may again receive His rights within the Eucharistic species, 
that all nations, all sects, returning into the bosom of the 
holy Catholic Church, may acknowledge Him, that therein 
all minds and hearts may be subject to Him, and that this 
Divine Sacrament may receive respect, love, adoration, 
thanksgiving, and praise throughout the world. 

And for Thy holy Church, which glories in exalting the 
Blessed Sacrament and in extending its worship, we pray 
that the continual presence therein of her divine Saviour 
may perfect her; may it increase the faith, the hope, the 
charity of her living members; may it revive the faith and zeal 
of those who slumber, may it multiply her children, and be her 
defence against all her enemies. Bless, O my God, with 
Thy richest blessings, N., our chief bishop, the vicar of Thy 
Son here on earth, the visible head of His universal Church. 
Bless also the bishops and pastors of Thy Church, especially 
N., our prelate; all priests, and in particular the members 
of the " Eucharistic League" and of the "Apostleship of 
Prayer." Bless, O Lord, all Religious of both sexes, all 
Orders in Thy Church, all rulers, princes, magistrates, and 
all Thy people; grant that Thy Most Holy Sacrament may 
be to all the fountain of life, the treasure of grace, the ban- 
quet of joy, and the throne of mercy. 

With Thy tender benediction, look, O Lord, upon the faith- 
ful adorers of this Most August Sacrament, and deign to 
hear the vows, the prayers, the sighs, that day and night 
they offer for Thy glory, for the increase of love and venera- 
tion for the mystery of the Eucharist. 



642 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



Finally, O my Lord and my God, I beseech Thee, bv the 
merits of this thrice-holy Victim, to have mercy on the poor, 
the afflicted, the sick, and the agonizing. Relieve them all 
in their sufferings, console them in their afflictions, help them 
in their need, strengthen them in their weakness, animate 
them in their combats, and to the souls detained in purgatory, 
apply the blood of this adorable sacrifice; and, if it be Thy 
good pleasure, speedily deliver them from that painful prison, 
so that they may come to adore Thee and give Thee glory, 
with all Thy saints, eternally in heaven. 

PRAYERS FOR THE CHURCH AXD FOR THE CIVIL AUTHORITIES. 

{Composed by Archbishop Carroll.) 

V/l |'E pray Thee, O almighty and eternal God! Who 
vSlAj through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all 
nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy 
Church, being spread through the whole world, may con- 
tinue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy name. 

We pray Thee, Who alone art good and holy, to endow 
with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, 
our chief bishop N.N., the vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
in the government of His Church; our own bishop, X.X. 
(or if he not be consecrated, our bishop-elect) ; all other 
bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially 
those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the func- 
tions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the 
ways of salvation. 

We pray Thee, O God of might, wisdom, and justice! 
through Whom authority is rightly administered, laws are 
enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy holy spirit 
of counsel and fortitude, the President of the United 
States, that his administration may be conducted in righteous- 
ness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he 
presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; 
by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; 
and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of 
Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and 
shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our 
rule and government, so that they may tend to the preser- 
vation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the 
increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and 
may perpetuate us to the blessing of equal liberty. 

We pray for his excellency, the Governor of this State, 
for the members of the Assembly, for all judges, magistrates, 



and the Sacred Heart. 



643 



and other officers who are appointed to guard our political 
welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful pro- 
tection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations 
with honesty and ability. 

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all 
our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United 
States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanc- 
tified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they 
may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the 
world can not give; and after enjoying the blessings of this 
life, be admitted to those which are eternal. 

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember 
the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us 
with the sign of faith, and repose in the sleep of peace; the 
souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, 
when living, were members of this Congregation, and par- 
ticularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors 
who, by their donations or legacies to this church, witnessed 
their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved 
their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. 
To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we 
beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlast- 
ing peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and 
Saviour. Amen. 

A PRAYER FOR ALL, THINGS NEEDFUL, COMMONLY CALLED 
THE UNIVERSAL PRAYER. 

OMY God! I believe in Thee: do Thou strengthen my 
faith. All my hopes are in Thee: do Thou secure 
them. I love Thee: teach me to love Thee daily more 
and more. I am rorry that I have offended Thee : do Thou 
increase my sorrow. 

I adore Thee as my first beginning; I aspire after Thee 
as my last end. I give Thee thanks as my constant Bene- 
factor; I call upon Thee as my sovereign Protector. 

Vouchsafe, O my God! to conduct me by Thy wisdom, 
to restrain me by Thy justice, to comfort me by Thy mercy, 
to defend me by Thy power. 

To Thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts, words, 
actions, and sufferings; that henceforward I may think of 
Thee, speak of Thee, refer all my actions to Thy greater 
glory, and suffer willingly whatever Thou shalt appoint. 

Lord, I desire that in all things Thy will may be done, 
because it is Thy will, and in the manner that Thou wiliest. 

I beg of Thee to enlighten my understanding, to inflame 
my will, to purify my body, and to sanctify my soul. 



644 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



Give me strength, O my God! to expiate my offences, 
to overcome my temptations, to subdue my passions, and 
to acquire the virtues proper for my state of life. 

Fill my heart with tender affection for Thy goodness, 
hatred of my faults, love of my neighbor, and contempt of 
the world. 

May Thy grace help me to be submissive to my superiors, 
condescending to my inferiors, faithful to my friends, and 
charitable to my enemies. 

Assist me to overcome sensuality by mortification, avarice 
by alms-deeds, anger by meekness, and tepidity by devotion. 

my God! make me prudent in my undertakings, coura- 
geous in dangers, patient in affliction, and humble in pros- 
perity. 

Grant that I may be ever attentive at my prayers, tem- 
perate at my meals, diligent in my employments, and con- 
stant in my resolutions. 

Let my conscience be ever upright and pure, my exterior 
modest, my conversation edifying, and my comportment 
regular. • 

Assist me, that I may continually labor to overcome 
nature, to correspond with Thy grace, to keep Thy com- 
mandments, and to work out my salvation. 

Make me realize, my God! the nothingness of this 
world, the greatness of heaven, the shortness of time, and 
the length of eternity. 

Grant that I may prepare for death; that I may fear 
Thy judgments, that I may escape hell, and in the end 
obtain heaven; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen. 

PRAYERS TO IMPLORE GRACES FOR OURSELVES, TOGETHER 
WITH ACTS OF ADMIRATION OF THE DIVINE GOODNESS. 

Y Lord and my God, how admirable in Thy goodness, 
how wonderful in Thy debasement and condescension 
art Thou in the Sacrament of Thy love! Thou, my Re- 
deemer, Christ Jesus, art content to descend from heaven, 
to place Thyself within the consecrated Host, and to dwell 
within the tabernacle, day and night, solely to exercise 
Thy love toward me and to communicate to me the abun- 
dance of Thy graces. Oh, what bounty, what mercy! In 
the Divine Sacrament, wherein dwells the Author and Giver 
of all good, I behold the King of glory, Who, with gentle 
courtesy, calls me, and invites me, and expects me, that I 
may go to receive His graces and be consoled. Courage, 
then, my soul; come, let us beg for blessings and not be 
weary, but be confident that we shall receive them. "Let 



and the Sacred Heart, 



645 



us go, therefore, with confidence to the throne of grace, 
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid" 
(Heb. iv. 16). 

If I look into my own heart to discover its needs that they 
may be supplied, I find that I am in want of all; for all 
fails me, and I have no sound virtue, for vice alone pre- 
dominates in me. My wants are without end, and Thou, 
my God, discernest them far more clearly than I can do. I 
am blind, and without light, and this is the first grace I 
ask of Thee: "Lord, that I may see" (Luke xviii. 41). 
Illuminate me, true eternal Light, Who didst come into 
the world to enlighten every man; make me to see and to 
know my vileness, my poverty, my extreme misery, that 
knowing myself, I may learn humility. Want of humility 
is the great cause of my evil; I esteem myself too highly, 
and aspire to be highly esteemed by others; and hence I 
fall, and fall at every little occasion, without ever amend- 
ing my faults All my sins are the effects, the punish- 
ment of my pride. Oh, if I were but humble of heart, as I 
am under obligation to be! my Jesus, Thou Who hast 
so abased Thyself in the Blessed Sacrament, almost to noth- 
ing, and dost dwell there, hiding within the sacred Host all 
Thy glorious gifts, I ask of Thee a true and holy humility, 
for without this I have neither capacity nor disposition to 
receive any of Thy graces, and this alone can fit me for them. 
I ask it of Thee by that stupendous humility which brings 
Thee to dwell within the Blessed Sacrament God of 
all greatness and of all humility, humble my pride and give 
me a humble and contrite heart. 

With the grace of humility I also ask of Thee ever to 
increase in me the graces of faith, hope, and charity. These 
virtues are of necessity for my salvation, and yet how negli- 
gently does my heart make acts of them! How often do 
I allow a long time . to pass without making so much as 
one act of faith, of hope, or of charity! my Lord Jesus 
Christ! Who, in the Blessed Sacrament, hast deigned to 
leave us a mystery of faith, a pledge of hope, a bond of 
love, give me grace to acquire the good habit of frequently 
practicing these virtues during my life, that they may avail 
me in the hour of my death. Make me worthy to live and 
die in Thy faith, with a firm hope of living and dying in Thy 
love Give me, Lord Jesus! an increase of faith, hope, 
and charity. 

But, besides all this, my God! I beseech Thee to give 
me grace to live in holy charity with all my neighbors. 
Thou hast commanded me to love them, but I am neglectful 



646 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



in observing this law ; some among them I love from inclina- 
tion, some from interest, and scarcely any purely for Thy 
love. I love him who treats me kindly, but I do not love 
him who offends me. Sometimes I intend to love all men, 
but I have too much reason to fear that in truth I do not 
love them with that Christian charity which is my duty. 
But Thou, in the institution of the Blessed Sacrament, hast 
left me a model, an example of charity; grant that by Thy 
grace I may imitate Thee. I resolve now to love all men 
sincerely and cordially for Thy sake, and particularly those 
who in any way have offended or injured me. All that I 
most desire for myself, I pray Thee to bestow on them, and 
to unite this my petition with Thine own prayer upon the 
cross, when Thou didst intercede for Thine enemies. Grant, 
dear Lord, that I may ever live in charity with all, that I 
may so live as never by any act of mine to break the bond 
of charity; that I may ever love my neighbor as Thou dost 
love me. Above all, I humbly beg of Thee the grace to live 
in all and through all, resigned to Thy all-holy will. I 
accept whatever Thy divine providence shall appoint in my 
life, and in my death; may Thy will in all things alone be 
done, not mine, O Lord! I desire all that Thou wiliest, 
and because Thou wiliest it ; and in all circumstances I unite 
my will to Thine. Therefore, O my dear Redeemer, I 
now and for ever unite my will to that adorable will which, 
in the garden, Thou didst, in perfect submission, offer to 
Thy eternal Father; and I beseech Thee ever so to retain 
my will in unison with Thine, that nothing shall again dis- 
join them. Thou Thyself hast taught me to say, in the 
Pater Noster, "Thy will be done," and daily I repeat it, 
but too often I say the words only with my lips; now at 
least my heart pronounces them for all time, and in all pos- 
sible occurrences — "Thy will be done on earth as it is in 
heaven." To-day, and in all the days of my life, may Thy 
most holy will be done in me, for me, by me. Teach me 
to know Thy holy will, and give me grace to follow it. 



PETITION TO OBTAIN GRACES FOR OUR NEIGHBOR, AND 
PRAYERS FOR THE CHURCH, THE HOLY FATHER, PRELATES 
AND PRIESTS, SUPERIORS, PARENTS, BENEFACTORS. AND 
FRIENDS. 

^-T^v OT for myself alone do I implore graces, O my God, 
,JL£ but for all the souls Thou hast redeemed with Thy 
most precious blood, and especially for all those who are 
within Thy holy Catholic Church, and chiefly for those who 



and the Sacred Heart. 



647 



are zealous adorers of the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar. 
For this, dear Lord, I recommend them to Thee with most 
tender affection. Give to us all one united, fervent spirit, 
zealous to prevent the offences committed against Thee, 
and ever active to promote devotion to Thy glory in the 
Blessed Sacrament. 

I commend to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, the holy 
Catholic Church; extend her bounds by the extirpation of 
heresy and the conversion of unbelievers. 

I commend to Thee His Holiness, the Pope, Thy vicar 
on earth, and I beseech Thee to assist him in discerning 
and doing all that is most conducive to Thy honor and 
glory. I commend to Thee all our bishops and our priests. 
Clothe them with Thy spirit — Thy meekness, Thy humility, 
Thy obedience, Thy wisdom, Thy charity, and Thy zeal for 
the salvation of souls. Bless them in particular with an 
ardent devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. I commend 
to Thee the members of all Religious Orders that they may 
labor earnestly for their own sanctification, for the propaga- 
tion of the faith, and for the glorification of the Holy Eucha- 
rist. 

I commend to Thee all civil authorities, but especially 
all Catholic heads of governments, that they may live in 
peace and that they may be united in zeal and strength 
against the enemies of our holy faith. I recommend to 
Thee all sinners, for whose salvation Thou didst deign to 
become incarnate, to remain three-and-thirty years on earth 
and at last to die on the cross ; and I beseech Thee to bestow 
upon them Thy powerful help, that they may repent and 
be converted, and may enter and remain in Thy holy grace. 
To Thee I commend my parents, my friends, my enemies, 
my superiors, spiritual and temporal, and all those to whom 
I am under obligation, and I beseech Thee to bless them, 
to give them grace to make a good use of their temporal 
goods, that so they may obtain eternal happiness: " Ut sic 
transeamus per bona temporalia ut non amittamus (Zterna" — 
"That we may so pass through temporal blessings, as not 
to lose those which are eternal." 

Finally, I recommend to Thy clemency the holy souls in 
purgatory, and especially those to whom I am most indebted 
by the bond of charity or of justice; and chiefly I implore 
Thee in behalf of those who, during their life, have been 
most devout to the Blessed Sacrament; as also those who 
have most loved the Blessed Virgin. For this I offer Thee 
my good Jesus, Thy wounds, Thy agony, Thy death, and 
all the merits of Thy most bitter Passion. I know that it 



648 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



is Thy pleasure I should pray for these holy souls, who are 
worthy of Thy love. Hear, then, dear Lord, and grant 
this my prayer in their behalf, which I present to Thee in 
the words of Thy holy Church: "Requiem ceternam dona eis, 
Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis." — "Eternal rest give 
unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon 
them." 

Xttatrg of tbe messed Sacrament* 

*"| * ORD have mercy. Lord have mercy. 
, 1 A Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy. 
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. 
Christ hear us. Christ graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
God the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 

Living Bread, that earnest down from heaven, 

Hidden God and Saviour, 

Wheat of the elect, 

Wine of which virgins are the fruit, 

Bread of fatness and royal dainties, 

Perpetual Sacrifice, 

Clean Oblation, 

Lamb without spot, ^ 
Most pure Feast, § 
Food of Angels, * 
Hidden Manna, I 
Memorial of the wonders of God, ' 4 

Super-substantial Bread, o 
W T ord made flesh, dwelling in us, 

Sacred Host, ? 
Chalice of Benediction, 
Mystery of faith, 

Most High and Adorable Sacrament, 

Most holy of all sacrifices, 

True propitiation for the living and the dead, 

Heavenly Antidote against the poison of sin, 

Most wonderful of all miracles, 

Most holy commemoration of the Passion of Christ, 
Gift transcending all fulness, 
Special Memorial of divine love, 



* For private devotion. 



and the Sacred Heart. 



Affluence of divine bounty, 

Most august and holy Mystery, 

Medicine of immortality. 

Tremendous and life-giving Sacrament, 

Bread made flesh by the omnipotence of the Word, 

Unbloody Sacrifice, 

Our Feast at once and our Fellow-guest, 
Sweetest Banquet, at which angels minister, 
Sacrament of piety, 
Bond of charity, 
Priest and victim, 

Spiritual Sweetness tasted in its proper source, 

Refreshment of holy souls, . 

Viaticum of such as die in the Lord, 

Pledge of future glory, 

Be merciful. Spare us, O Lord. 

Be merciful. Graciously hear us, O Lord. 

From an unworthy reception of Thy body and blood, ] 

From the lust of the flesh, 

From the lust of the eyes, 

From the pride of life, 

From every occasion of sin, 

Through the desire wherewith Thou didst long to eat | 
this passover with Thy disciples, 

Through that profound humility wherewith Thou didst j_ 
wash their feet, 

Through that ardent charity whereby Thou didst in- 
stitute this divine Sacrament, 

Through Thy precious blood, which Thou hast left us 
on our altars, 

Through the five wounds of this Thy most holy body, j 
which Thou didst receive for us, j 
We sinners beseech Thee, hear us. 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve and increase 1 
our faith, reverence, and devotion toward this admir- j 
able Sacrament, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to conduct us, through a 
true confession of our sins, to a frequent reception of 
the Holy Eucharist, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to deliver us from all 
heresy, perfidy, and blindness of heart, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to impart to us the pre- 
cious and heavenly fruits of this Most Holy Sacrament, 

That at the hour of death Thou wouldst strengthen and 
defend us by this heavenly viaticum, 

Son of God, 



650 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare 
us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 

graciously hear us, O Lord. 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 

have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 

V. Thou didst give them bread from heaven. Alleluia. 

R. Containing in itself all sweetness. Alleluia. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who in this wonderful Sacrament has left unto 
us a memorial of Thy Passion; grant us the grace, we 
beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy 
body and blood, that we may ever continue to feel within 
ourselves the blessed fruit of Thy redemption. Who livest 
and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen. 

FORM OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF 

JESUS. 

Published with the Encyclical Letter of His Holiness 
Leo XIII., dated May 25, 1899, on the consecration of man- 
kind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

OST sweet Jesus, Redeemer of the human race, 
look down upon us, humbly prostrate before 
Thy altar. We are Thine and Thine we wish to be; 
but to be more surely united with Thee, behold each 
one of us freely consecrates himself to-day to Thy most 
Sacred Heart. Many indeed have never known Thee; 
many, too, despising Thy precepts, have rejected Thee. 
Have mercy on them all, most merciful Jesus, and 
draw them to Thy Sacred Heart. Be Thou King, O 
Lord, not only of the faithful who have never forsaken 
Thee, but also of the prodigal children who have 
abandoned Thee: grant that they may quickly return 
to their Father's house, lest they die of wretchedness 
and hunger. Be Thou King of those who are deceived 
by erroneous opinions, or whom discord keeps aloof, 
and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of 
faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one 



and the Sacred Heart. 



651 



Shepherd. Be Thou King also of all those who sit 
in the ancient superstition of the Gentiles, and refuse 
not Thou to deliver them out of darkness into the light 
and kingdom of God. Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church, 
assurance of freedom and immunity from harm; give 
peace and order to all nations, and make the earth 
resound from pole to pole with one cry: Praise to the 
Divine Heart that wrought our salvation ; to it be glory 
and honor for ever. Amen. 



Xttan£ of tbe SacreD Ibeart- 

**l ' ORD, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. 

r ' * Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 

God, the Father of heaven, 

God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 

God the Holy Ghost, 

Holy Trinity, one God, 

Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father, 

Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Ghost in the womb 

of the Virgin Mother, 
Heart of Jesus, substantially united to the Word of God, 
Heart of Jesus, of infinite majesty, 
Heart of Jesus, sacred temple of God, 
Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High, 
Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of heaven, 
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity, 
Heart of Jesus, abode of justice and love, 
Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love, 
Heart of Jesus, abyss of all virtues, 
Heart of Jesus, most worthy of all praise, 
Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts, 
Heart of Jesus, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom 

and knowledge, 
Heart of Jesus, in whom dwells the fulness of divinity, 
Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father was well pleased, 
Heart of Jesus, of whose fulness we have all received, 
Heart of Jesus, desire of the everlasting hills, 
Heart of Jesus, patient and most merciful, 
Heart of Jesus, enriching all who invoke thee, 



652 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness, 
Heart of Jesus, propitiation for our sins, 
Heart of Jesus, loaded down with opprobrium, 
Heart of Jesus, bruised for our offences, L 
Heart of Jesus, obedient unto death, § 
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, J 
Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation, \ 3 

Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection, J 
Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation, 
Heart of Jesus, victim for sin, * 
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who trust in thee, 
Heart of Jesus, hope of those who die in thee, 
Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints, 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare 
us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, gra- 
ciously hear us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy on us. 

V. Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, 
R. Make our hearts like unto Thine. 

Let us pray. 

O ALMIGHTY and eternal God, look upon the Heart 
of Thy dearly beloved Son, and upon the praise and 
satisfaction He offers Thee in the name of sinners and for 
those who seek Thy mercy; be Thou appeased, and grant 
us pardon in the name of the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, 
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy 
Ghost, world without end. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., April 2, 1899. 



Xtttle ©tfice of tbe Sacrefc Ibeart of Jesus. 

AT MATINS. 

V. 4T\ LORD, open Thou my lips, 

V^J R. And my mouth shall sound Thy praise. 
V. O God, come to my assistance. 
R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 



and the Sacred Heart, 



653 



R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,, 
world without end. Amen. Alleluia. 

From Septuagesima till Paschal time, instead of Alleluia, 
i$ said: Praise be to Thee.- O Lord, King of eternal glory. 

V. Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love of us, 

R. Inflame our hearts with love of thee. 

Hymn. 

HOU, joy of all the courts of heaven, 
Thou, splendor of the Father's face, 
In mercy didst our flesh embrace, 
To be for us a victim given. 

Our heart's delight, O Jesu, bless 

My heart with fires that purify, 

Lest it should praise unworthily, 
Thy Heart, the throne of holiness. 

Sweet, lovable beyond compare, 

O Heart, which love has set on fire, 
Which languishes with love's desire, 

Thy mercy show me; hear my prayer. 

Sweeter art thou than honey stored; 
O Sacred Heart, to thee are dear 
Pure minds, to thee pure hearts draw near. 

Be thou by every heart adored. Amen. 

Ant. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, most obedient to thy 
Father's will, turn our hearts to thyself that we may ever 
do those things which are pleasing to thee. 

V. My heart is ready, O God of my heart, to do Thy will. 

R. My God, I have willed it, that Thy law be ever in the 
midst of my heart. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD Jesus, Who hast deigned to open to the Church, 
Thy spouse, the unspeakable delights and riches of 
Thy Heart; grant that we Thy servants may be worthy to 
be enriched and refreshed with the heavenly graces spring- 
ing from this sweetest source. Who livest and reignest 
world without end. Amen. 

AT lauds. 

V. f\ GOD, come to my assistance. 

v-^ R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 



654 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. Alleluia. 

From Septuagesima till Paschal time, instead of Alleluia, 
is said: Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory. 

V. Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love of us, 

R. Inflame our hearts with love of thee. 

Hymn. 

O HEART, the Godhead's worthy throne, 
Thee did the Spirit's power create, 
In Mary's womb immaculate, — 
The Virgin Mother's holy One. 

Praised is through thee the Trinity; 
Thou art the Father's bliss; the Son 
Hath knit thee with Himself in one; 

And rests the Holy Ghost in thee. 

In thee the wrecked world safety finds, 
And faithful souls their peace secure, 
A cloister too, where chaste and pure 

Serenely rest their hearts and minds. 

Sweeter art thou than honey stored ; 
O Sacred Heart, to thee are dear 
Pure minds, to thee pure hearts draw near. 

Be thou by every heart adored. Amen. 

Ant. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, thirsting for our salva- 
tion, recall us faithless wanderers to a right mind, that we 
may not die in our sins. 

V. My heart is ready, O God of my heart, to do Thy will. 

R. My God, I have willed it, that Thy law be ever in the 
midst of my heart. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD Jesus, Who hast deigned to open to the Church, 
Thy spouse, the unspeakable delights and riches of 
Thy Heart, grant that we Thy servants may be worthy 
to be enriched and refreshed with the heavenly graces spring- 
ing from this sweetest source. Who livest and reignest 
world without end. Amen. 

AT PRIME. 

V- /"^V GOD, come to my assistance. 

R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 



and the Sacred Heart. 



655 



R. As it was in the beginning, is now,, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. Alleluia. 

From Septivagesima till Paschal time, instead of Alleluia, is 
said: Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory. 

V. Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love of us, 

R. Inflame our hearts with love of thee. 

Hymn. 

EART, victim of eternal love, 
Undying bliss of all the blest, 
Of mortal men the strength and rest, 
Their one, their highest hope above. 

When, with deep wound, love pierced thy side 
It welcomed us, and in the gate 
It cried: "Come quickly, do not wait; 

Behold the way, how fair and wide!" 

Since thou hast washed us in that tide 
Of blood which gushed from every pore, 
Gather and keep us evermore 

Deep in the shelter of thy side. 

Sweeter art thou than honey stored; 
O Sacred Heart, to thee are dear 
Pure minds, to thee pure hearts draw near. 

Be thou by every heart adored. Amen. 

Ant. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, most perfect pattern of 
purity, make us to be clean of heart, that we may be wor- 
thy to be found like unto thee. 

V. My heart is ready, O God of my heart, to do Thy will. 

R. My God, I have willed it, that Thy law be ever in the 
midst of my heart. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD Jesus, Who hast deigned to open to the Church, 
Thy spouse, the unspeakable delights and riches of 
Thy Heart, grant that we Thy servants may be worthy 
to be enriched and refreshed with the heavenly graces spring- 
ing from this sweetest source. Who livest and reignest 
world without end. Amen. 

AT TIERCE. 

V. f \ GOD, come to my assistance. 

R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holv 
Ghost, 




656 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. Alleluia. 

From Septuagesima till PascJial time, instead of Alleluia, is 
said: Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory. 

V. Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love of us, 

R. Inflame our hearts with love of thee. 

Hymn. 

^HTVAY that same love, O stricken breast, 

Now wound our hearts, which wounded Thine ; 
And fill us with love's sacred wine, 
Life-giving nectar of the blest! 

In faith's new mystery to our hearts 

God gives His flesh to be their food, 

And the full chalice of His blood 
In His own feast of love imparts. 

He Whom all heaven with blissful dread 

Adores, now shrouds His majesty 

With mystic veil that He may be 
To little ones their daily bread. 

Sweeter art thou than honey stored ; 
O Sacred Heart, to thee are dear 
Pure minds, to thee pure hearts draw near. 

Be thou by every heart adored. Amen. 

Ant. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, most meek with all thine 
enemies, may thy peace so reign in us, that from our hearts 
we may forgive those that persecute and calumniate us. 

V. My heart is ready, O God of my heart, to do Thy will. 

R. My God, I have willed it, that Thy law be ever in the 
midst of my heart. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD Jesus, Who hast deigned to open to the Church, 
Thy spouse, the unspeakable delights and riches of 
Thy Heart, grant that we Thy servants may be worthy to 
be enriched and refreshed with the heavenly graces springing 
from this sweetest source. Who livest and reignest world 
without end. Amen. 

AT SEXT. 

V. S~\ GOD, come to my assistance. 

R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy- 
Ghost, 



and the Sacred Heart, 



R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. Alleluia. . 

From Septuagesima till Paschal time, instead of Alleluia, 
is said: Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory. 

V. Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love of us, 

R. Inflame our hearts with love of thee. 

Hymn. 

OD will our choicest victims slight 
O Heart, unless they rest on thee, 
Whose altar wide, all earth and sea 
Embracing, towers o'er heaven's height. 

Here reign enthroned the virtues all, 
Whose bright array with faithful care 
Must needs watch innocence so fair, 

Lest left alone she surely fall. 

In this Heart's depths that law of right 
Moves, which should rule earth's destiny; 
And thence for our felicity 

Grace pours its stream of love and light. 

Sweeter art thou than honey stored; 
O Sacred Heart, to thee are dear 
Pure minds, to thee pure hearts draw near. 

Be thou by every heart adored. Amen. 

A nt. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, broken with sorrow for 
our sins, bestow on us a humble and contrite heart, that 
we may bring forth fruits worthy of penance. 

V. My heart is ready, O God of my heart, to do Thy will. 

R. My God, I have willed it, that Thy law be ever in the 
midst of my heart. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD Jesus, Who hast deigned to open to the Church, 
Thy spouse, the unspeakable delights and riches 
of Thy Heart; grant that we Thy servants may be worthy 
to be enriched and refreshed with the heavenly graces spring- 
ing from this sweetest source Who livest and reignest 
world without end. Amen. 

AT NONE. 

V. f \ GOD, come to my assistance. 

V>J R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the 
Holy Ghost, 




6 $8 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrame?it 



R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. -Amen. Alleluia 

From Septuagesima till Paschal time, instead of Alleluia, 
is said: Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory. 

V. Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love of us, 

R. Inflame our hearts with love of thee. 

Hymn. 

/z* HEART, the sun's pure ray near thine 

\ ' Is dark; heaven shrinks near thine abode; 

Thou sum of all the works of God, 
Of His eternal word the shrine. 

Thine acts, O Heart, encompass all 

The offerings worthy of the Sire; 

Nor is there any least desire 
Not thine, on which His blessings fall. 

Our sins the wrath of God provoke; 
He lifts the thunderbolt, yet sees 
Thy throbbings, gentle Heart, and these 

Stay and recall His vengeful stroke 

Sweeter art thou than honey stored; 
O Sacred Heart, to thee are dear 
Pure minds, to thee pure hearts draw near. 

Be thou by every heart adored. Amen. 

Ant. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to which poverty was most 
dear, place us as a seal upon thyself, that in thee, as in our 
only treasure, our hearts may ever wholly be. 

V. My heart is ready, O God of my heart, to do Thy will. 

R. My God, I have willed it, that Thy law be ever in the 
:midst of my heart. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD Jesus, Who hast deigned to open to the Church, 
Thy spouse, the unspeakable delights and riches of 
'Thy Heart; grant that we, Thy servants, may be worthy 
to be enriched and refreshed with the heavenly graces spring- 
ing from this sweetest source. Who Invest and reignest world 
without end. Amen. 

AT VESPERS. 

V. ✓"x GOD, come to my assistance, 

V>^ R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost, 



and the Sacred Heart. 



659 



R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. Alleluia. 

From Septuagesima till Paschal time, instead of Alleluia, 
is said: Praise be to Thee,- O Lord, King of eternal glory. 

V. Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love of us, 

R. Inflame our hearts with love of thee. 

Hymn. 

QUAL to God's dread sanctity, 
O Victim Heart, thine altar bears 
Always, regarding not the years, 
Atonement for iniquity. 

Filling with plaintive note thy nest, 
She feeds, who is thy mystic dove, 
Among thy flowers on bread of love — 

Thy Spouse, O Heart of God, at rest. 

Here breathes that stainless lily's breath, 
Which decks the virgin's crown so rare, 
And here the rose without compare 

Grows red to grace the martyr's death. 

Sweeter art thou than honey stored; 
O Sacred Heart, to thee are dear 
Pure minds, to thee pure hearts draw near. 

Be thou by every heart adored. Amen. 

Ant. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, full of loving kindness for 
those who love thee, may our flesh and our heart be absorbed 
in thee, that thou mayest be the love of our heart and our 
portion forever. 

V. My heart is ready, O God of my heart, to do Thy will. 

R. My God, I have willed it, that Thy law be ever in 
the midst of my heart. 

Let us pray 

OLORD Jesus, Who hast deigned to open to the Church, 
Thy spouse, the unspeakable delights and riches 
of Thy Heart ; grant that we, Thy servants, may be worthy 
to be enriched and refreshed with the heavenly graces spring- 
ing from this sweetest source. Who livest and reignest world 
without end. Amen. 

AT compline. 
V. GOD, come to my assistance, 

KJ R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
Ghost, 




66 o Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. Alleluia. 

From Septuagesima till Paschal time, instead of Alleluia, 
is said: Praise be to Thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory. 

V. Heart of Jesus, inflamed with love of us, 

R. Inflame our hearts with love of thee. 

Hymn. 

ON fire with love's sweet violence, 
The Mother's heart pants ceaselessly 
All for her Son's — His own to be 
In mystic self -indifference. 

The bonds of love, which naught can part, 

The Mother's heart with His unite; 

His fires of love do hers ignite 
And hers reenter straight His Heart. 

Sweeter art thou than honey stored; 
O Sacred Heart, to thee are dear 
Pure minds, to thee pure hearts draw near. 

Be thou by every heart adored. Amen. 

Ant. O Victim of charity, most loving Heart of Jesus, immo- 
lated for our sins, neglected and outraged by ungrateful 
men, change us, quicken us, and set us on fire. 

V. My heart is ready, O God of my heart, to do Thy 
will. 

R. My God, I have willed it, that Thy law be ever in the 
midst of my heart. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD Jesus, Who hast deigned to open to the Church, 
Thy spouse, the unspeakable delights and riches of 
Thy Heart ; grant that we, Thy servants, may be worthy to 
be enriched and refreshed with the heavenly graces spring- 
ing from this sweetest source. Who livest and reignest 
world without end. Amen. 

Pope Leo XIII. granted an indulgence of 200 days for the 
recitation of this office. This indulgence can be gained once a 
day. 



and the Sacred Heart. 



66 1 



XLbc 1bol£ 1bour* 

i. 

HE Holy Hour is a pious exercise of mental or vocal 
prayer, in union with the prayer of Our Lord in the 
Garden of Olives on Maundy Thursday night. It was 
taught as a practice to Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque, 
by Our Lord Himself, Who appeared to her while she was 
adoring the Blessed Sacrament, and said: ''Every night, 
between Thursday and Friday, I will make you partaker of 
that sorrow unto death which it was My will to suffer in 
the Garden of Olives. . . . To join with Me in the humble 
prayer which I then offered to My Father, you shall rise 
between eleven o'clock and midnight; you shall prostrate 
yourself with Me for one hour, with your face to the ground, 
both to appease the anger of God by imploring mercy for 
sinners, and to sweeten in some way the bitterness I felt 
when My apostles abandoned Me, being unable to watch 
one hour with Me." 

In 1829, Father Debrosse, S.J., founded a confraternity 
in the chapel of the Jesuits at Paray-le-Monial, for the pur- 
pose of spreading this devotion. In virtue of a rescript of 
Pius IX., issued in 1875, all the associates of the *Apostleship 
of Prayer can gain the plenary indulgence for keeping the 
Holy Hour. The devotion may be practiced either in pub- 
lic or in private; if in public, then any hour may be named 
for any day in the week by the local directors; if in private, 
then the time is restricted to an hour, between 2 p.m. of 
every Thursday and about 6 p.m. on Friday. There are no 
special prayers or practices obligatory during the Holy Hour, 
but it should be offered in memory of the sacred Passion, 
and in particular of the prayer and agony of Our Saviour 
in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

No particular place is prescribed for keeping the Holy 
Hour; hence even sick persons can practice this beautiful 
devotion. To gain the plenary indulgence, the ordinary 
conditions of confession, communion, and prayer for the 
Pope's intention are obligatory. Independently of this, 
however, the pious exercise of the Holy Hour must be most 
meritorious and pleasing to Our Lord. We thereby make 
reparation to the Heart of Jesus for the ingratitude of men; 
participate in Our Saviour's agony; implore mercy for sin- 
ners, and appease the anger of God.* 

* Lefevbre's " Month of the Sacred Heart," "The Watches 
of the Sacred Passion," by the Rev. P. Gallwey, S.J., and parts 



662 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



As to vocal prayers for the Holv Hour, there is an abun- 
dance and a variety of them in this book, e.g., the Office of the 
Sacred Heart; the Litanies; the Acts of Consecration and 
Reparation, and the Prayers in reference to the Passion of 
Our Lord. The Rosary in honor of the sorrowful mysteries 
may also be recited. 

n. 

REFLECTIONS, MEDITATIONS, AND PRAYERS FOR THE HOLY 

HOUR. 

T no other time, perhaps, did the Heart of Jesus suffer 
more than during His agony in the Garden of Olives. 
And it is to this sad vigil that He calls us, gently chiding us 
as He reproached the sleeping disciples: "Can you not 
watch one hour with Me?" Oh, accept His loving invita- 
tion! He will not refuse you powerful graces that will touch 
and even convert your sinful heart. 

Represent to yourself Our Lord Jesus Christ leaving the 
supper-room where He had just instituted the Sacrament 
of His love, and directing His steps toward the lonely garden 
where His Passion began, with the sorrow of His Sacred 
Heart. 

Imagine that, by a special favor the good Master chooses 
you to be a witness of His agony and a companion in His 
blessed prayer. Hasten, therefore, with all the fervor of 
your soul, to answer His loving call. 

What a favor, O my Jesus! Thou invitest me to witness 
Thy agony and to realize the infinite love Thou bearest 
for sinners. I follow Thee, O my Jesus, with readiness, and 
I desire to watch and pray with Thee during this hour. But 
Thou knowest my weakness. Sustain me, therefore, O Jesus, 
for without Thy assistance I shall be more cowardly than 
Thy apostles, and shall remain insensible to Thy sorrow 
and love. 

I come, O my God infinitely holy, to prostrate myself, in 
union with Thy divine Son, before Thy supreme majesty, 



of Book II. and Book III. of Thomas a Kempis' "The Following 
of Christ' ' will serve very well for spiritual reading during the 
Holy Hour. Pious souls of every class, by using Father Gall- 
wey's most admirable work, will feel their hearts burning with 
love of Him Who suffered for love of us all. 




and the Sacred Heart. 



663 



and to annihilate myself in the presence of Thy infinite 
greatness. I come to offer Thee His agony and the sorrows 
of His Heart, to satisfy Thy justice. I come to weep for 
my sins and those of all men. Hear my supplications, and 
accept my homage, or rather cast Thine eyes on the Heart 
of Thy beloved Son, with whom I desire to be united during 
this prayer. 

The First Prostration of Jesus. 
"He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows." 

BEHOLD your divine Saviour prostrate, His face to the 
very ground, moaning under the weight of the iniqui- 
ties of the whole world. He bore them; He took them on 
Himself; He offers to expiate them. Nevertheless, He 
feels so great a horror for them that He seems crushed and 
even annihilated under the weight of sorrow and humiliation. 

Adore profoundly this august and holy Victim. Beg Him 
to let you share His horror for sin, and to pierce your heart 
with holy and bitter sorrow. 

Recite with compunction of heart the Confiteor and an act 
of contrition. 

Behold the total abandonment in which our divine Saviour 
is found. A dread silence surrounds Him; His apostles 
are asleep; His Mother is far away; He is alone with His 
Father. But the Father, infinitely holy, no longer considers 
His divine Son as the object of His eternal complacency. 
He beholds in Him only the Victim upon Whom will fall His 
vengeance against sin. 

Repeat several invocations from the Litany of the Holy 
Name. Pronounce the name of Jesus with burning love. 
Oh, at what a dear rate the Son of God purchased this divine 
name! Now He suffers that He may indeed become Our 
Saviour, Our Jesus. 

Contemplate your Victim rising with difficulty and going 
to His disciples. He finds them asleep. Hear His gentle 
voice of reproach : " Could you not watch one hour with Me ? " 
Imagine that on returning to His place, Jesus directs His 
loving looks toward you. Cast yourself at His feet and 
say with loving heart : " O Jesus, I, too, have often abandoned 
Thee. I have afflicted Thy Heart by my wanderings, but 
now I return, to be faithful to Thee until death." 

The Second Prostration. 

IMAGINE you hear the sweet voice of your divine Saviour, 
exclaiming: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death." 
Two swords pierced the Heart of Jesus — the sword of His 



664 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



love for His Father, and the sword of His love for men. He 
wished to repair the outrage done to His Father by sin; 
and yet sin will still be committed, and the majesty of the 
Father will again be insulted. He suffered to save men, 
to prevent them from falling into hell; and yet many will 
despise His goodness, and lose their souls despite His de- 
votedness and love. 

Keep the eyes of your soul fixed with love and compassion 
on your suffering Saviour. 

Contemplate His sacred head bowed to the earth. Behold 
the anguish of His adorable countenance. He sinks under 
the weight of so great an affliction. His agony begins. He 
seems about to die of sorrow. 

Let your heart be pierced with the sadness which filled 
the Heart of Jesus, and reduced Him to this deplorable state. 
His blood flowing in vain for so many cherished souls! His 
Father's goodness outraged by so many sins! Jesus scans 
the centuries and beholds me. He sees my little energy in 
overcoming myself, my infidelities, my ingratitude. Pene- 
trated with grief for having contributed to the agony of 
Jesus, let us say from our hearts: Behold, O my Jesus, this 
ungrateful soul who has been so deaf to Thy voice, who has, 
on a thousand occasions, despised the mercies of Thy ador- 
able Heart. Weep no longer for me, O my amiable Jesus. 
I return to Thee ; I return for ever. Alas, my soul is loaded 
with miseries, stained with innumerable sins, but it belongs 
to Thee. To possess it Thou consentest to suffer so much. 
O merciful Saviour, Thou hast said : Come to me, all ye that 
labor, and I will refresh you. Here is my soul, O Jesus; it 
will be Thine for evermore. I come to share in Thy sorrow, 
and to console Thee by my sincere return. 

Animated with the desire of giving greater consolation 
to the Heart of Jesus, form acts of love, saying: I love my 
neighbor as myself, etc. Promise Jesus that you will try to 
gain souls to His love, and to recall the straying to the true 
fold. 

Continue to contemplate your adorable Saviour delivered 
to agonies more cruel than death. He perseveres in prayer, 
notwithstanding the weariness, fear, and sorrow that fill 
His Sacred Heart. Listen with profound respect to the 
prayer of your Lord. Let it sink to the depth of your flinty 
heart. Prostrate before your Saviour, unite in His senti- 
ments. Enter into His Heart, and repeat, with fervor, His 
divine prayer. Unreservedly offer yourself with Him to 
do the will of God. 

My adorable Saviour, Thy example teaches me the surest 



and the Sacred Heart. 



66 5 



means of arriving at perfection. Yes, I desire to imitate 
Thee in Thy divine resignation. On every occasion I will 
say: Thy will, O Father, Thy will, and not mine be done. 

Jesus goes again to His disciples and finds them still asleep. 

He returns, in sadness, to the place of His prayer. 

The Third Prostration. 

OUR Saviour considers with intense anguish the suffering 
of His Passion, and His Sacred Heart endures them 
all. Oh, how great was the love necessary to accept them! 
In union with the Victim recall these sufferings, and first, 
the treacherous kiss of Judas. Ah, bitterly bewail your 
own baseness, in communions that were tepid, in those, 
perhaps, that were sacrilegious, in which you also gave the 
perjured kiss. Make an act of spiritual communion. Say 
three times, with the deepest contrition: Lord Jesus, my 
soul is not worthy to receive Thee. Say only the word and 
it shall be healed. Add in union with the angels surround- 
ing the tabernacle : Lamb without spot, who art daily immo- 
lated for the honor of God and the salvation of the world, 
be for ever blessed and glorified! O good Shepherd, that 
Thou mightest remain with Thy cherished flock, Thou didst 
not fear to expose Thyself to all the outrages and profana- 
tions of sinners. Be Thou for ever blessed and glorified! 
Saving Host, chalice of benediction, disarming the anger 
of God, be for ever blessed and glorified! 

The Heart of Jesus accepts the sentence of scourging. 
Already He feels the blows. His body is but one wound. 
His feet wade in His blood. The pillar to which He is 
attached is red with His blood, and shreds of His sacred 
flesh lie scattered around. Alas! by what cruel treatment 
Jesus wishes to expiate our sensuality and sloth, our vanity, 
but, above all, our faults against the lily of virtues — purity. 

Follow the inspirations of your devotions, and form acts 
of contrition in union with all holy penitents. 

Jesus beholds the cross, the heavy cross prepared for Him 
to carry to the top of Calvary, and upon which He is to die, 
a Victim of divine justice and His infinite love for men. 
Oh, how painful, how crushing is the cross! Our sins have 
made it so heavy that Jesus can hardly carry it. Thrice 
on the way to Calvary He will fall, borne to the earth by 
its cruel weight. Nevertheless, He receives it and embraces 
it with holy ardor. Let us try to fathom this mystery of 
love. Jesus embraces the cross, because the cross will be 
our remedy, our strength, our salvation. Bless a thousand 
times your good God, Who has loved you to such excess. 



666 l^hursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



Promise Him that you will never again refuse the precious 
treasures He offers you when He deigns to give you a share 
in His cross. 

Repeat with tender and profound gratitude: We adore 
Thee, O Jesus, and bless Thee, because by Thy holy cross 
Thou hast redeemed the world. 

Add with love and confidence: O Jesus, I wish to carry 
the cross with Thee. 

Jesus at length contemplates that last hour, which He 
calls His Hour, so great is His desire to finish the work of 
our redemption. Behold this hour of death in all its bitter- 
ness. The Heart of Jesus feels all the sufferings prepared 
for Him. Stay with Him in His agony. He is stripped 
of His clothes; His hands and feet are pierced: He is raised 
on the cross, suspended between two thieves. He is insulted, 
abandoned by all. Listen to His dying words. Contem- 
plate Him with love. Cry out from your heart: O Jesus, 
best of Masters and tenderest of Fathers, my heart feels a 
profound grief in considering the cruel sufferings Thou hast 
endured. Never, never again, shall anything separate me 
from Thee! Thou dost wish to shed even the last drop of 
Thy blood to expiate my many sins. Thy goodness touches 
my cold heart. O Jesus, I wish to be Thine during life — till 
death. 

Repeat this prayer several times. Then add five times, 
in honor of the five wounds: Jesus, my Saviour, I will love 
Thee always, I will love Thee for ever. 

Recall to mind that Jesus, while thus considering the suffer- 
ings of His Passion, feels them all in His Heart, and that 
His agony is increased by the crushing thought, God will 
again be offended; men will continue to cast themselves 
into the abyss of perdition. 

How bitter is this chalice presented to our divine Re- 
deemer! His holy humanity is terrified, and again the cry 
of distress escapes from His blessed Hps: Father, let the 
chalice pass from Me. 

In this awful moment an angel descends from heaven, 
and reverently raises Jesus. In company with this angel, 
approach your Saviour, and say to Him: "Wilt Thou, dear 
Lord, permit this poor soul to perish eternally?" And Jesus, 
with looks of tender pity cast upon you, will reply: "No, I 
will die willingly for you." Words can make no answer to 
such an excess of love. Let your heart alone speak to your 
Victim, with thanksgiving and gratitude inspired by the 
goodness of your most amiable Saviour. 

And Jesus being in an agony and bloody sweat, prayed 



and the Sacred Heart. 



667 



the longer. The more our infinitely compassionate Saviour 
suffers, the more He prays. Oh, how many and how great 
the graces showered upon the earth through the humility, 
the submission, the burning zeal which dictate the prayer 
of the God-Man. Ask with confidence for the blessings you 
most need. Pray for your parents, brethren, and friends, 
for your superiors, for your Order, for the Church. Pray 
with Jesus, like Jesus, through Jesus, and you will obtain all 
you desire. 

Recite five Our Fathers, and Five Hail Marys. 

Jesus arises, leaving the place dyed in the blood of His 
agony, of His martyrdom of love and superhuman courage, 
and goes to meet His cruel enemies. Follow Him in spirit, 
saying with all the love and energy of your soul: My beloved 
Jesus, Thou art going to die for me: I wish to die for Thee. 

Jesus, no more during life will my heart be separated from 
Thee. 

Repeat the sacred words of the divine Victim: It is con- 
summated. Apply them to yourself in saying: My reso- 
lution is taken. I renounce for ever all the sins and evil 
habits of my life which have caused so much suffering to my 
Saviour. I shall never again refuse anything to Him Who 
has so loved me as to deliver Himself for me. "Greater love 
than this no man hath, that he lay down his life for his 
friends." * 

Resolutions and Amendment. 
Y sweetest Jesus, I here take the resolution of losing all 
rather than losing Thy grace. I am weak, but Thou 
art strong; Thy strength will render me strong against my 
enemies. Under Thy protection, what have I to fear? My 
sweetest Saviour, do not allow me to be separated from Thee. 
Assist me in the dangers in which I may find myself; may 

1 never fail in having recourse to Thee! I ardently desire 
to be faithful to Thee, and to live for Thee alone, so long 
as I may still remain on earth. It is for Thee to give me the 
strength of which I stand in need. 

Increase in me, oh, purest Heart of Jesus ! the fear of dis- 
pleasing thee. I tremble at the sight of my past infidelities, 
but thy merits and the multiplied graces thou hast bestowed 
on me restore my confidence. Now that I love thee, I hope 
thou wilt not abandon me, and of this I feel assured in view 
of the mercy thou didst extend to me when I did not think 
of loving thee. I do not count on my own strength, for by 
experience I know how little it is worth. I depend encirely 




* From Spencer's "The Little Grain of Wheat." 



668 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



on thy goodness and this is why I hope never more to be 
separated from thee. 

My divine Redeemer, never will I leave Thee again. Even 
should all others leave Thee I will remain faithful to Thee, 
should it even cost me my life. I solemnly protest that 
were there neither paradise nor hell, I would never cease 
loving Thee, since, my Love, Thou art always worthy of 
infinite love. 

If I could begin my life anew, I would employ it wholly 
in loving Thee; but I can not recall the years I have lost. 
I give Thee thanks for having borne with me until now, 
and not having cast me away from Thee for ever. 

Since Thou hast spared me it is but just that I should 
consecrate the rest of my life to Thee. May all my thoughts, 
desires, and affections be pleasing to Thee. 

My beloved Jesus! I renew my vows; I accept with re- 
newed fervor all the obligations and all the sacrifices of my 
state of life, for love of Thee. I will be more devoted than 
ever to my Holy Rule, for it is the expression of Thy will. 
And at my last hour, when Thy holy image shall be pressed 
to my dying lips, when all the world shall not be able to 
help me, then do Thou not abandon me ; for Thou art my 
Redeemer. Receive me into Thy Sacred Heart, and may 
my last sigh be a sigh of love, so that I may love Thee and 
bless Thee eternally. 

ACT OF ATONEMENT. 

O SACRED Heart of Jesus! humbly prostrate before 
thee, we come to renew our consecration, with the 
resolution of repairing by an increase of love and fidelity 
toward thee, all the outrages unceasingly offered thee: 
We solemnly promise 

V. The more thy mysteries are blasphemed, 
R. The more firmly we will believe them, O Sacred Heart 
of Jesus! 

V. The more impiety endeavors to extinguish our hopes 
of immortality, 

R. The more we will trust in Thy Heart, sole hope of 
mortals ! 

V. The more hearts resist thy divine attractions, 

R. The more we will love thee, O infinitely amiable Heart 

of Jesus! 

V. The more thy divinity is attacked, 
R. The«more we will adore it, O Divine Heart of Jesus! 
V. The more thy holy laws are forgotten and transgressed. 
R. The more we will observe them, O most holy Heart 01 
Jesus ! 



and the Sacred Heart. 



669 



V. The more thy sacraments are despised and abandoned, 
R. The more we will receive them with love and respect, 
O most liberal Heart of Jesus! 

V. The more thy adorable virtues are forgotten, 
R. The more we will endeavor to practise them, O Heart! 
model of every virtue. 

V. The more the devil labors to destroy souls, 
R. The more we will be inflamed with desire to save them, 
O Heart of Jesus, zealous lover of souls! 

V. The more pride and sensuality tend to destroy abne- 
gation and love of duty, 

R. The more generous we will be in overcoming ourselves, 
O Heart of Jesus! 

Jesus, make us such true apostles of Thy Heart, that 
reparation to Thee may be our best reward. Amen. 

Good Jesus, Who alone orderest all things well, 

1 cast myself upon Thine infinite, undeserved love: 

I trust Thee with my all . . . myself, and all whom I love, 
and all that I desire, 

My present and my future, my hopes, and my fears, 
My time and my eternity, my joys and my sorrows, 
Deal with me as Thou wiliest and knowest best, 
Only bind me safe to Thine everlasting love ! 

Prayer. 

I ADORE thee, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, the joy, the 
satisfaction, and the supreme ruler of all hearts. With 
the same loving kindness that led thee to take the hand of 
St. Thomas, and carry it thyself into thy side, make my 
heart seek no joy but in thee, O Sacred Heart. May my 
heart be ever subject to thy gentle sw^ay, for out of thee it 
will find but labor and tribulation, and all the evils of an 
unhappy bondage. Amen. 

INDULGENCES GRANTED BY POPE PIUS IX. FOR A NO VENA IN 
HONOR OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

HE Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IX., by a rescript given at 
Gaeta, Jan. 5, 1849, an d by another rescript of the 
S. Congr. of Indulgences, Nov. 26, 1876, enlarging the con- 
cession made by Pius VII., Jan. 13, 18 18, granted on the 
Feast of the Sacred Heart, or at one other time during the 
year, to all the faithful who shall, with at least contrite 
heart and devotion, make a novena in honor of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus with any formula of prayer, provided it be 
approved by competent ecclesiastical authority, an indul- 
gence of 300 days, every day. 



670 Thursday : The Blessed Sacra??ient 



A plenary indulgence, during the novena, or on one of the 
eight days immediately following, provided that, being truly 
penitent, after confession and communion, they shall pray 
devoutly for peace and union among Christian princes, for 
the extirpation of heresy, and for the triumph of holy Mother 
Church. 

B jf avorlte IRovena to tbe SacreD Ibeart of Jeewe. 

(Feast, Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi.) 
Prayer. 

^T^IVINE Jesus, Who hast said: "Ask, and you shall 
A^J receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall 
be opened unto you," behold me prostrate at Thy feet, ani- 
mated with a lively faith and confidence in these promises, 
dictated by Thy Sacred Heart and pronounced by Thy 
adorable lips. I come to ask [here mention the request]. To 
whom can I address myself if not to Thee, Whose Heart is 
an inexhaustible source of all graces and merits? Wliere 
should I seek for graces if not in the treasure which contains 
all the riches of Thy clemency and bounty? Wliere must I 
knock if it be not at the door through which God communi- 
cates Himself to us and through which we go to God? To 
thee, then, O Heart of Jesus, I have recourse; in thee I 
find consolation when afflicted, protection when persecuted, 
strength when overwhelmed with trials, and light in doubt 
and darkness. 

Thou canst bestow on me the grace which I implore. 
Thou hast only to will it and my prayer is granted. I 
acknowledge that I am most unworthy of Thy favors, 
O Jesus! But Thou art the God of mercy, and Thou 
wilt not refuse a contrite heart. Cast upon me a look 
of mercy, I conjure Thee, and Thy compassionate Heart 
will find in my miseries and weakness a pressing motive 
for granting my petition. O Sacred Heart, whatever may 
be thy decision with regard to my request, I will never cease 
to adore, love, praise, and serve thee. Deign, my Jesus, 
to accept this, my act of perfect submission to the decrees 
of Thy Adorable Heart, which I sincerely desire may be 
fulfilled in and by me and all Thy creatures for ever and ever. 
Amen. 



and the Sacred Heart. 



671 



THE HEART OF JESUS THE SOURCE OF ALL HAPPINESS. 

^~*HERE is one thing for which every heart craves, after 
v£j its own manner. We all long for happiness — that 
is the one great desire that lives in every soul. Hast Thou 
not, sweet Jesus, given us that longing? And when Thou 
hast given so much, surely Thou wilt not refuse the accom- 
plishment of this desire also. Tell us, dear Lord, what souls 
are happy, and we will learn from their example. Let us 
look at the faces of those who serve Thee, and we will see 
them growing brighter and brighter as they draw near Thee, 
and they will tell us: When "we love Thee sincerely, then 
we shall be happy; when we make Thy will the center around 
which we move, then we shall be happy; when Thy sweet 
Heart, hidden under the sacramental species, is more beau- 
tiful in our sight than all else, when we shape and mould 
our lives according to the example of that Sacred Heart, 
then peace and joy and happiness will be ours. Teach us, 
sweet Heart of Jesus, from thy tabernacle, to serve thee as 
thou deservest, to love thee above all things, to work for 
thee bravely and generously, solely because of thy love 
and not for thy gifts. Oh, what happiness may I not promise 
myself if I but cling to Thy most generous Heart, and use 
my best endeavors to fiithfullv serve and love Thee. In- 
flame my heart with the love of Thee. With St. Ignatius I 
pray: ' Lord Jesus, give me but Thy love and Thy grace; 
more than this I do not ask." My Jesus, I love Thee with 
my whole heart and aoove all things Let me live but for 
Thee; let me die in Thy grace. 

INVOCATIONS TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

*-| — JOVE of the Heart of Jesus, inflame my heart 



,J k Charity of the Heart of Jesus, flow into my heart* 

Strength of the Heart of Jesus, support my heart. 

Mercy of the Heart of Jesus, pardon my heart. 

Patience of the Heart of Jesus, grow not weary of my heart. 

Kingdom of the Heart of Jesus, be in my Heart. 

Wisdom of the Heart of Jesus, teach my heart. 

Will of the Heart of Jesus, dispose of my heart. 

Zeal of the Heart of Jesus, consume my heart. 

Immaculate Virgin, pray for us to the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus. 

Adorable Trinity, we thank Thee for ail the favors Thou 




672 Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



hast conferred on Thy servant, Blessed Margaret Mary, 
and through her intercession we hope to obtain the graces 
we ask for in this novena. 

PRAYER OF BLESSED MARGARET MARY. 

^"S'TERXAL Father, permit me to offer Thee the Heart 
of Thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as He offers 
Himself to Thee in sacrifice. Receive this oblation for me, 
together with all the desires, sentiments, affections, move- 
ments, and acts of this Sacred Heart. They are all mine, 
since He immolates Himself for me, and henceforth I wish 
to have no desires but His. Receive them in satisfaction 
for my sins, and in thanksgiving for all Thy benefits. Re- 
ceive them, that through His merits Thou mayst grant me 
all the graces necessary for me, especially the grace of final per- 
severance. Receive them as so many acts of love, adoration, 
and praise, which I offer Thy divine majesty, since it is by the 
Heart of Jesus Thou art worthily honored and glorifi sd. Amen. 

Otber Sets anD praters wbieb /Dbag be 'Uses Burma 
a Iftovena of tbe SacreD foeatt. 

VEX. DE LA COLOMEIERE ? S PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART. 

O SACRED Heart of Jesus, do thou teach me an entire 
forgetfulness of myself, since there is no other way 
of entering into thee. Grant that I may do nothing that 
is not worthy of thee. Teach me what I ought to do to 
attain to thy pure love, with the desire of which thou hasf 
inspired me. I feel in myself a great wish to please thee, 
and a great inability to do so without special light and assist- 
ance, which I can look for only from thee. Do Thou accom- 
plish in me, O Lord, Thy will. I oppose it, I know well 
but I would fain not do so. It is for thee, O Divine Heart, 
to do all; thine alone shall be the glory of my sanctifica 
tion if I become a saint. This is as clear to me as the day 
It will be greatly to thy glory; and it is for this alone I desire 
to be perfect. Amen. 

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART. 

O SACRED Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, 
broken by my ingratitude, pierced by my sins, yet 
loving me still, accept the consecration that I make to thee, 
of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of 
my soul and body, and draw me, day by day, nearer and 
■nearer to tby sacred side, and there as I can bear the lesson, 
teacn me thv blessed wavsi Amen. 



and the Sacred Heart, 



673 



ANOTHER ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART. 

OMOST adorable and Sacred Heart of Jesus! I conse- 
crate to thee my soul with all its faculties, my heart 
with all its affections, my body with all its senses, now and 
for all the days of my life. O most merciful Heart of Jesus ! 
grant that I may never be sullied by the stain of mortal sin, 
and that I may avoid, to the best of my power, wilful venial 
sin. O most loving Heart of Jesus ! preserve me in thy divine 
fear and love all the days of my life, protect me at the hour 
of my death, and grant me the grace to see God "face to face" 
in the joys of paradise. Amen. 

Adorable Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! 
Immaculate heart of Mary, pray for us! 

AN ACT OF CONSECRATION, COMPOSED BY BLESSED MARGARET 
MARY ALACOQUE. 

I, N.N., give and consecrate to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
Christ my person and my life, all my actions, pains, 
and sufferings, resolved not to use any portion of my own 
self but for His honor, love, and glory. 

My irrevocable determination is to be entirely His, and 
to do everything for His love, renouncing with all my heart 
any act that may displease Him. 

I do choose you, O most Sacred Heart, for the only object 
of my love, the protector of my life, the security of my sal- 
vation, the safeguard against my frailty and fickleness, the 
reparation for my delinquencies in life, and my most secure 
refuge in the hour of death. 

Be yourself, O bountiful Heart, my justification before 
your divine Father, and defend me from the dread of His 
just wrath. O most loving Heart, I place all my trust in 
you, for I am afraid of my own malice and weakness, but 
all my hope rests with your mercy. 

Destroy, then, in me whatever may displease you or resist 
you; would that the pure love of you be so deeply imprinted 
in my heart that I could never forsake you or be separated 
from you. 

I beseech you, by all your mercies toward me, that my 
name may be written in you; since I crave but one thing, 
that all my happiness and glory may be to live and to die 
as your most humble servant. Amen. 

An indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., Jan. 13, 1898. 



674 • Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



A NOVENA FOR A SPECIAL INTENTION 

Vj*DORABLE Heart of Jesus! Furnace of love! Ocean 
^JT* , of boundless mercy! Consolation of the afflicted! 
Refuge of sinners, and hope of the whole world! I kneel 
before thee in humble and fervent adoration, while I unite 
my supplications to the perpetual homage thou thyself 
renderest to the Divinity on our altars. Most amiable 
Heart! having loved us with an eternal love, supply thy- 
self for my insensibility, and receive my desire at least 
of loving thee with all the ardor and sincerity thou so 
justly meritest. But remember, O Adorable Heart! that 
thou hast disclosed thyself to us not only as an object 
of our adoration; thou desirest much more to engage our 
love, and to become the ground and motive of our tender 
confidence. For this end thou wert pierced through with a 
lance on the cross ; and for this same purpose thou remainest 
a daily victim of thine own love on our altars. O infinitely 
compassionate Heart of Jesus! which was overwhelmed 
with sorrow in the Garden of Olives, at the view of our 
spiritual and corporal miseries, I come to thee now with all 
the confidence thou desirest I should repose in the extent of 
thy power and the riches of thy mercy. O my God ! convinced 
that those things which are impossible to human means are 
infinitely easy to thee, and relying with a humble, steadfast 
faith on the sacred words of truth itself, that whatever we 
ask the Father in the name of Jesus should be granted, I 
now most humbly implore in that adorable name, in virtue 
of that promise, and through the abundant mercies of the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus, the particular favor I petition for in 
this no vena. [Specify it.] 

O blessed Margaret Mary! St. Gertrude! and all ye glori- 
ous servants of Christ, who while on earth were particularly 
devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, join your prayers 
with mine and obtain from the divine Object of all your 
devotion the concession of the favor which I now request. 
Beg likewise of this adorable Heart, which has dominion 
over all hearts, and could in a moment change the most 
obdurate, to have compassion on those who are in the dread- 
ful state of mortal sin, and to open to us all the treasures of 
its mercy at the hour of our death. Amen. 

NOVENA TO BLESSED MARGARET MARY. 

O BLESSED Margaret Mary, whose wonderful intimacy 
. with Our Lord inspires all thy clients with confidence, 
exert, we beseech thee, thy influence with His Divine Heart, 



and the Sacred Heart. 



675 



excite its compassion for us in our present necessity, and 
obtain what we so earnestly ask in this novena. How many 
graces, how many conversions thy prayers and penances, 
when thou didst dwell on earth, drew from that Ocean of 
love and mercy! Be not less zealous now, but let us soon feel 
the effects of thy powerful intercession with the Sacred Heart 
of Jesus. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 

Consecration of IReligtoue Communities anD jf amilies. 

DORABLE Heart of Jesus, mindful of these words 
of ineffable love: "Come to Me, all you that 
labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you," in 
the trials and sorrows of our times, we, though most 
unworthy, yet with contrite and humble hearts, approach 
thee with confidence as our divine Friend, to conse- 
crate to thee most solemnly and for ever, our house, our- 
selves, and all our possessions. We kneel before thee 
in profound adoration, in fervent thanksgiving for the 
numberless graces and blessings that have flowed down 
upon our Community (or family) from the tabernacle; 
in reparation also for our own irreverences and the 
offences of others against thee in the Sacrament of thy 
love, and finally in earnest supplication that our prayers, 
works, and sufferings, which we now consecrate to thee, 
may please thee, and give glory to thy eternal Father. 

We devote and consecrate our lives to thee, O Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, resolving firmly to love thee more fer- 
vently and constantly, to imitate thy virtues, to do 
what we can to propagate devotion to thee, and to 
labor and suffer in union with thee, for the heavenly 
Father's glory, our own sanctification, and the salvation 
of souls. 

May thy blessing descend upon this house and upon 
those who dwell therein, that all may become more 
pleasing to thee by meekness, humility, charity, con- 
formity to the will of God, self-denial, patience with. 




676 



Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



one another, and in particular by devotedness to their 
respective duties. 

May all cultivate a life that is hidden in God — an 
interior life, without selfishness or egotism, and with a 
sole view to advancing in the science of the saints, and 
to promoting the glory of God. Deign to look down upon 
us graciously, and to seal our good resolutions with thy 
grace, so that they may ever remain firm and unchange- 
able. 

Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us ; immaculate heart of 
Mary, pray for us; dear St. Joseph, protect us; guardian 
angel, defend us ; all ye saints, intercede for us. Amen. 

Cbe IDenerable /Hbotber Julie JBtlitart anD 1ber 
©emotion to tbe SacreD Ibeart* 

fTvOTHER Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre 
pJL^ Dame, who died at Namur in 1866, had always a 
great devotion to the Sacred Heart and boundless confidence 
in it. It was to this Divine Heart that she owed the cure 
of a most painful malady that had afflicted her for more 
than thirty years. Father Enfantin, a man of great faith, 
begged her, one day, to join him in making a novena to the 
Sacred Heart. On Friday, June 8, 1804, the very day of 
the Feast of the Sacred Heart and the fifth day of the novena, 
the Father went to see Mother Julie. The first thing he said 
to her was: "Mother, if you have faith, take just one step 
in honor of the Heart of Jesus." Julie rose and advanced a 
step, the first she had taken for twenty-two years. "Now 
advance another," said the Father; she obeyed. " One more," 
and again she obeyed. "That will do," said the missionary; 
" now, sit down." She sat down saying that she was cured, as 
indeed she was. Her heart was inseparably united, as it 
were, to the Heart of Jesus, the one object of her thoughts 
and affections. One day she wrote to her companions: 
" How sweet it is to dwell in the Heart uf Jesus! Let us never 
leave it, dear daughters ; let us all live there in love, let us all 
die there of love." As soon as she had gathered round her 
some few helpers in her work, her first thought was to con- 
secrate herself , together with them, to the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus and the immaculate heart of Mary. Here is a part of 
the formula which the venerable foundress herself wrote for 
this first consecration: 



and the Sacred Heart. 



677 



M Jesus, my King and my God, I consecrate myself to Thy 
Sacred Heart for time and for eternity. To this Divine Heart 
I consecrate all that I am, all that I have, all that I hope for: 
my liberty, my soul, and all its powers, my memory, my 
understanding, my will, my imagination, my body with all 
its senses, all my thoughts, my desires, my words, my actions, 
my affections, my designs, all my spiritual and corporal 
sufferings, all my present merits and those of the future, 
every moment of my life, and especially my last sigh. I also 
bind' myself, my Jesus, to foster and to propagate the devo- 
tion to Thy Sacred Heart among the faithful. Mary, Virgin 
j mmaculate, my Queen and my Mother, I likewise conse- 
crate myself to thy most holy heart, Grant, O my Jesus, 
that I may breathe my last sigh in Thine Adorable Heart. 
May that sigh be an act of love! 

IRosarE of tbe SacreD Ibeart- 

HERE are various forms of the "Beads of the Sacred 
Heart/' composed of different sets of indulgenced 
prayers. There is no need, however, for special beads. By 
repeating certain indulgenced ejaculations, according to 
one's choice, with the ordinary string of beads, a perfect 
treasury of indulgences is obtained. As a private form of 
devotion, it can be adapted to one's inclination. 

Some printed forms of the Sacred Heart Beads are mis- 
leading, because they do not discriminate carefully enough 
between ejaculations that have an indulgence attached 
for each recitation, and such as have an indulgence that 
can be gained but once a day. 

OX THE CROSS. 

OUL of Christ, sanctify me! Body of Christ, save me I 
Blood of Christ, inebriate me! Water from the side 
of Christ, wash me! Passion of Christ, strengthen me! O 
good Jesus, hear me; within Thy wounds, hide me; permit 
me not to be separated from Thee ; from the malignant enemy, 
defend me; in the hour of death call me and bid me come 
to Thee, that with Thy saints, I may praise Thee, for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time. — Pius IX., Jan, 9, 1S54. 



678 Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament 



Or say the following : 

Eternal Father! I offer Thee the precious blood of Jesus 
in satisfaction for my sins, and for the wants of holy Church. 
Indulgence of 100 days, each time. — Pius VII., Sept. 22, 1817. 

Any of the following may be used: 

OX THE LARGE BEADS AETER EACH DECADE. 

O sweetest Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may ever love 
thee more and more. 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time; plenary indulgence, once 
a month, on the usual conditions. — Pius IX., Nov. 26, 1S76. 

Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like unto 
Thine. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Jan. 25, 1868. 
Heart of Jesus, burning with love of us, inflame our hearts 
with love of thee. 

Indulgence of too days, once a day. — Leo XIII., June 16, 1893. 

OX THE SMALL BEADS. 

Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., May 21.. 1892. 
Sweet heart of Man', be my salvation. 

The latter invocation to the heart of Mary has attached to it 
for each recitation 300 hundred days' indulgence. — Pius IX., 
Sept. 30, 1852. 

AT THE CONCLUSION. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. 
Jesus, Alary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony. Jesus, 
Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with 
you. 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time that all three invocations 
are recited; 100 days, when only one is recited. — Pius VII., 
April 28, 1807. 

Or any of the following: 

May the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament 
be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at 



and the Sacred Heart. 



6 79 



every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to 
the end of time. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Feb. 29, 186S. 

Blessed be the holy arid immaculate Conception of the 
Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time. — Leo XIII., Sept. 10, 1878. 

O Mary, who didst come into this world free from stain 
obtain of God for me that I may leave it without sin. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., March 27,1863. 

St. Joseph, model and patron of those who love the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, pray for us. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., Dec. 19, 189 1. 

Prayer. 

OGOD! Who, out of Thy immense love, hast given to the 
faithful the most Sacred Heart of Thy Son, Our Lord, 
as the object of Thy tender affection; grant, we beseech 
Thee, that we may so love and honor this pledge of Thy 
love on earth, as by it to merit the love both of Thee and Thy 
gift, and be eternally loved by Thee and this most blessed 
Heart in heaven; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Through Thy Sacred Heart, O Jesus! overflowing with 
all sweetness, we recommend to Thee ourselves and all our 
concerns, our parents, 'confessors, relatives, friends, bene- 
factors, superiors, and enemies; take under Thy protection 
this house, city, and country; extend this Thy care to all 
such as are under any affliction, and to those who labor in the 
agony and pangs of death; cast an eye of compassion on 
the obstinate sinner, and more particularly on the poor suffer- 
ing souls in purgatory, as also on those who are engaged 
and united with us in the holy confraternity of honoring 
and worshipping Thee. Bless these in particular, O good 
Jesus, and bless them according to the extent of Thy nirinite 
power, mercy, and charity. Amen. 

PRAYER WHEN SUFFERING. 

WEET Jesus! may Thine own patient, loving Heart 
teach me to love suffering, and to prize highly every 
thorn Thou givest me from Thy crown, every splinter of Thy 
sacred cross. 




68o 



Thursday : The Blessed Sacrament 



O most loving Heart of my Jesus, thou who art the fruitful 
source of all graces, deign to inflame my heart with a most 
perfect love of thee, and of thy dear Mother Mary — an 
ardent charity for my neighbor, an* entire resignation to thy 
most holy will — a contempt for worldly pleasures, a holy 
life, and a happy death. Amen. 

The following Acts are recited publicly in many churches on 
the first Friday of the month. Other Acts in this book may be 
used also for this occasion. 

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. 

DORABLE Heart of Jesus, the most loving, the most 
e JM m generous of all hearts ! Heart ever burning with love 
upon our altars; deeply penetrated with gratitude and love 
for thy numberless blessings, we consecrate ourselves unre- 
servedly to thee. We give thee our hearts; that the offering 
may be acceptable, make them meek, humble, patient, and 
generous, like thine O Jesus, we consecrate to Thee our 
thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings. We pledge ourselves 
to labor unceasingly to propagate devotion to Thy Sacred 
Heart and gain souls to Thy love. Receive us, then, as Thy 
devoted servants, and mayest Thou be henceforth the sole 
object of our love, our refuge, and strength during life, our 
hope and salvation in the hour of death. Amen. 

AN ACT OF REPARATION. 

**T^VIVINE Jesus! ever present on our altars, we cast our- 
JLJ selves at Thy sacred feet, penetrated with lively 
sorrow at the sight of the ingratitude and outrages which 
unceasingly afflict Thy Heart. 

Look upon us as victims laden with our own sins and the sins 
of all mankind, that, by this homage, we may offer Thee an 
acceptable atonement and solemn reparation. Have mercy 
on us, O Jesus, have mercy on us! From the cross Thou didst 
forgive Thy executioners; pardon us also; listen to the 
pleadings of Thy Sacred Heart, and our c ins will be consumed 
in its love. 

We do not merit this grace ; but with the fire of Thy love, 
destroy in us all that may be displeasing to Thee, and im- 
plant in our hearts sentiments worthy of appeasing Thy jus- 
tice. Sacred Heart of Jesus! watch over our Sovereign Pon- 
tiff, and thy holy Church, our Mother. Be thou the salva- 
tion of Christians, the safeguard of those who have recourse 



and the Sacred Heart, 



681 



to thee, the refuge of sinners. Grant us the grace of devoting 
ourselves solely and entirely to thy service ; and thus gain- 
ing souls to thy love, may we finally share in the inheritance 
thou hast reserved for those who love thee. Amen. 

A SHORT ACT OF CONSECRATION. 

{Recommended to Promoters?) 

O JESUS, Saviour of mankind, Thou hast mercifully 
revealed to us the wonderful riches of Thy Heart ; in 
thanksgiving for Thy benefits, especially for the institution 
of the Holy Eucharist — in reparation for the offences against 
the Blessed Sacrament — in union with Thy mediation in 
heaven for us, poor sinners, I consecrate myself entirely 
to Thee, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. I 
promise to aid in spreading the worship and in promoting 
the interests of Thy Sacred Heart. 

I choose, moreover, the Blessed Virgin Mary for my Queen, 
my Advocate, and my Mother, and I am resolved to imitate 
her virtues, in particular her love for sinners, and to foster 
and promote devotion to her Immaculate Conception. I 
beseech Thee humbly to accept this promise. Thou hast 
inspired me to make it ; grant me the grace to fulfil it. Amen. 
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love! 
Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation! 

Gbe /nbontb of June- 

% ~T = ^ IS Holiness, Pope Pius IX., by a decree of the S. Congr. of 
e*—t> Indulgences, May 8, 1873, granted to all the faithful 
who, during the month of June, either in public or in private, 
shall, with at least contrite heart, say some special prayers, 
or perform some pious acts in honor of the most Sacred Heart 
of Jesus, an indulgence of seven years, once a day ; a plenary 
indulgence, on any one day of the month, provided that, being 
truly penitent, after confession and communion, they shall 
visit some church or public oratory, and pray there devoutly, 
for some time, for the intention of His Holiness. 

Acts and prayers in sufficient abundance and variety arc found 
in this book for the month of June. 

FEAST OF THE SACRED HEART. 

PLENARY indulgence to all the faithful who, being 
truly penitent, after confession and communion, 
shall visit any church or public oratory in which the Feast 




682 The Blessed Sacrament and the Sacred Heart. 



of the Sacred Heart is celebrated, and pray there for the 
intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. — Pius VII., July 7, 1815. 

PIOUS EXERCISE OF THE FRIDAYS IN HONOR OF THE SACRED 
HEART OF JESUS 

O the faithful who, on Friday after confession and com- 
munion, shall meditate for some time upon the infinite 
goodness of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and pray according to 
the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff, a plenary indulgence, 
on the first Friday of every month; an indulgence of seven 
years and seven quarantines on all the other Fridays of the 
year. — Leo XIII., Sept. 7, 1897. 



INVOKING THE BLESSING OF THE SACRED HEART UPON A 
FRIEND. 

AY the grace and blessing of the Sacred Heart be with 
you; the peace of the Sacred Heart encompass you; 
the merits of the Sacred Heart plead for you; the love of 
the Sacred Heart inflame you; the sorrows of the Sacred 
Heart console you; the zeal of the Sacred Heart animate you; 
the virtues of the Sacred Heart shine forth in every word 
and work, and may the joys of the beatific vision be your 
eternal recompense. Amen. 

PRAYER FOR THE FAITHFUL IN THEIR AGONY. 



OCLEMENTISSIME Jesu, 
amator animarum : ob- 
secro Te per agoniam cordis 
tui sanctissimi, et per dolores 
matris tuae immaculatae, lava 
in sanguine tuo peccatores 
totius mundi, nunc positos 
in agonia et hodie morituros. 
Amen. 

V. Cor Jesu in agonia fac- 
tum, miserere morientium. 



OST merciful Jesus, lover 
of souls! I pray Thee, 
by the agony of Thy most 
Sacred Heart, and by the 
sorrows of Thy immaculate 
Mother, wash in Thy blood 
the sinners of the whole world 
who are now in their agony, 
and are to die this day. Amen. 

V. Heart of Jesus, once in 
agony, pity the dying. 



Indulgence of too days each time, to those who shall say it at 
least three times a day for a month, at different hours of the day; 
a plenarv indulgence, once a month, on usual conditions. — Pius 
IX., Feb. 2, 1850. 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 683 



S)e\>otkms in Ifoonor of tbe passion of 
©ur 3Lort>** 

abousbts from tbe Saints. 

T. Bonaventure says: "He who desires to go on ad- 
^5 vancing from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, 
should constantly meditate on the Passion of Jesus Christ. 
There is no exercise more profitable for the entire sanctifi- 
cation of the soul than frequent meditation on the sufferings 
of Our Lord." 

He who frequently reflects on the Passion, can not live 
without loving Jesus Christ. As St. Paul says: "The charity 
of Christ presseth us" (2 Cor. v. 14). 

Such a one will feel himself so constrained by the Saviour's 
ineffable love for him, that he will not possibly be able to 
refrain from loving a God so full of love, Who has suffered 
so much to win our love. Hence, the Apostle of the Gentiles 
said that he desired to know nothing but Jesus, and Jesus 
crucified. "I judged not myself to know anything among 
you but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. ii. 2). All 
the saints have learned the art of loving God from the study 
of the crucifix. St. Francis of Assisi found no subject on 
which he exhorted his brethren with greater eagerness than 
the constant remembrance of the Passion of Jesus. 

"As for myself," writes St. Alphonsus, "I can never be 
satiated with meditating on the Passion of our divine Re- 
deemer. In this subject I find everything. To meditate 
well on it teaches the perfect observance of the vows and 
rules, the love of contempt and of the trials that are insep- 
arable from the religious life. He will never effect much 
who does not carry Jesus Christ crucified in his heart. He 
who keeps his Redeemer in view, cannot but love Him truly." 
Jesus Christ crucified should be our love, our life, our treasure, 
our all. With St. Paul, we ought to be able to say: "With 
Christ I am nailed to the cross; and I live, now not I, but 
Christ liveth in me. ... I live in the faith of the Son of 
God, Who loved me and delivered Himself for me" (Gal. ii. 19, 
20). 



* The devotions in honor of the Sacred Heart are usually 
given to Friday. All the suitable Sacred Heart prayers will be 
found in conjunction with the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, 
beginning page 601. See foot-note on page 547. 



684 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 

MEDITATIONS ON THE SORROWFUL PASSION OF OUR LORD 
AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, AND PIOUS EXTERIOR AND 
INTERIOR EXERCISES FOR EVERY DAY IN THE MONTH.* 



Mysteries of Christ's 
Passion. 



Exterior Exercises. 



Interior Exercises. 



Jesus takes leave of 
His Mother. 



Jesus washes _ the 
feet of His disci- 
ples. 

Jesus Christ insti- 
tutes the Sacrament 
of the Blessed 
Eucharist. 



Jesus gives His last 
admonitions to His 
apostles before His 
Passion. 



Jesus prays in the 
Garden of Olives 
and sweats blood 
for our salvation. 

Jesus is betrayed by 
Judas with a kiss. 



Jesus is arrested 
and bound like a 
criminal. 

Jesus is led to An- 
nas. 

Jesus receives a blow 
on the cheek from 
a servant. 



Jesus is thrice de- 
nied by Peter. 

Jesus is mocked all 
night long, and is 
badly treated and 
tormented. 



Not to complain to 
any one about 
one's sufferings, 
and not to seek 
human consolation. 

To assume the 
meaner occupa- 
tions. 

Often make a spiri- 
tiial communion 
during the day, 
and at meals per- 
form some little 
mortification. 

Not to speak un- 
necessarily during 
the day. and be so 
much the more at- 
tentive to the di- 
vine inspirations. 

Fervently hasten to 
the prescribed ex- 
ercises of devotion. 

Act in a friendly 
manner toward 
those who are dis- 
agreeable and op- 
posed to us. 

To denv our own 
will. 



Perform at once the 
good resolved upon 
or commanded. 

Not to excuse our- 
selves, when, 
though innocent , 
we are blamed or 
punished. 

To complain of no 
one. 

To mortify ourselves 
on all occasions 
without attracting 
observation. 



I wish for nothing 
besides Thee, O 
my Lord and God. 



O Lord, wash and 
cleanse my impure 
heart. 

O Lord, I am not 
worthy that Thou 
shouldst enter un- 
der my r^»of . 



Speak, O Lord, for 
Thy servant hear- 
eth. 



Lord, not my will 
but Thine be 
done! 

Who will grant, O 
Life of my soul, 
that I may die for 
Thee? 

O my Jesus, like a 
lamb Thou didst 
not open Thy 
mouth. 

Thou, O God , art my 
strength; in Thee I 
can do all things. 

O Lord, I am only 
what I am before 
Thee, neither bet- 
ter nor worse. 

Behold me, Lord, 
have mercy on me. 

O my Jesus, Thou 
canst now say, I am 
a worm, and not a 
man. 



* From "Helps to a Spiritual Life.' 



Devotions i?i Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 685 



Mysteries of Christ's 
Passion. 



Jesus is brought to 
Pilate at early 



Jesus is led bound 
to Herod. 



Jesus Christ , the 
eternal Wisdom, is 
clothed in a white 
garment and 
mocked. 

Jesus is brought 
back in great dis- 
grace from Herod 
to Pilate. 

Barabbas, the rob- 
ber, is preferred to 
Jesus, the chief 
Good. 

Jesus is most cruelly 
scourged. 



Jesus Christ, the 
King of heaven and 
earth, is crowned 
with thorns. 

Jesus is shown in 
this lamentable 
state to the people. 

Jesus is unjustly 
condemned to 
death. 

Jesus carries His 
heavy cross. 



Jesus, carrying His 
cross, meets His 
sorrowful Mother. 



At the end of the 
way of the cross 
Jesus is allowed 
neither refresh- 
ment nor rest. 



Exterior Exercises. 



Interior Exercises. 



To address our 
neighbor in a 
friendly manner. 

Neither do nor neg- 
lect anything good 
out of human re- 
spect. 

To say or do some- 
thing that may 
draw contempt on 



Constantly to _ pre- 
serve holy patience 
amid crosses and 
trials. 

To say nothing in 
our own praise. 



Carefully to restrain 
our eyes in honor 
of Jesus stripped. 



On this day espe- 
cially let us yield 
to our neighbor in 
all things lawful. 

Neither desire to 
please men , nor 
fear to displease 
them. 

To explain every- 
thing in favor of 
our neighbor. 

In honor of Jesus 
carrying His cross 
to assist others in 
their hard work. 

To practice some 
devotion in honor 
of the Mother of 
God, and to con- 
sole the afflicted. 

Not to eat out of 
meal- time, not to 
sit down without 
necessity, if fa- 
tigued. 



O Lord, I offer my- 
self to Thee as a 
constant holocaust 
of Thy love. 

O my Jesus, the 
more. Thou allowest 
Thyself to be de- 
spised the more I 
love Thee. 

O my dearest 
Spouse , I will 
rather be despised 
with Thee, than be 
honored without 
Thee. 

My kingdom js not 
of this world. 



O dearest Jesus, my 
God and my all. 



O Lord, is it possi- 
ble for me to see 
Thee in such tor- 
ments, and not to 
melt into tears? 

O my Jesus, it was 
I, who by my pride, 
placed this crown 
of thorns on Thy 
head. 

My Lord and rs\y 
God, in possessing. 
Thee I possess all 
things. 

O Lord,. I have de- 
served death. 

My Lord, grant me 
the grace to suffer 
something for Thy 
sake. 

O dearest : Mother, 
assist me in every 
trial, anguish, and 
want. 

O my Jesus, for Thy 
sake change for me 
all earthly sweet- 
ness into bitterness. 



686 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord, 



Mysteries of Christ's j 
Passion. 



Exterior Exercises. 



Interior Exercises. 



Jesus is stripped of 
His clothes shame- 
fully and amid 
great suffering. 

Jesus is nailed to 
the cross. 



Jesus, fearfully in- 
sulted and reviled, 
prays for His ene- 
mies. 



Jesus cries out, I 
thirst ; and is 
given gall and vin- 
egar to drink. 

Jesus amid great 
torments gives up 
His soul. 



The Sacred Heart 
of Jesus is pierced 
with a lance. 



Jesus is taken down 
from the cross and 
placed in the sep- 
ulcher. 



Mary, the Mother 
of sorrows, is con- 
stant in suffering, 
and perfectly con- 
formed to God's 
holy will. 



To suffer patiently 
the inclemencies of 
the weather. 

Not to lean against 
anything when 
seated , or — when 
not observed — to 
pray with out- 
stretched arms. 

Most willingly to re- 
turn good for in- 
juries received. 



Not to drink out of 
meals. 



To obey perfectly 
even in difficult 
matters. 



To exercise hearty 
and benevolent 
charity toward our 
neighbor. 

Strive to practice 
poverty perfectly. 



Strive to practice 
true self-denial, and 
accept all things 
with a holy indif- 
ference from the 
hands of God. 



Forgive me, O my 
Saviour, for hav- 
ing so delicately 
treated my body. 

Lord, suffer not 
Thy great pains to 
be in vain for me. 



Lord, how much 
more hast Thou 
forgiven me, than I 
have forgiven my 
neighbor ! 

May the blood of 
Jesus Christ be 
given me to drink 
and to cleanse me 
from my sins. 

Jesus, to Thee I 
live; Jesus, to 
Thee I die; O Je- 
sus, Thine am I in 
life and death! 

With the darts of 
Thy love. O Lord, 
wound my heart , 
and remain my 
portion for ever. 

my only Good, 
I willingly embrace 
holy poverty, since, 
for my sake, Thou 
didst become the 
poorest of all. 

Holy Mother, im- 
press thy sufferings 
deeply in our hearts. 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 687 



Zhc liMa Crude or TOa£ of tbe Grose- 

To gain the many plenary and partial indulgences annexed 
to the "Way of the Cross," only two conditions are necessary. 

1. To follow the Stations (where they are canonically erected), 
moving from one to another without any notable interruption. 

2. To meditate on the Passion. 

A PREPARATION FOR THE WAY OP THE CROSS. 

'T^vO we all remember how holy and how easy a manner 
< JLr of honoring our dear Saviour's Passion it is to follow 
the "Way of the Cross " ? How pleasing this is to Our Lord 
we may judge from His own words to St. Gertrude: "As 
they who handle flour can not but be whitened by it, so no 
one, however imperfect his devotion may be, can occupy 
his mind with the Passion, without receiving some benefit. 
However grievous the load of a man's sins, he may take 
comfort in the hope of pardon, if he offer to God the Father 
My Passion and death." The Church bestows on those who 
perform this devotion all the indulgences formerly granted 
to those who devoutly visited the Holy Land, and venerated 
the very spots on which Our Saviour suffered. 

It is very easy to make the Stations. Only one condition 
is required: to think about Our Lord's sufferings as we visit 
each of the fourteen Stations in turn. We are not obliged 
to remain long at each one. No prayers are enjoined; we 
have only to think of Our Lord's sufferings; and when the 
pictures are before our eyes, this is not difficult. 

And yet, how greatly neglected is this easiest and most 
profitable devotion, because men think it too hard for 
them! Like the beads, it is a devotion particularly suited 
to those who can not read. 

The Stations begin when Our Lord is condemned to death. 
If we have in our minds what He had gone through before 
that moment, we shall make them more devoutly. Our 
Lord had washed His disciples' feet; He had pra\ed, and 
spoken words of love to them; He had given them His 
blessed body and blood. In the Garden of Gethsemane, 
the three disciples had fallen asleep. "He was offered because 
He willed it." Yet His soul shrank in fear and horror from 
the coming torments, all of which He clearly saw, from 
which there was no escape, and in which no one would stand 
by Him. An agony of shame and sorrow for all the sins He 
had taken upon Him then overwhelmed Him. O blessed 
contrition of the Son of God, which gives such value to our 



688 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 



poor acts of sorrow! This agony was followed by another, 
that of weariness and desolation at the ingratitude of so 
many who would reject and despise all He was about to 
suffer for their love. "My soul is sorrowful unto death." 
At length an angel is sent to Him O divine humility of the 
Son of God, to accept comfort from His own creature ! Next 
comes the betrayal — the kiss of Judas — Jesus is seized and 
bound, His right hand passes through the half-secured coil 
of rope and is stretched out, as of old, to heal the ear of His 
enemy — then it returns to its fetters; He is now dragged 
before the judges — and is disowned by His disciple Peter. . . 
The terrible scourging follows, and after it the crowning 
with thorns. What must be the extent of the evil of sin, 
which demands so great a satisfaction! 

Such w T as Our Lord's preparation for making the "Way 
of the Cross." 

FIRST STATION. 

Jesus Christ Condemned to Death. 
"God did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for 
us all." 

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. 

R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world. 

(This versicle and response are repeated before each station) 

HILH Pilate condemns Him to death, Jesus in His 
Heart renews His unshaken resolution to suffer 
His Passion and to undergo this cruel death for us. For 
the love of me He overcomes all the repugnance of nature. 
Is my determination to die to myself, to carry out my good 
resolutions as strong? He endures so much, and asks so 
little. If I refuse that little can I be said to love Him? 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to tlie FatJier. 

V. Have mercy upon us, O Lord. 
R. Have mercy upon us. 
V. May the souls of the faithful, etc. 
R. Amen. 

Stabat Mater. 
SECOND STATION, 

Jesus Receives the Cross. 
"The Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all; for the 
sins of His people He hath struck Him." 
ESUS embraces His cross, takes it on His shoulders, 
and continues to carry it generously, cheerfully. 
When St. Andrew cried out: "O good cross!" he had but a. 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 689 



spark of Our Lord's love of the cross 'How do I carry my 
daily cross? the cross of my state, of my daily duties, of ill- 
ness, of interior and exterior sufferings? 

May the example of our divine Master make us renew 
our resignation and our love of the cross; our perseverance 
in carrying it courageously. 

Our Father etc., as above. 

THIRD STATION. 

Jesus falls the First Time under the Weight of the Cross. 
*' Truly He took upon Himself our pains, and He bore our sorrows. ,, 
ESUS falls under the weight of the cross. His suffer- 
ings are intense, inconceivable. He is grieved at 
His fall because it delays His sacrifice. "With desire I have 
desired" to accomplish My Passion. But He is not irritated 
either with Himself or His executioners; calmly and with 
resignation He continues His way. Do I rise promptly after 
each fall, making my act of contrition, which at once casts 
out the poison of sin ; and calmly resume my way, renewing 
my sorrow at the next Examen and at Confession? 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

FOURTH STATION. 
Jesus is Met by His Blessed Mother. 

" O all ye that pass by, attend and see if there be sorrow like unto 
my sorrow.' ' 

HY did Jesus permit this painful meeting ? He wished 
to make Mary a partaker of His Passion. She was 
to become my Mother by sharing His sufferings. Oh, how 
much my Mother Mary loves me ! For my sake she gives up 
her adorable, her best-beloved Son to torments and death. 
What is my love, my devotion toward her ? Do I frequently 
invoke this loving Mother? Am I faithful in honoring her 
by the Rosary and other practices? 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

FIFTH STATION. 

The Cross is Laid upon Simon of Cyrene. 
"It behooveth us to glory in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ.' ' 

OUR Lord can no longer carry His cross alone; yet no 
one offers to help Him. Simon of Cyrene is forced 
to do so and soon his heart is changed; he learns to love the 
cross. Jesus wishes to help me to carry my cross, but He 



690 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 



desires to be urged to do so. I must pray, and keep near 
Him, by my fervor in my spiritual Exercises, Mass, holy 
communion, by ejaculatory prayers and remembrance of 
the presence of God. 

Our Father \ etc., as above. 

SIXTH STATION. 
The Face of Jesus is Wiped by Veronica. 
"Turn not Thy face from me, O Lord, and withdraw not in 
anger from Thy servant." 
HE pious Veronica braves danger and insults in order 
to solace the sufferings of Jesus. He, in return, im- 
prints His sacred features on her veil with sweat and blood. 
My divine Saviour wishes me to reproduce His features in 
my soul ; but that it may be so there must be sweat : labors, 
efforts, and struggle; blood: mortification, pain, suffering. 
Without this my desire of holiness is vain. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

SEVENTH STATION. 

Jesus falls a Second Time. 
"I am a worm and no man, the reproach of men and outcast of 
the people." 

ESUS falls a second time, yet in spite of the cruelty 
of His executioners, notwithstanding His extreme 
weakness, and His terror at the approach of death, His courage 
does not fail ; He rises generously to continue His painful road 
with even greater courage. My Saviour, grant that I may 
profit by this example. A first fall astonishes me; by 
a second and a third I am quite overcome. I scarcely rise, 
and then how feebly! The enemy whispers to me: "If you 
rise let it be languidly." But by His example Jesus says: 
"Rise energetically." This one point well observed would 
assure my progress in holiness. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

EIGHTH STATION. 

The Women of Jerusalem Mourn for Our Lord. 
" The crown has fallen from our head ; woe unto us, for we have 
sinned." 

ESUS is followed by a crowd of compassionate women 
weeping and lamenting. Touched by their com- 
passion He forgets His own sorrows and says to them: 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 691 



"Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but for yourselves 
and for your children." The sentiment of compassion is 
good, but the compassion that leads to action is better. 
I must weep over my faults, and, better still, fight against 
the principal source of them: my predominant passion. 
"Behold," says Jesus, "how I trample under foot pride, 
sensuality and the passions of the human heart by My 
excesses of humiliation and suffering and will you not weep 
over yourself?" Not to deserve these reproaches of my 
Saviour I will assiduously practice the Particular Examen. 
Our Father, etc., as above. 

NINTH STATION. 

Jesus falls the Third Time Under the Cross. 

"My people, what have I done to thee, or in what have I grieved 
thee? Answer thou Me." 

ESUS again gives me a lesson how I ought to persevere 
in rising after my falls. Rising anew after each fall, 
and notwithstanding His weakness, He reaches the summit 
of Calvary. What is it that can help me after my guilty 
and repeated falls? A holy obstinacy in always rising again, 
in never giving up my resolutions; this is true perseverance 
and assured sanctity. Am I thus resolved never to abandon 
the struggle? 

Our Father, etc., as above 
TENTH STATION 

Jesus is Stripped of His Garments. 

"The Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all, and by His 
stripes we are healed." 

IN this mystery Jesus expiates especially the sensual 
pleasures and guilty voluptuousness of mankind. Am 
I fully determined never to give Him anything to expiate 
or to suffer upon this account? "Blessed are the clean of 
heart " Seeing all that my Saviour endures, I will be care- 
ful never to run any risk of sinning, to avoid all occasions 
of danger and not seek to know, to see, read or think of any- 
thing that would sully my soul. On the contrary I will 
patiently suffer pain, and be faithful to the practice of cor- 
poral mortification. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 



692 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord, 



ELEVENTH STATION. 

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross. 

"What are these wounds that I see in the midst of Thy hands? 
They are the wounds that I have received in the house of 
those who loved Me! " 

ESUS gives Himself up to His executioners who pierce 
His sacred hands and feet with cruel nails. "They 
have pierced My hands and feet; they have numbered all 
My bones." "He was crucified — even for us" — becoming 
obedient unto death, even unto the death of the cross. 
What a sublime lesson of obedience ! After the example of 
my divine Saviour, am I thus ready to suffer any pain rather 
than not obey my Superiors? My Lord does this — but do 
I not sometimes refuse to obey for fear of a little pain or a 
trifling inconvenience? Ought I not to be more generous 
and say: "Stainless will I live, or rather die"? 

Our Father, etc., as above 

TWELFTH STATION. 
Jesus Dies Upon the Cross. 

"Christ was made obedient for us unto death, even unto the 
death of the cross." 

S Jesus hangs upon the cross He utters the cry of anguish : 
"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me!" 
"All," then "is consummated " Hanging there, one living 
mass of pain, suffering the keenest excess of agony in every 
power of His holy soul, in every limb and sense of His sacred 
body, He has redeemed me like a God. "Because with 
the Lord there is mercy, and with Him plentiful Redemption." 
Who can doubt of pardon, having such a victim to offer to 
the Eternal Father, and not exclaim when tempted to des- 
pondency: "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit"? 
Thus Jesus accomplishes His work of devotedness and sac- 
rifice. "Behold this Heart," He says, "which has so loved 
men!" Can I now spare myself? Ought I not to devote 
myself entirely to His interests, to my work, especially that 
which is hard and difficult, and even say with His saints : 
"Still more suffering, O Lord, still more!" 

Our Father, etc., as above. 




Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 693 



THIRTEENTH STATION. 

Jesus is Laid in the arms of His Blessed Mother. 

"Holy Mother, pierce me through; in my heart each wound 
renew of my Saviour crucified." 

HAT anguish must have been that of Mary when the 
lifeless body of her divine Son was placed in her 
arms ! 

Each wound of His was a sword which pierced her immacu- 
late heart. And yet Mary is the Queen of heaven and earth, 
and beloved by God more than all other creatures together. 
Suffering is, then, the sign of His love, and I must not refuse 
to be treated like my Mother. I must abandon myself 
with confidence to all the designs of God's sweet providence 
and not change into poison, by my impatience, the gifts 
God sends me to make me like His Son. 1 : 
Our Father, etc., as above. 

FOURTEENTH STATION. 
Jesus is Laid in the Sepulcher. 
"Thou wilt not give Thy holy One to see corruption. " 

IN the holy sepulcher there is no natural life, but only 
the divine. The sacred wounds are there, the mangled 
body, but what peace there is on those features, what serenity 
on that brow! So will it be with me when nature is dead in 
me, and when my passions are quelled. To attain to this 
supernatural life I will practice exterior recollection by 
silence and modesty of demeanor, and interior recollection 
by seeking the things that are above. 

Our Father, etc. , as above. 

Let us pray. 

*"| — ' OOK down, O Lord, we beseech Thee, on this Thy 
r J — a family, for which Our Lord Jesus Christ did not hesi- 
tate to be delivered into the hands of wicked men, and to 
suffer the torment of the cross. Who livest and reignest 
world without end. Amen. 

Five Our Father s y Hail Marys and Glory for the intention of 
the Holy Father. 



694 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord, 



%itnny of tbe passtoiu* 

— 'ORD, have mercy on us. 
r l .1 Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us! Christ, graciously hear us. 
God, the Father of heaven, 
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
God, the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 
Jesus, the Eternal Wisdom, 
Jesus, sold for thirty pieces of silver, 
Jesus, prostrate on the ground in prayer, 
Jesus, strengthened by an angel, 
Jesus, in Thine agony bathed in a bloody sweat, 
Jesus, betrayed by Judas with a kiss, 
Jesus, bound by the soldiers, 
Jesus, forsaken by Thy disciples, 
Jesus, brought before Annas and Caiphas, 
Jesus, struck in the face by a servant^ 
Jesus, accused by false witnesses, 
Jesus, declared guilty of death, 
Jesus, spat upon, 
Jesus, blindfolded, 
Jesus, smitten on the cheek, j* ^ 

Jesus, thrice denied by Peter, ¥ 
Jesus, delivered up to Pilate, 
Jesus, despised and mocked by Herod, 
Jesus, clothed in a white garment, 
Jesus, rejected for Barabbas, 
Jesus, torn with scourges, 
Jesus, bruised for our sins, 
Jesus, esteemed a leper, 
Jesus, covered with a purple robe, 
Jesus, crowned with thorns, 
Jesus, struck with a reed upon the head, 
Jesus, demanded for crucifixion by the Jews, 
Jesus, condemned to an ignominious death, 
Jesus, given up to the will of Thine enemies, 
Jesus, loaded with the heavy weight of the cross, 
Jesus, led like a sheep to the slaughter, 
Jesus, stripped of Thy garments, 
Jesus fastened with nails to the cross, 

* For private devotion. 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 



Jesus, reviled by the malefactors, 

Jesus, promising paradise to the penitent thief, 

Jesus, commending St. John to Thy Mother as her son, 

Jesus, declaring Thyself forsaken by Thy Father, 

Jesus, in Thy thirst given gall and vinegar to drink, 

Jesus, testifying that all things written concerning Thee 

were accomplished, 
Jesus, commending Thy spirit into the hands of Thy 

Father, 

Jesus, obedient even to the death of the cross 
Jesus, pierced with a lance, 
Jesus, made a propitiation for us, 
Jesus, taken down from the cross, 
Jesus, laid in the sepulcher, 
Jesus, rising gloriously from the dead, 
Jesus, ascending into heaven, 
Jesus, our Advocate with the Father, 
Jesus, sending down on Thy disciples the Holy Ghost, 
the Paraclete, 

Jesus, exalting Thy Mother above the choirs of angels, 
Jesus, Who shalt come to judge the living and the dead, 
Be merciful. 
Spare us, O Lord. 
Be merciful. 

Graciously hear us, Lord. 
From all evil, 
From all sin, 

From anger, hatred, and every evil will, 
From war, famine, and pestilence, 
From all dangers of mind and body, 
From everlasting de?th, 
Through Thy most pure conception, 
Through Thy miraculous nativity, 
Through Thy humble circumcision, 
Through Thy baptism and holy fasting, 
Through Thy labors and watchings, 
Through Thy cruel scourging and crowning, 
Through Thy thirst, and tears, and nakedness, 
Through Thy precious death and cross, 
Through Thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension, 
Through Thy sending forth the Holy Ghost, the Para- 
clete, 

In the day of judgment, 
We sinners 

Beseech Thee, hear us. 



696 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord, 



That Thou wouldst spare us ; 
That Thou wouldst pardon us, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring us to true penance, 
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe mercifully to pour into our 

hearts the grace of the Holy Spirit, 
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to defend and propagate J 

Thy holy Church, §>• 
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve and increase % 

all societies assembled in Thy holy name, 
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bestow upon us true \ H 

peace, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give us perseverance in fe< 
grace and in Thy holy service, e 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to deliver us from unclean g 
thoughts, the temptations of the devil, and everlasting 
damnation, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to unite us to the com- 
pany of Thy saints, 
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe graciously to hear us, 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare 
us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, gra- 
ciously hear us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy on us, O Lord. 

Christ, hear us; Christ, graciously hear us. 

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee: 

R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the 

world. 

Let us pray. 

LMIGHTY and eternal God, Who hast appointed Thine 
only-begotten Son the Saviour of the world, and 
hast willed to be appeased with His blood, grant that we 
may so venerate this price of our salvation, and by its might 
be so defended upon earth from the evils of this present life, 
that in heaven we may rejoice in its everlasting fruit. Who 
liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy 
Ghost, world without end. Amen. 

PRAYERS COMPOSED BY ST. CLARA OP ASSIST IN HONOR OF 
THE FIVE WOUNDS OP OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST 
t. 

To the Wound in the Right Hand. 
RAISE be to Thee, O my Lord Jesus Christ, for the 
c I most sacred wound in Thy right hand. By this 
adorable wound and by Thy most sacred Passion pardon 




Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 697 



me all the sins I have committed against Thee in thought, 
word, and deed, with my negligence in Thy service and the 
sensuality of which I have been guilty, whether in sleeping 
or watching. Grant me a devout remembrance of Thy most 
merciful death, and of Thy divine wounds; grant me the 
grace to mortify my body and thus offer Thee a token of my 
gratitude, Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen. 
Our Father, Hail Mary. 

II. 

To the Wound in the Left Hand 

RAISE and glory to Thee, sweet Jesus Christ, for 
the most sacred wound in Thy left hand. By this 
adorable wound have mercy on me and deign to root 
out of my heart everything displeasing to Thee. Give me 
victory over Thy perverse enemies, that with Thy grace I 
may be able to overcome them. By the merits of Thy most 
merciful death save me from all dangers in the present and 
the future life, and grant that in heaven I may live gloriously 
with Thee, Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen. 
Our Father, Hail Mary. 

III. 

To the Wound in the Right Foot. 

RAISE and glory to Thee, O sweet Jesus Christ, for 
the most sacred wound in Thy right foot. By this 
adorable wound grant that I may be able to do penance 
for my sins. By Thy most merciful death I devoutly sup- 
plicate Thee to keep Thy poor servant, night and day, united 
to Thy holy will, averting all disasters from body and soul. 
When the day of wrach shall come, receive me in Thy mercy, 
and conduct me to eternal blessedness; Thou Who livest 
and reignest for ever and ever. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary. 

IV. 

To the Wound in the Left Foot. 

RAISE and glory to Thee, O most merciful Jesus Christ, 
for the most sacred wound in Thy left foot. By 
this adorable wound grant me the grace of a full indulgence 
that, with Thy help, I may deserve to avoid the sentence 
of eternal reprobation. I pray Thee also, by Thy most holy 
death, O my merciful Redeemer, that I may before death 
receive the Sacrame:it of Thy body and blood, with the con- 
fession of my sins and perfect penitence, and puritv of body 
and mind. Grant that I may also receive the sacred unction 





6gS Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord, 



for my eternal salvation, O Lord, Who livest and reigrest 
for ever and ever. Amen. 

Our Father •, Hail Mary. 

V. 

To the Wound in the Sacred Side. 

RAISE and glory to Thee, O most benign Jesus Christ, 
for the most sacred wound in Thy side. By this 
adorable wound, and by Thy infinite mercy shown in the 
opening of Thy side, first to the soldier, Longinus, and now 
to us all, I beseech Thee that, having freed me by baptism 
from original sin, so now, by Thy precious blood, which is 
offered and received in all parts of the world, Thou wilt 
deliver me from all evils, past, present, and future. By 
Thy most bitter death, grant me a lively faith, a firm hope, 
a perfect charity, that I may love Thee with all my heart, 
wdth all my soul, and with all my strength. Confirm me 
in doing good; grant me perseverance in Thy service by 
which I may ever please Thee. Amen. 

Our Father , Hail Mary. 




DORAMUS Te, 
Christe, et 



benedicimus tibi. 

R. Quia per mortem et 
sanguinem tuum redemisti 
mundum. 

Oremus. 

OMNIPOTENS sempi- 
terne Deus, qui hu- 
manum genus per Filii tui 
Domini nostri Jesu Christi 
quinque vulnera redemisti, 
praesta supplicibus tuis, ut 
qui ejusdem vulnera quotidie 
veneramur, per pretiosum 
ejus sanguinem a morte subi- 
tanea et seterna liberari 
valeamus. Per eumdem 
Christum Dominum nostrum. 
Amen. 



V 77rrE adore Thee, O 
VJlA» Christ, and bless 

Thee. 

R. Because by Thy death 
and Thy blood Thou hast 
redeemed the world. 

Let us pray. 

LMIGHTY, everlasting 
God, Who hast re- 
deemed the world by the five 
wounds of Thy Son, Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, grant us, Thy 
suppliants, that, daily ven- 
erating His holy wounds, we 
may by His precious blood 
be delivered from a sudden 
and eternal death. Through 
the same Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 




Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., Nov. 21, 

1885. 



Devotions in Honor of 'the Passion of Our Lord, 699 



HOW PLEASING IT IS TO OUR LORD TO PRAY WITH HANDS OUT- 
STRETCHED IN THE FORM OF A CROSS. 

^^T. Gertrude said to Our Lord: Teach me, O Thou best 
^7 Teacher, one way at least in which we may most 
specially commemorate Thy holy Passion. Our Lord answered 
her thus : " When you pray, spread forth your hands so as to 
represent to God the Father the memory of My Passion, in 
union with that love with which I stretched out My hands 
on the cross; and if you do this habitually, without fear of 
ridicule or reproach, you will pay Me an honor as great as 
is shown to a king when he is solemnly enthroned." 

ST. GERTRUDE'S OFFERING TO GOD OF THE LIFE AND SUFFER- 
INGS OF OUR LORD. 

BATHER Dignam, S.J., on the occasion of a retreat, 
once said to the Sisters : "The Passion is our treasure. 
You know well that little book of St. Gertrude's in which 
she makes that long and beautiful offering to God of the life 
and sufferings of Our Lord. There is a shorter form which 
you might use now and again, especially in Lent, till the 
spirit of it sinks deep into your souls and has become, as it 
was with St. Gertrude, an habitual thought, and until, like 
her, you are constantly offering it to God for yourself and 
others. If you gain but one grace even, a truer and more 
abiding sorrow for sin, your industry during Lent will not 
have been spent in vain." 

This prayer was revealed to St. Gertrude during a mar- 
velous and unusual visitation of grace, and she was told 
at the same time that Our Lord would accept it with singu- 
lar favor from all who repeated it It became so familiar 
to the saint that during her last illness she repeated it con- 
tinually. 

OMOST loving Father, in atonement and satisfaction 
for all my sins, I offer Thee the whole Passion of 
Thy most beloved Son, from the plaintive wail He uttered 
when laid upon straw in the manger, through all the help- 
lessness of His infancy, the privations of His boyhood, the 
adversities of His youth, the sufferings of His manhood, until 
that hour when He bowed His head upon the cross with a 
loud cry, and gave up the ghost. And, in atonement and 
satisfaction for all my negligences, I offer Thee, O most 
loving Father, all of the most holy life of Thy Son, perfect 



700 Devojions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 

in its every thought, and word, and action, from the hour 
when He came down from His lofty throne to the Virgin's 
womb, and thence came forth into our dreary wilderness, 
to the hour when He presented to Thy fatherly regard the 
glory of His conquering flesh. Amen. 

ACT OF RESIGNATION. 

IT was revealed to St. Gertrude that those who submit 
and conform themselves entirely to the divine will, 
desiring above all things that the adorable will of God may 
be most fully done in all that concerns them, whether in 
body or in soul, touch the Sacred Heart most sensibly. For 
such perfect resignation is an acknowledgment of God's 
sovereignty, rind gives Him as much honor as is given to an 
earthly king when the crown of his realm is set on his head. 

OMOST holy Father, I, Thy poor and vile creature, en- 
tirely renounce my own will, and offer and resign 
myself to Thy most holy will and pleasure; above all delights 
of this world, I wish and desire that Thy most adorable, 
most placid will may be perfectly done in me, by me, in all 
that concerns me, whether in body or in soul, in time and 
in eternity. And to this end I would readily submit all the 
members of my body to suffering of any kind and degree. 

O my God, wert Thou to give me fullest choice of asking 
all I wish, and didst Thou swear to me by Thyself that Thou 
wouldst grant my petition in all things, I would neither desire 
nor ask aught else than that Thy most adorable will may be 
perfectly done in me and in every creature of Thine, according 
to Thy supreme and faultless good pleasure. Wherefore, in 
union with that resignation with which Jesus committed 
Himself wholly to Thy will in the Garden of Olives, and in 
union with His affection and His intention, I say from His 
Heart and in His words: "Not my will, but Thine be done, 
O most holy Father, now and for evermore. " Amen. 

INDULGENCED PRAYER IN HONOR OP THE PASSION OP OUR 

LORD. 

OMY Lord Jesus Christ! Who, to redeem the world* 
didst vouchsafe to be born amongst men, to be cir- 
cumcised, to be rejected, and persecuted by the Jews, to be 
betrayed by the traitor, Judas, with a kiss, and as a lamb y 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 701 

gentle and innocent, to be bound with cords and dragged in 
scorn before the tribunals of Annas, Caiphas, Pilate, and 
Herod; Who didst suffer Thyself to be accused by false 
witnesses, to be torn by the scourge and overwhelmed with 
opprobrium; to be spat upon, to be crowmed with thorns, 
buffeted, struck with a reed blindfo 1 ded, stripped of Thy 
garments ; to be nailed to the cross and r aised on it between 
two thieves; to be given gall and vinegar to drink, and to 
be pierced with a ance; do Thou, O Lord, by these Thy 
most sacred pains, which I. all unworthy, call to mind, and 
by Thy holy cross and death, save me (and Thy servant N. 
in his agony *) from the pains of hell, and vouchsafe to bring 
me whither Thou didst bring the good thief who was crucified 
with Thee. Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
livest and reignest, God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc., five 
times. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Pius VII. , Aug. 25, 1820; 
plenary indulgence on any one of the last three days of the month 
under usual conditions. 

SEVEN OFFERINGS OF THE PRECIOUS BIX)OD OF JESUS CHRIST. 

I. £^TBRNAL Father! I offer Thee the merit of the 
tJ[ precious blood of Jesus, Thy well-beloved Son, 

my Saviour and my God, for my dear Mother, the holy 
Church that she may enlarge her borders and be magnified 
among all the nations of the earth; for the safety and well- 
being of her visible head, the Sovereign Roman Pontiff ; for 
the cardinals, bishops, and pastors of souls, and for all the 
ministers of Thy sanctuary. 

Then say the ''Glory be to the Father," and the ejaculation, 
11 Blessing and thanksgiving be to Jesus, Who with His blood 
hath saved us! " 

II. Eternal Father! I offer Thee the merit of the precious 
blood of Jesus, Thy well-beloved Son, my Saviour and my 
God for peace and union among all Catholic kings and 
princes, for the humiliation of the enemies of our holy faith, 
and for the welfare of all Christian people. 

" Glory be to the Father," and, " Blessing and % thanksgiving, " etc. 

III. Eternal Father! I offer Thee the merit of the precious 
blood of Jesus, Thy well-beloved Son, my Saviour and my 
God, for the repentance of unbelievers, for the uprooting 
of heresy, and for the conversion of sinners. 



* If the prayer is said for a person in his last agony. 



702 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 

"Glory be to the Father," and, " Blessing and thanksgiving/ ' 
etc. 

IV Eternal Father! I offer Thee the merit of the precious 
blood of Jesus, Thy well-beloved Son, my Saviour and my 
God, for all my kindred, friends, and enemies; for the poor, 
the sick, and wretched, and for all for whom Thou, my God, 
knowest that I ought to pray, or wouldst have me pray. 

" Glory be to the Father," and, "Blessing and thanksgiving," 
etc. 

V. Eternal Father! I offer Thee the merit of the precious 
blood of Jesus, Thy well-beloved Son, my Sav'our and my 
God, for all who, this day, are passing to the other life ; that 
Thou wouldst save them from the pains of hell, and admit 
them quickly to the possession of Thy glory. 

"Glory be to the Father," and, "Blessing and thanksgiving," 
etc. 

VI. Eternal Father! I offer Thee the merit of the precious 
blood of Jesus, Thy well-beloved Son, my Saviour and my 
God, for all those who love this great treasure, for those who 
join with me in adoring it and honoring it. and who strive 
to spread devotion to it. 

" Glory be to the Father," and, " Blessing and thanksgiving," 
etc. 

VII. Eternal Father! I offer Thee the merit of the precious 
blood of Jesus, Thy well-beloved Son, my Saviour and my 
God, for all my wants, spiritual and temporal, in aid of the 
holy souls in purgatory, and chiefly for those who most loved 
this blood, the price of our redemption, and who were most 
devout to the sorrows and pains of most holy Mary, our dear 
Mother. 

"Glory be to the Father," and, "Blessing and thanksgiving," 
etc. 

Glory be to the blood of Jesus, now and for ever, and 
throughout all ages. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time. — Pius VII., Sept. 22, 18 17. 
Plenary indulgence once a month, under usual conditions. 

Ejaculation. 

TERNAL Father! I offer Thee the precious blood of 
Jesus in satisfaction for my sins, and for the wants 
of the holy Church. 

Indulgence of 100 days, each time. — Pius VII., Sept 22, 181 7 




Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 703 



/Ifcontb ot tbe precloue :fi$loofc. 

HE month of July is dedicated to the honor of the most 
precious blood, which was shed for the redemption 
of all mankind, and without which shedding, St. Paul tells 
us, there is no remission of sin. This great festival was 
established in a spirit of thanksgiving by His Holiness Pope 
Pius IX., while in exile at Gaeta, at the request of the saintly 
general of the Congregation of the Most Precious Blood, 
Merlini. Earlier in the year, on the Friday after the fourth 
Sunday in Lent, this devotion has been commemorated 
by a special office. Catholic devotion consecrates the month 
of July to the precious blood, that blood which was the price 
of our redemption, and which still is offered for us in the 
mystic sacrifice of Calvary daily renewed on our altars in 
the Mass, and which becomes the nourishment of our souls 
and bodies when we partake worthily of the Sacrament of 
the altar. The contemplation of the sufferings of Our 
Saviour to which we are incited by devotion to the most 
precious blood, reminds us, His fo owers, that we are called 
upon to walk in the footprints of our suffering Saviour, if 
we desire to be crowned with Him. As St. Bernard puts 
it, the members of a thorn-crowned Head must not shrink 
from sharing in His pain. And so from the beginning of 
the establishment of Christ's Church the true children of 
a crucified Saviour have ever had to share in the bitterness of 
His anguish and oft times in the agony of His death. For 
three hundred years after Christ had ascended into heaven, 
countless martyrs shed their blood in attestation of their 
faith and love. Less fortunate than those glorious con- 
fessors, cheerfully pouring out their life's blood for Christ, 
God pities our weakness and spares us sufferings under 
which we might have succumbed. But still for us, as for 
them, suffering, patiently borne, must be the golden key 
to open the gates of His kingdom. The saying is as true 
to-day as when Jesus first uttered it: "He who does not 
carry his cross after Me is not worthy of Me." There is 
no one that is released from treading in that path of tears 
that leads to Him. 

For what heart is without sorrow, we may ask? What 
life is not, at least, occasionally darkened by it? How 
many there are who seem to have it as their permanent 
portion! Some eyes scarcely ever cease from hidden weep- 
ing, and some hearts are always pierced with the sword of 
hidden anguish! • 

Bear your sorrows with patience, for the love of God, for 



704 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 

the sake of your soul, and in union with the sufferings of 
your Saviour, Jesus Christ. Sufferings are blessings in the 
light of faith. They bring us nearer to God. They make 
us resemble our divine Master. Do not fear! Sorrow will 
grow lighter with time or entirely pass away — even as the 
agony, the scourge, the crown, and the cross gave place to 
the radiant glory of the Resurrection ! * 



IRovena in Ibonor of tbe precious M00& of 3-eeus* 

1. 

DEVOUT ASPIRATIONS. 

LORY be to Jesus! 
Who in bitter pains 
Poured for me the life-blood 
From His sacred veins. 

Grace and life eternal 

In that blood I rind: 
Blest be His compassion, 
Infinitely kind! 

Blessed through endless ages 

Be the precious stream 
Which from endless torment 
Doth the world redeem. 

There the fainting spirit 
Drinks of life her fill; 
There, as in a fountain, 
Laves herself at will. 

O the blood of Christ! 

It soothes the Father's ire, 
Opes the gate of heaven, 
Quells eternal fire. 

Abel's blood for vengeance 

Pleaded to the skies; 
But the blood of Jesus 
For our pardon cries. 

Oft as it is sprinkled 

On our guilty hearts, 
Satan in confusion, 

Terror-struck, departs. 



* From the " Sentinel of the Blessed Sacrament." 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 705 



Oft as earth exulting 

Wafts its praise on high, 
Hell with terror trembles, 

Heaven is filled with joy. 

Lift ye, then, your voices, 
Swell the mighty flood; 
Louder still and louder, 
Praise the precious blood! 
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius VII., Oct. 18, 1815. 

II. 

BEHOLD me at Thy feet, Jesus of Nazareth; here I am, 
the most miserable of creatures that comes into Thy 
presence, humbled and penitent. Have mercy on me, O 
Lord, according to Thy great mercy. I have sinned, and 
my sins have been against Thee. O God of infinite good- 
ness, O Jesus, hear my prayers; grant, loving Father, the 
petitions I lay at Thy feet; cast a benign glance upon my 
soul, Thou Who art the loving Father of men, the supreme 
Judge, the King of heaven and earth, the true Benefactor of 
the wretched. Come to my help, then, O Jesus of Nazareth; 
grant the grace which I ask as I kneel at Thy feet. My 
soul belongs to Thee, for Thou hast created and redeemed it 
with Thy precious blood; let not Thy work be lost; loving 
Father, look down upon me and bless me. O God of mercy, 
have compassion on me; forgive me who am Thy son; be 
not stern toward me ; grant me tears of penance ; forgive me 
as Thou didst forgive the penitent thief; look down upon me 
from high heaven and bless me. 

The Apostles 1 Creed once. 
Indulgence of 200 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., June 26, 1894. 

III. 

Say the prayers for the Seven Offerings of the Precious 
Blood of Jesus for the intentions of your Novena, as on p. 701. 

BURY THY SORROW 7 . 

BURY thy sorrow, hide it with care ; 
Bury k deeply; the world has its share. 
Think of it calmly, when curtained by night, 
Tell it to Jesus and all will be right; 



706 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 

Tell it to Jesus, He knoweth thy grief; 
Tell it to Jesus, He'll send thee relief. 
Hearts grown aweary with heavier woe 
Drop into darkness; go, comfort them, go — 
Bury thy sorrow, let others be blest, 
Give them the sunshine; tell Jesus the rest. 



PRAYERS IN HONOR OF THE HOLY FACE OF OUR LORD. 

I SALUTE Thee, I adore Thee, and I love Thee, O Jesus, 
my Saviour, outraged anew by blasphemers; and I 
offer Thee, through the heart of Thy blessed Mother, the 
worship of all the angels and saints as an incense of sweet 
odor, most humbly beseeching Thee, by the virtue of Thy 
sacred face, to repair and renew in me and in all men Thy 
image disfigured by sin. Amen. 

Our Father \ Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 



PRAYER OF POPE PIUS IX. 

OMY Jesus, cast upon us a look of mercy; turn Thy 
face toward each of us, as Thou didst to Veronica, 
not that we may see it with our bodily eyes, for this we do 
not deserve, but turn it toward our hearts, so that, remem- 
bering Thee, we may ever draw from this fountain of strength 
the vigor necessary to sustain the combats of life. Amen. 



PRAYERS OF M. DUPONT. 

O SAVIOUR Jesus, at the sight of Thy most holy face 
disfigured by suffering, at the sight of Thy Sacred 
Heart so full of love, I cry out with St. Augustine: ' ' Lord 
Jesus, imprint on my heart Thy sacred wounds, so that I 
may read therein sorrow and love; sorrow, to endure every 
sorrow for Thee; love, to despise every love for Thee." 

Prayer. 

O ADORABLE face of my Jesus, so mercifully bowed 
upon the tree of the cross on the day of Thy Passion, 
for the salvation of men, now again, incline in Thy pity 
toward us poor sinners ; cast upon us a look of compassion,, 
and receive us to the kiss of peace. Amen. 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Amen. 
Sit nomen Domini benedictum! Amen. 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 707 



Gbe Ceremonies of H)oIb Meek Explained** 

PALM SUNDAY. 

Where there is only one priest, he says or sings the parts of the 
service which in High Mass are sung by the deacon and sub- 
deacon. 

HE ceremony of Palm Sunday consists of three parts: 
First, the celebrant blesses and distributes palm- 
leaves (for which, on account of the difficulty and expense. 
of obtaining them in sufficient quantity, branches of box, 
willow, or yew are often substituted) to all present. Then 
comes the procession of palms; and thirdly, the holy Mass 
is offered, during which the " Passion" according to St. 
Matthew (being that evangelist's narrative of the sufferings 
and death of Our Saviour) is sung. 

Xow, during this service the Church sets herself to picture 
to us two very opposite feelings: joy and gladness at her 
Master's triumphal entry into Jerusalem; bitter sorrow at 
His approaching death. On this day, the first day of the 
week of the Passover, the week in which Jesus died, He 
entered the holy city in triumph. We are told that His 
disciples were with Him; that the multitudes cut down 
branches of palm-trees, and cried aloud with one voice: 
"Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that cometh 
in the name of the Lord!" At the same time the cloud of 
approaching tribulation was gathering dark and thick over 
the Church, for in five days her Master was to be crucified. 
To express to us, her children, these opposite emotions, she 
gives us, first, the blessing of palms, and, in the joyous pro- 
cession, depicts the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem ; 
while) in the Mass that follows, the mournful chant of the 
Passion shadows forth the coming desolation. 

We shall now take each part separately, so that you may 
understand what the priest is doing while you follow him 
in your Holy- Week book. After the Asperges, which is the 
same as on other Sundays, except that the Gloria Patri is 
omitted, as is usual in Passiontide, the priest begins: 

/. TJie Blessing of the Palms. 

IT is a rule in the Church's liturgy to bless and sanctify 
everything that is used in the service of God or given 
to the people. The palms are blessed with great solemnity; 
and, indeed, we might easily suppose that the Mass had 

* London Catholic Truth Society. 



708 Devotions i?i Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 



already begun, and was to be offered up in honor of Our 
Lord's entry into Jerusalem. After a Collect, the sub- 
deacon sings the Lesson, which relates how Moses and the 
children of Israel encamped in the wilderness under the 
seventy palm-trees at Elim; the deacon chants the Gospel, 
giving St. Matthew's account of this day; a Preface is sung, 
and even a Sanctus. After this preparation come the prayers 
of blessing, in which we are reminded of God's gracious 
mercies in the past; how the dove brought the olive-branch 
to Xoe in the ark; and how God protected the Jews under 
the palm-trees of Elim. 

Then comes the distribution of the palms. Receive the 
palm kneeling; kiss it, as a mark of reverence to the blessing 
of the Church, and also kiss the priest's hand as an act of 
respect to the Church's ministers. During the procession, 
and while the Passion is sung, hold your palm in your hand. 

//. The Procession. 
S soon as the palms are distributed, the clergy and 
choir leave the sanctuary, following the cross-bearer 
and acolytes. The music is bright and joyous, in memory 
of the shouts of triumph which hailed Our King; while all 
carry palms to help us to realize the procession on this day 
in the holy city. The procession leaves the Church still 
singing, but on its return it finds the doors shut against it. 
Its progress is arrested, but its song of joy continues, until 
at length the subdeacon strikes the closed doors with the 
cross he is carrying. The doors are then thrown open, and 
all enter singing the praises of Our Saviour-God. By this 
symbolical act is signified that the gates of heaven were 
shut against all men in punishment for the sin of our first 
parents, but that Jesus has opened these gates once more to 
us by His cross, which has triumphed over sin and death. 

III. TJie Mass. 
HE third part of to-day's service is the offering of the 
holy sacrifice of the Mass. The parts sung by the 
choir are expressive of the deepest grief; and, indeed, the 
Church retains no trace of the short-lived joy and triumph 
of the procession of the palms. St. Matthew's narrative 
of the Passion, which is sung to-day before the Gospel, 
imparts to this Sunday that character of sacred gloom which 
is known to us all. For the last five or six hundred years 
the Church has adopted a special chant for this narrative 
of the holy Gospel. It is sung by three deacons (or priests 
vested as deacons) and the choir. One deacon takes the 
part of Chronicler, and sings all the narrative of the Evangelist. 




Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord, yog 

Another deacon, called the Christus, sings in a low and plain- 
tive voice the words spoken by our dear Lord Himself ; the 
third takes at a high pitch the words of Pilate, Judas, and 
Caiphas, while the choir sings the words and exclamations 
of the crowd. When the Chronicler relates the death of 
Our Saviour, all kneel for a few moments in silent awe and 
contemplation of the sacrifice that is consummated. After 
this the Gospel is sung; but, to express our sorrow, lights 
are not carried; at the same time, to express the living 
hope of Our Master's triumph, we hold in our hands the 
palms of victory. 

After the Gospel, the Mass continues as usual to the end. 

TENKBR^S. 

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of Holy Week. 
S we enter the church we are struck by many signs 
of mourning at this sacred time. The sanctuary looks 
deserted and unfurnished. The tabernacle stands open, 
for the Blessed Sacrament has been removed. The veil of 
the tabernacle, flowers, and other ornaments are gone. 
Nothing remains on the altar except the veiled crucifix and 
the six candles. In the center of the sanctuary stands 
the book for the psalms and lessons. At the epistle side 
stands a large triangular candlestick, holding fifteen candles 
of common or unbleached wax. 

The Office at which we are now to assist is called Tenebrce 
(meaning darkness), because it pictures to us, by the gradual 
darkening of the church, the more than natural darkness that 
overshadowed the world at the death of Jesus Christ. It is 
the preparation which the Church gives us that we may 
assist in proper dispositions at the sacred function which is 
to take place next morning. On Wednesday evening we 
sing the Tenebrce of Thursday in preparation for the Mass 
and Office of Thursday. On Thursday evening we sing 
by anticipation the Office of Good Friday. On Friday eve- 
ning we sing in preparation for the Office and Mass of Easter 
Eve. In early times these Offices were begun at midnight, 
but we are allowed to have them at an earlier hour in order 
to enable more of us to be present. 

The service consists of Matins and Lauds, and is a portion 
of the Divine Office which every priest of the Church is bound 
to say each day. We have remarked that no adornment 
and ornament, nothing but what is essential, is allowed to 
remain in the sanctuary during these days of mourning. The 
Church carries this same spirit into her service of prayer, 
and leaves nothing in the Office save what is essential to it — 




7io Devotions in Honor of ine Passion of Our Lord, 



the psalms and lessons. The versicles and hymns, the invi- 
tations and responses which are used at other times, and 
form, so to speak, the drapery and adornment in which the 
psalms and lessons are clothed, are omitted on these days. 
The Matins consist of three parts, called Nocturns (night 
offices) . Each nocturn is made up of three psalms and three 
lessons. The Lauds consist of five psalms, followed by 
the Canticle of Zachary (Benedictus) , and the whole Office 
is closed with the 50th Psalm (Miserere) and a Collect. The 
TenebrcE service for Maundy Thursday in the psalms and 
lessons brings before us the Passion of Our Saviour, and in 
an especial way the treachery of Judas. In the third noc- 
turn, however, the lessons appropriately relate St. Paul's 
account of the institution of the Holy Eucharist. 

The ceremonies of this service are rich in meaning. At 
the end of each psalm one of the candles in the triangular 
candlestick is extinguished, until, as the Office proceeds, 
one only is left alight. By this is shown forth how one by 
one the disciples forsook their Master and slunk away. The 
one candle that remains alight represents Jesus Christ for- 
saken and left to "tread the wine-press alone." During 
the Canticle of Zachary (Benedictus) the six candles on the 
altar are put out, and the lights in the church are gradually 
lowered, to symbolize the noonday darkness that covered 
the earth at the death of its Creator. 

At the end of the Benedictus, the single candle that still 
hums is hidden behind the altar, while the Miserere is sung 
amid the gloom. A Collect is then said in a low voice 
by the senior priest present, and a confused noise is made, 
to express the convulsions of nature when the earth quaked, 
and the rocks were split, and the graves gave up their dead, 
The candle is then brought from behind the altar, still alight, 
to represent that, after His death and burial, our dear Lord 
came forth immortal from the tomb. The Office ended, all 
depart in silence. 

MAUNDY THURSDAY. 

IN spite of the mourning of Holy Week, the Church can 
not allow this great day to pass without some signs of 
joy. It is the day of the Last Supper of our dear Lord — 
the day on which He instituted the Most Holy Sacrament 
of the Eucharist; and in honor of that great Mystery the 
Church lays aside her mourning, at least during the celebra- 
tion of holy Mass, and bids us deck the altar with our richest 
ornaments, and wear vestments of white, the color denoting 
joy and gladness. We would remind our readers that the 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 711 



Last Supper took place on the first day of the Azymes, or 
the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, and it is for that reason 
that we always use unleavened bread for consecration in 
holy Mass. Again, to show forth the unity and greatness 
of this Supper, the Church allows on tnis day only one Mass 
to be offered in each church, at which the clergy and con- 
gregation assist and receive holy communion, the priests 
wearing stoles, the token of their priesthood. This brings 
before us in a forcible way the scene in the upper chamber in 
Jerusalem, where Our Lord alone consecrated and then gave 
holy communion to those present. AVe shall divide our 
explanations of the service into three sections: 

/. Tlie Mass. 

* J I* MID the triumph of this great feast a web of sorrow is 
cJpL, interwoven, to show that our joy is not lasting, for 
we have not forgotten the Passion of Jesus Christ. The 
celebrant intones the Gloria in excelsis, and the bells ring 
out joyously in answer to the organ's peals; but after that, 
both bells and organ are silent until Holy Saturday, to 
show the sorrow of the whole world at Our Saviour's death. 
The Collects recall to us Judas and the good thief; both 
are guilty, but one is pardoned. The kiss of peace is omitted, 
to show our horror of the treacherous kiss of Judas in the 
garden on this night. 

II. The Procession to tJie Altar of Repose. 

ON Good Friday, as we shall see, the Church suspends 
the offering of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, to 
commemorate in this solemn way the sacrifice that was 
offered on that day on Calvary. The priest consecrates 
two Hosts on Holy Thursday during the Mass. One of 
these he receives in holy communion; the other he rever- 
ently places in a chalice, and reserves to be consumed on 
Good Friday. The Blessed Sacrament could not be reserved 
with fitting respect at the high altar, on account of the mourn- 
ful ceremonies of this holy time; and consequently a chapel 
or altar, apart from the high altar, is prepared and adorned 
with rich hangings, lights, and flowers; here our blessed 
Lord remains until Good Friday. When the Mass to-day 
is finished, the choir and clergy go in procession to this Chapel 
of Repose. After the cross-bearer and acolytes come the 
choir and clergy, singing the Pange Lingua, followed by 
the celebrant and sacred ministers under the canopy. The 
priest does not carry the monstrance, as in other processions, 
but the chalice, containing the Blessed Sacrament, covered 
with a veil. When he arrives at the Altar of Repose he 



712 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 



places it in the tabernacle or urn, where it will remain until 
to-morrow's service. Until then Jesus will not be left alone; 
by day and night loving souls will keep watch there in 
humble adoration; making amends for the scorn and insults 
which Jesus has suffered for our sins. More especially will 
they be present during the silent watches of the night; for 
this is the night when He suffered the agony in the garden, 
and was betrayed by Judas, and delivered into the hands 
of His enemies. 

III. Stripping the Altars. 
^^HE procession then leaves the Altar of Repose, the 
v£/ sacred ministers go to the sacristy, and the other 
clergy and choir go to the sanctuary to recite Vespers, which 
are said, not sung. At the end of Vespers the priests enter 
the sanctuary to strip the altar, as Jesus was stripped of 
His garments before the crucifixion. The ornaments and 
flowers that were there to denote our joyful commemoration 
of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament are taken away; 
the very altar-cloths are stripped off, because the daily sac- 
rifice is suspended, in token of our grief: "They have parted 
My garments among them, and upon My vesture they have 
cast lots." The holy water is removed from the porch, and 
none is put there until after the Mass on Holy Saturday 



GOOD FRIDAY. 

V A I 'E have come now to the day of the Church's widow- 
vSlA* hood, and she would have it to be a day of desola- 
tion, as her true children feel it to be. The sanctuary is 
altogether bare and unadorned. The altar was stripped 
of its ornaments yesterday morning, and nothing remains 
except the crucifix, now veiled in black, and the six candle- 
sticks. The sanctuary carpet has been taken away, and 
even the candles are not lighted until the latter part of the 
function. To enable us to enter into the spirit of this ser- 
vice, and to appreciate fully the meaning of its various 
parts, we must bear in mind that to-day the priest does not 
offer sacrifice — that he does not, so to say, stand in the place 
of Jesus Christ and speak in His name and with His power; 
but rather as the spokesman and representative of the con- 
gregation present: as a consequence of this, they follow 
and feake part in the various acts of reparation he performs. 
This is the key-note to the right understanding of the whole 
function. 

The service of to-day consists of a series of distinct actions. 
We shall divide our explanation into four parts: i. History t 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 713 



containing the Prophecies and the Passion according to St. 
John. 2. Supplication, containing public prayer for all 
sorts and conditions of men. 3. Reparation, containing the 
unveiling and adoration of the cross. 4. The Mass oj the 
Presanctified. 

I. The Passion. 
HE choir and sacred ministers approach the sanctuary 

in silence. Neither incense nor lights are carried be- 
fore them, and the vestments are black, "as when one mourn- 
eth." On the altar there is neither Missal nor altar-cloth. 
When the sacred ministers reach the sanctuary, instead of 
beginning by public prayer, they prostrate themselves on 
the ground in silence, while a cloth and the book are laid on 
the altar. They then rise, and at once proceed to read 
the Lessons and Collects, which bring before us the Paschal 
Lamb, the type of the Lamb of God, Who is to-day sacrificed 
for our sins. These Lessons prepare us for the "Passion," 
which gives us St. John's account of the terrible events of 
this great day. The Passion is sung, as on Palm Sunday, 
by three deacons (or priests), who each take a part, the 
choir sustaining, as before, the part of the multitude. 

II. The Prayers. 
HE second part of the service consists of supplication 

and petition. The idea of the Church in this action 
is to make intercession with God on this day for all classes 
and conditions of men. While the Church bids us pray at 
all times for the conversion of sinners and evil-doers, on 
this day she makes public and official prayer for those who 
are 'enemies of the cross of Christ." For mercy knows 
no bounds; and our dying Saviour has given utterance to 
the words, Father, forgive them, for they know not -what they do. 

The celebrant sings eight prayers, each of which is pref- 
aced by a few words to show its object. Before each prayer 
the deacon bids us kneel for a moment, and the subdeacon 
bids us rise, to show by this bodily action our union in 
the petition made by the priest in our name. First comes 
the prayer for the spouse of Jesus Christ, the Church of God ; 
then the prayer for the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the Pope happily 
reigning; then the prayer for bishops, priests, and other ser- 
vants of the Church ; then the prayer for catechumens ; then the 
prayer for all in tribulation or danger; then the prayer for 
heretics and schismatics; then the prayer for the Jews; and, 
lastly, that our charity may embrace all human creatures 
for whom Jesus shed His blood, comes the prayer for pagans. 
Before the prayer for the Jews, the deacon refrains from 



714 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 



bidding us to genuflect, because they turned this mark of 
adoration into an insult against Our Lord in His Passion. 

777. The Unveiling of the Cross. 
HE third action in to-day's service is reparation. The 
Church will have us make what reparation we can to 
Jesus Christ for the ignominy of His Passion by showing 
honor and veneration to the cross in memory of His cruci- 
fixion to-day. Accordingly, the celebrant takes off his 
chasuble, the symbol of his priestly dignity, in order to be 
the first to humble himself on this day of mourning. He 
receives the veiled cross, and, standing at the side of the 
altar, he uncovers a small part, raising it slightly for people 
to see, and sings in a low voice: "Behold the wood of the 
cross, on which hung the salvation of the world ; ' ' and all 
kneel to pay their homage to the sign of our redemption. 
Mounting nearer the altar, he goes through the same cere- 
mony a second time; and then, coming to the center of the 
altar, he removes the veil entirely, and lifting the cross aloft, 
sings in a high note the same words a third time, in memory 
of Our Saviour's words: "When I shall have been lifted up, 
I will draw all things to Myself." By this uncovering of 
the cross is represented the gradual preaching to the Jews 
and afterwards to the Gentiles the great mystery of the 
crucifixion, "to the Jews a stumbling-block and to the 
Gentiles foolishness." 

The celebrant then places the crucifix on the ground, and, 
in token of his humiliation and abasement, takes off his 
shoes, for the place whereon he stands is holy ground, and 
goes to kiss the feet of the figure that represents his dying 
Saviour. As he approaches, he kneels three times, and 
finally kisses devoutly the symbol of our redemption. All 
who are present follow his example, either at this crucifix 
or at one of the crosses in the side chapels (according to 
convenience), taking care to make three genuflections (not 
more) , and making the third close to the cross itself, so that 
as they kneel they can kiss the figure. During this touching 
ceremon}?-, the choir sings in plaintive chants the Reproaches, 
which bring before us in a dramatic way the rebukes, loving 
and gentle, addressed by Our Saviour to the Jews. It will 
help us much to realize to-day's events if we read these 
Reproaches, which our dear Lord addresses now to us. 

IV. The Mass of the Presanctified. 
E need not delay long over our explanation of the fourth 
action in to-day's service — the Mass of the Pre- 
sanctified The candles on the altar are now lighted in 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 715 

reverence for the coming presence of Jesus Christ. The 
clergy go in procession to the Chapel of Repose, and bring 
back to the high altar the Blessed Sacrament, which has 
been reserved in a chalice since the Mass of yesterday. 
During the procession the choir sing the Vexilla Regis. On 
this day alone throughout the Christian year the Church 
suspends the offering of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, that 
our thoughts may be wholly taken up with the contemplation 
of the one sacrifice that was consummated to-day on Calvary. 
The Blessed Sacrament, which the celebrant receives to-day, 
was consecrated (or presanctified) yesterday. Consequently, 
since there is no actual sacrifice to-day, this part of the ser- 
vice is called the Mass 0} the Presanctified. When the 
Blessed Sacrament is brought to the altar, the priest in- 
censes it. He then turns to the people and bids them pray 
(orate, fratres), and himself prays aloud, singing the Pater 
Noster, he holds up for their adoration the sacred body 
of Our Lord, and then reverently receives it. To mark 
our mourning and confusion to-day, the priest does not 
remain at the altar to say any public prayers of thanksgiving 
or to give a blessing, as in other Masses; but straightway 
leaves the sanctuary. As soon as he departs, the Vespers 
are recited as yesterday, and the altars are stripped. The 
sanctuary is empty, its light is gone, no lamp burns in any 
part of the church, the pictures are veiled; the naked cross 
stands alone to proclaim the mourning of the spouse for 
the crucifixion of her Lord. "They shall mourn for Him, 
as one mourneth for an only son, and they shall grieve over 
Him as is the manner to grieve for the death of the first-born. ,> 

HOLY SATURDAY. 

IT was the practice of the Church from the earliest ages 
that no Mass was said on Holy Saturday. For a 
thousand years after the foundation of the Church it was 
the custom to spend this day in prayer and fasting, in watch- 
ing in spirit with the holy women at the sepulcher until the 
morning of the Resurrection. At midnight, on Friday, the 
Divine Office for Easter eve was sung ; but the service and 
Mass that we have now on Holy Saturday really took place 
on Saturday night, and, extending till dawn on Sunday 
morning, was the immediate herald of the Resurrection. 
As the sun went down on Easter eve, the bishop and clergy 
and faithful used to repair to the church for this office, 
and its magnificent functions occupied the whole night, 
until sunrise on Easter Day. We should bear this in mind 
if we wish to enter into the spirit of this service, and if we 



7 1 6 Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 



would understand the many allusions we find in it to the 
night. Another point to remember is, that the service of 
this night was specially ordained and fitted for the baptism 
of those converts, or catechumens, who had been previously 
found worthy of admission into the Christian Church. This 
will throw light upon the meaning of many of its cere- 
monies and prayers. We shall divide the service into two 
sections: the Blessings and the Mass. 

I. The Blessings. 

✓JT[HE Church, as we remarked on Palm Sunday, blesses 
and sanctifies everything she uses in her sacred func- 
tions. Holy Saturday is in a special manner a day of bless- 
ings for it is in a sense the birthday of the Church. The 
service begins, not in the sanctuary, but at the very en- 
trance to the Church, where new fire kindled from a flint is 
blessed. From this the light is taken for the candles and 
lamps throughout the church which were extinguished on 
Good Friday. This was of first importance in the early 
Church, that the faithful might have light for the long night 
ceremony. Five grains of incense are then blessed, and the 
deacon lights a triple candle (in honor of the Three Persons 
of the Adorable Trinity), and leads the way through the 
darkness to the sanctuary, thrice announcing as he goes 
Lumen CJiristi, the Light of Christ. When the procession 
reaches the sanctuary, the deacon chants his song of triumph 
(Exultet), and solemnly blesses the great Paschal candle. 
This candle is of unusual size, standing alone, of a pillar- 
like form; and in the ages when the service was held at 
night, shed a "dim religious light" over the sanctuary during 
the long vigil. When lighted, it is the representation both 
of the pillar of fire which went before the people of God in 
their wanderings through the desert, and of the new-born 
glory of Jesus risen from the grave. During this grand song 
of joy the deacon pauses three times ; once to fix in the candle 
the five grains of incense in the form of a cross, which, by 
their number, represent the five wounds, and, by their sub- 
stance, the precious spices which the holy women brought to 
the sepulcher this night to embalm the body of their dead 
Lord; a second time he pauses to light the newly blest 
candle; and a third time, while the lamps in the church 
are once more lighted. After this Exultet come the Twelve 
Prophecies, which were primarily intended for the instruc- 
tion of the catechumens who were to be baptized this night. 

Then comes the blessing of the baptismal font. In front 
of the procession is carried the Paschal candle, which leads 



Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 717 



these neophytes to the waters of salvation, even as the pillar 
of fire led the children of Israel to the saving waters of the 
Red Sea. When the celebrant reaches the baptistery, he 
sings the blessing of the font. He divides the water in the 
form of a cross, and scatters some toward the four quarters 
of the world; he breathes upon it, and invokes the grace 
and power of the Holy Ghost upon it. He dips the Paschal 
candle three times into the water. The people are then 
sprinkled with this Easter water, and after this the holy 
chrism and oil of catechumens is poured into the font to 
mingle with the baptismal water. This completes the 
solemn blessing of the font, and after this, formerly, the 
catechumens were baptized and then confirmed. After the 
blessing of the font the procession returns to the sanctuary, 
and the litanies of the saints are sung, during which the 
celebrant and sacred ministers lie prostrate before the 
altar. Toward the end of the litanies the priests rise and 
go to the sacristy to vest for Mass. 

II. The Mass. 

" 4 i"S we have pointed out, the foregoing ceremonies for- 
cJr^L merly took place during the night of Easter eve, and 
the Mass at which we are now going to assist is really the 
Mass that used to be offered at daybreak on Easter morn, 
after the long vigil. This will explain why it is of such a joy- 
ous character. The vestments are white, the Gloria is sung, 
the bells ring out cheerfully, the organ is heard once more. 
Pictures and images are uncovered; flowers again adorn the 
altar, which is decked in white. The Collect of the Mass 
makes intercession for the newly baptized, "the new offspring 
of Thy family." After the Epistle, the celebrant intones 
solemnly three times the Alleluia, which is taken up by the 
choir; the Gospel relates to us the visit to the sepulcher of 
Mary Magdalen and the other Mary at the dawn of day. 
The Creed is not sung, as it used to be reserved for the second 
Mass which was sung later on Easter day. The kiss of peace 
is still omitted, for it was not until evening on the day of 
the Resurrection that Jesus stood in the midst of His apostles 
in the upper chamber in the holy city and gave them His 
peace. For the same reason the Agnus Dei is left out. 
When this Mass was appointed to be sung on the Saturday 
morning (instead of at the dawn of Easter day), it was 
necessary that it should be followed by Vespers. As the 
service is already so long, the Church bids us sing, immedi- 
ately after the communion, Vespers containing one psalm 
and the Magnificat. This now takes the place of the post- 



718 Devotions in Honor of ike Passion of Our Lord. 



communion in other Masses, and when these have been sung, 
the Mass concludes with the blessing and the last Gospel 
according to St. John. 

EASTER SUNDAY. 

The Fruits of the Passion. 

HEN Easter comes we must not forget the Passion 
of Jesus. The Church reminds us of it every day 
in holy Mass. Jesus Himself appeared in heaven as a lamb 
that had been slain. Only we have now to look to the 
joyful side of the Passion, to its glorious fruits. 

1. The first fruit of the Passion is the exaltation of the 
Man-Christ Jesus to sit on the right hand of God. In Him 
our human nature received divine honors, and these honors 
were won by the sufferings of the Passion. "For the joy 
that w T as set before Him He endured the cross, and sitteth 
on the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. xii. 2). 

2. The second fruit of the Passion is the saving from sin 
and eternal death all those who choose to avail themselves 
of the grace offered them. "He shall see a long-lived seed." 
Millions, who otherwise would have dwelt for ever in the 
abyss of hell, are, through the graces won for them by Our 
Lord in His sacred Passion, the happy denizens of heaven 
to all eternity. It is this which will constitute the chief 
glory of the sacred humanity. 

3. The third fruit of the Passion is the crushing of Satan 
and all the company of hell beneath the feet of Jesus. Never 
was there so glorious a victory under the guise of defeat, 
never a more complete or unexpected triumph. He who 
was in His Passion an object of derision to devils and wicked 
men, came forth, in His Resurrection, King of kings and 
Lord of lords, triumphant over sin and death, before Whom 
every knee shall bow in heaven and In earth and hell. Thanks 
be to God for the unspeakable glory of the Passion of Jesus 
Christ! 

Prayers for Easter. 

LL the days of the mortal life of Jesus Christ, previous to 
that of His Resurrection, were, according to St. Paul, the 
days of His humiliation; whereas, Easter Sunday is properly 
called the day of His glory; since it was by His Resurrection 
that the seal of heaven was affixed to His doctrine, His other 
miracles confirmed, His mission proved, and all His labors 
crowned. Hence arises the joy of the Church on this, the great- 
est of her festivals. 




Devotions in Honor of the Passion of Our Lord. 719 



* v r XLELUIA to the risen Saviour, the King of glory! 
f"l . Christ is risen from the dead: walk ye in newness 
of life. 

If you have risen with Christ, seek the thiDgs that are 
above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 
Be mindful of the things that are above, not the things 
that are upon the earth. 

V^JHIS is the day the Lord hath made; come, let us exult 
and rejoice thereon. 

V. Praise the Lord; for He is good; and His mercy en- 
dureth for ever. Alleluia, alleluia. 

Christ Himself is become our Paschal sacrifice. Alleluia. 

Do Thou, victorious King, 'have mercy on us. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD! Who this day didst open to us the approach 
to eternity by Thy only Son, victorious over death ; 
prosper, by Thy grace, our vows, which Thou didst antici- 
pate by Thy inspiration. Through the same, etc. 

O God! Who by the yearly solemnity of Our Lord's Resur- 
rection, fillest our hearts with gladness, mercifully grant that 
the temporal feasts which we celebrate, may lead us to the 
eternal joys of heaven through the same Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

HYMN FOR EASTER SUNDAY. 

' O Filii et Filice. 

YE sons and daughters of the Lord! 
The King of glory, King adored, 
This day Himself from death restored. 

All in the early morning gray 
Went holy women on their way, 
To see the tomb where Jesus lay. 

Of spices pure a precious store 

In their pure hands those women bore, 

To anoint the sacred body o'er. 

Then straightway one in white they see, 
Who saith, "Ye seek the Lord; but He 
Is risen, and gone to Galilee." 

This told they Peter, told they John; 
Who forthwith to the tomb are gone, 
But Peter is by John outrun. 



720 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

That self-same night, while, out of fear, 
The doors were shut, their Lord most dear 
To His apostles did appear. 

But Thomas, when of this he heard, 
Was doubtful of his brethren's word; 
Wherefore again there comes the Lord. 

"Thomas, behold My side," saith He; 
" My hands, My feet, My body see, 
And doubt not, but believe in Me." 

When Thomas saw that wounded side, 

The truth no longer he denied ; 

"Thou art my Lord and God!" he cried. 

Oh, blest are they who have not seen 
Their Lord, and yet believe in Him ! 
Eternal life awaiteth them. 

Now let us praise the Lord most high, 

And strive His name to magnify 

On this great day, through earth and sky: 

Whose mercy ever runneth o'er ; 
Whom men and angel hosts adore ; 
To Him be glory evermore. 

VII. 

Demotions in Ifoonor of tbe 3Blesset> XDxvqIw 
IReflecttona of a IReligious on 2>ewtion to ©ur 3La&£** 

BEHOLD thy Son. . . Behold thy Mother" (John 
xix. 27) . These were the last words that Jesus Christ 
addressed to any creature before His death; they are His 
last will. By them He intrusted all His disciples to His 
own beloved Mother as her spiritual children, and gave her 
to all His disciples as their spiritual Mother. These words 
have a special reference to Religious, who are represented 
by St. John, the beloved disciple of Our Saviour. He was 
a virginal soul, who had left all things for Christ's sake. 
Religious vow and practice chastity, have left all things for 
Christ's sake, and have become His beloved spouses. No 
one else, then, has a greater claim to Mary as a Mother. 



* From "Helps to a Spiritual Life." 



" Thou art all fair, O My love, and there is not a spot 
in thee." — Canticle iv. 7. 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary \ 721 



Religious may then say, Mary, in fact, has been truly 
our Mother, and the most tender of mothers, for we may, 
indeed, say, "All good things came to me together with her, 
and innumerable riches through her hands, for she is an 
infinite treasure to men; which they that use, become the 
friends of God" (Wisd. vii. 11, 14). We owe everything to 
Mary. It is through her that we received all the graces 
bestowed on us whilst we were in the world, and particu- 
larly the inestimable grace of our vocation. How many 
times did she not preserve us from danger, how many times 
did she not obtain for us victory over the allurements and 
temptations of the world! It was she who obtained for us 
the strength and heroism requisite to leave the world, to 
renounce its pleasures, to give up our own will. We can 
easily remember how she helped us when we invoked her, 
how she consoled and encouraged us in our trials. But 
what favors has she not conferred on us since the day on 
which we were consecrated and espoused to her divine Son! 
Without her help we could never have practiced the virtues 
required of Religious — humility, self-denial, obedience, meek- 
ness, and charity. Without her we could not have over- 
come our many temptations, borne our numerous little 
trials. We could not have persevered until now in our 
holy vocation, had we not been assisted by the Mother of 
perseverance. 

And had we been more loving and devoted children to 
her, had we more promptly invoked her, more fervently 
prayed to her, and more faithfully honored her, we should 
not have committed so many faults, or be now so full of 
imperfections and so devoid of virtue. 

We claim Mary as our Mother, and boast of being her 
children. But to be truly her children, we should bear 
some resemblance to her. As she is our spiritual Mother, 
her spiritual features, that is, her virtues, should be delineated 
in us, should be visible in our conduct. In the first place, 
we should resemble her in humility. Although she was the 
holiest and most perfect and most exalted of creatures, she 
excelled all in humility By her virginity, says the Church, 
Mary pleased God; but it was by her humility that she 
conceived the Son of God. "Without humility/' says St. 
Bernard, "even Mary's spotless virginity would not have 
saved her." "Humility," says St. Teresa, "drew the Son 
of God from heaven into the womb of a virgin; and it is 
only by a similar humility that we can draw Him into our 
souls." 

Secondly, Mary distinguished herself by her love of silence, 
recollection, retirement, and prayer. Her union with God 



722 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

was constant and uninterrupted. Prayer was the food of 
her soul; it was a second nature to her. Let us strive to 
imitate her in this, and especially in making our daily medita- 
tion well. — Thirdly, Mary was a model of obedience. Let us 
consider our Rules as the will of God toward us, and look 
upon the orders of our Superiors as the orders of God Him- 
self. — Fourthly, Mary was all aglow with divine love, and 
zealous for the salvation of mankind. Let us love no one 
but God, and allow in our heart no affection unless it be 
for God or in God, and, at the same time, let us be ready 
to sacrifice ourselves for the welfare and salvation of our 
neighbor in so far as obedience permits. — In fine, Mary is 
the Queen of martyrs the Mother of sorrows, for next to 
Jesus, no one ever suffered so much and so willingly and 
patiently as Mary. Let us, like her, accept all sufferings, 
all trials and crosses, with patience and resignation, as sent 
to us by God out of love for us. 

Let us ask Mary, our Mother, Our Lady of Perpetual 
Help, the Mother of mercy, the Mother of perseverance, 
to help us faithfully to keep our good resolutions, to help 
us to imitate her virtues. Let us entreat her, by the love 
she bears to our Spouse Jesus, by the love she bears to us 
her children, to help us to resemble her, to become her true 
and worthy children. She who is the most loving of mothers 
can not refuse a prayer so pleasing to her — a prayer which 
she can easily grant us, for she is all-powerful with her divine 
Son. He can not refuse anything to her who bore Him, 
whom He loved, honored, and obeyed on earth as His Mother, 
and whom He has exalted in heaven above all creatures. 
Let us in all our sorrows, in all our trials and sufferings, and 
especially in all our temptations and dangers, have recourse 
to her with the utmost fervor, love, and confidence, for she, 
the most powerful and tender of mothers, will obtain for us 
all we ask through her. "In all your wants," says the 
holy Redemptorist, Blessed Clement Maria Hofbauer, "turn 
to the Blessed Virgin. She is the Mother of mercy, and will 
obtain mercy for you from her Son. Never has the Son 
refused His Mother a grace, for He can not turn away a prayer 
of His Mother. She has found, and always will find, grace 
with God." "He who remembers," says St. Alphonsus, 
"having, in temptations against chastity, invoked the name 
of Mary, may rest assured of not having given consent to 
them." 

We should daily honor Mary in a special manner, and 
pray much and often to her. We can never honor her too 
much, whom God has so greatly honored. We ought, more- 
over, to do all in our power to inspire others with devotion 



Levoiions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 723 



to her, with a tender love for her and an unlimited confi- 
dence in her intercession. We ought to consider our devo- 
tion to Mary as our protection, as the surest means of sal- 
vation and sa-nctification, and as a pledge of life everlasting, 
because she never forsakes those who are devout to her. 
"If you persevere until death," says St. Aiphonsus, "in 
true devotion to Mary, your salvation is assured." 

COXSECRATIOX TO MARY, OUR MOTHER. 

For Religious. 

OMOST holy and immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother 
of Jesus, my beloved Spouse, I now again choose 
thee as my own Mother. Henceforth I will never cease to 
love, cherish, and venerate thee as my own beloved Mother 
all the days of my life. To thee will I have recourse in all 
my trials, sufferings, and temptations, and I shall do my 
best to induce others to love and venerate thee, and to in- 
voke thee in all their wants. O Mary, deign to accept me 
as thine own most loving child, and make me faithful to 
thee. Make me, like thee, humble, meek, patient, charitable, 
pure, obedient, and docile to my Rules and Superiors. Deign 
to obtain for me an unwavering love for my Spouse, Jesus, 
and a holy and well-regulated zeal for the salvation of souls. 
Mary, my dearest Mother, do not forsake me, thy child, 
when I am assailed by temptation; hasten then at once to 
my assistance, and do not permit me ever to prove untrue 
to my beloved Jesus. Enable me, by thy all-powerful help, 
to become, through a constant growth in A'irtue and holiness, 
daily more and more pleasing to Jesus, my heavenly Spouse, 
and to persevere until death in the love of Him and of thee, 
my most tender and beloved Mother Mary. Amen. 

PRAYER TO THE HEART OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD AXD OUR 
MOTHER. 

*-p^EART of Mary, Mother of God, our Mother; heart most 
1 1 \ amiable; delight of the ever-adorable Trinity, and 
worthy of all the veneration and tenderness of angels and 
of men ; heart most like the Heart of Jesus, whose most per- 
fect image thou art ; heart full of goodness, ever compassion- 
ate toward our miseries! vouchsafe to thaw our icy hearts, 
and change them to the likeness of the Heart of Jesus. 
Infuse into them the love of thy virtues, inflame them with 
that blessed fire with which thou dost ever burn. In thee 
let the holy Church find safe shelter; be thou its guardian and 
its ever-sweet asylum, its tower of strength, impregnable 
against the assaults of its enemies. Be thou the road leading 
to Jesus; be thou the channel whereby we receive all graces 



724 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



needful for our salvation. Be thou our help in need, our 
comfort in trouble, our strength in temptation, our refuge 
in persecution, our aid in danger; but especially in the last 
struggle of our life at the moment of our death, when all 
hell shall be unchained against us to snatch away our souls, 
in that dread moment, that hour so terrible, on which de- 
pends our eternity — ah! then, most tender Virgin, do thou 
make us feel how great is the sweetness of thy Mother's 
heart, how great thy power with the Heart of Jesus, opening 
to us, in the very fount of mercy itself, a safe refuge, that 
so one day we too may join with thee in paradise in praising 
the Heart of Jesus for ever and for ever. Amen. 

Act of Praise to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. 
AY the Divine Heart of Jesus and the immaculate heart 
of Mary be known, praised, blessed, loved, worshipped, 
and glorified always and in all places. Amen. 

Indulgence of 60 days, once a day, to those who shall say this 
prayer, together with the act of praise to the Sacred Heart of 
Jesus and the immaculate heart of Mary; a plenary indulgence, 
on the Feasts of the Nativity, of the Assumption, and of the 
sacred heart of Mary, on usual conditions; and praying for the 
Pope's intentions at a church, or at any altar in any church 
dedicated to our blessed Lady; a plenary indulgence at the hour 
of death, to those who shall have practiced this pious exercise 
every day. — Pius VII., Aug. 18, 1807; Feb. 1, 1816. 

MEMORARE TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 



EMORARE, O piissima 
virgo Maria, non esse 
audit um a saeculo quem- 
quam ad tua current em prae- 
sidia,tua implorantem auxilia, 
tua petentem suflragia, esse 
derelictum. Ego tali anima- 
tus confide ntia, ad te, virgo 
virginum, Mater, curro, ad te 
venio, coram te gemens pecca- 
tor assist o; noli, mater Ver- 
bi, verba mea despicere, sed 
audi propitia, et exaudi. 
Amen. 



*T^> EMEMBER, O most 
, I \^ gracious Virgin Mary! 
that never was it known that 
any one who fled to thy pro- 
tection, implored thy help, 
and sought thy intercession, 
was left unaided. Inspired 
with this confidence, I fly 
unto thee, O Virgin of vir- 
gins, my Mother! To thee I 
come; before thee I stand, 
sinful and sorrowful. O 
Mother of the Word Incar- 
nate! despise not my peti- 
tions, but, in thy mercy, 
hear and answer me. Amen. 



Indulgence of 300 days, each time; plenary indulgence once 
a month, on usual conditions. — Pius IX., Dec. 11, 1846. 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 725 



PRAYER OF ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

OST holy Mary, my Lady, to thy faithful care and 
special keeping and to the bosom of thy mercy, to- 
day and every day, and particularly at the hour of my death, 
I commend my soul and my body; all my hope and consola- 
tion, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end of my life, 
I commit to thee, that through thy most holy intercession and 
by thy merits, all my actions may be directed and ordered 
according to thy will and that of thy divine Son. Amen. 
Indulgence of 200 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 15, 1890. 

ITitDulgenceD IRovenas in Ibonor of tbe Messed VixQin 

ELEVEN NOVENAS IN HONOR OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 

HE Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IX., granted to all the faithful 
who, devoutly and with contrite heart, shall make at any 
time during the year any of the following novenas in honor of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, with any formula of prayer, provided it be 
approved by competent ecclesiastical authority, an indulgence 
of 300 days, each day; a plenary indulgence, either during the 
course of each novena, or upon one of the eight days immediately 
following, on usual conditions. 

List of these Novenas. 

1. In honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary. 

2. In honor of the Birth of Mary most holy. 

3. In honor of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple. 

4. In honor of the Annunciation. 

5. In honor of the Visitation. 

6. In honor of Mary's holy Delivery and of the Birth of 
the Child Jesus. 

7. In honor of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

8. In honor of the Dolors of Mary. 

9. In honor of the Assumption of Mary. 

10. In honor of the Sacred Heart of Mary and of her 
Patronage. 

11. In honor of the Feast of the Most Holy Rosary of the 
Blessed Virgin. 

N.B. — The prayers in this book are all approved by ecclesias- 
tical authority, and hence may be used at pleasure in making the 
above-mentioned novenas. 

A very simple and satisfactory method of making a no- 
vena in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary consists in reciting 
the following prayers: 




726 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



1. The Litany of Loretto. 

2. The Memorate, and an act of consecration. 

3. Three Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glorys in thanks- 
giving to the Blessed Trinity for the prerogatives and graces 
bestowed upon the Blessed Virgin Mary. Conclude with 
an ejaculation appropriate to the season on the festival com- 
memorated. The following will suffice for all seasons. 

Ejaculation. 

ODOMINA mea! O ma- |^rv Y Queen! my Mother! 
termea! memento me VI * a remember I am thine 
esse tuum. own. 

Serva me, defende me, ut Keep me, guard me, as 
rem et possessionem tuam. thy property and possession. 
Indulgence of 40 days, each time. — Pius IX., Aug. 5, 185 1. 

Other Ejaculations. 
Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation! 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time. — Pius IX., Sept. 30, 1852; 
plenary indulgence, once a month, under usual conditions, to 
those who shall have said it every day. 

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us, who have 
recourse to thee! 

Indulgence of 100 davs, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 15, 
1884. 

Mary, Mother of God, and Mother of mercy, pray for me 
and for the departed. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., Dec. 15, 1883. 

IRovena tn Ibonor of tbe JBlessed Vitgux /nbar£ for an£ 
festival anfc for an£ Special ©ccasiom 

In connection with the Litany of Loretto and the Memorare, the 
following prayer may be said occasionally: 

OMARY, ever-blessed Virgin, Mother of God, Queen 
of the angels and of the saints, I salute thee with the 
most profound veneration and filial devotion. I renew the 
consecration of myself and all I have to thee. I thank thee 
for thy maternal protection and for the many blessings that 
I have received through thy wondrous mercy and most 
powerful intercession. In all my necessities I have recourse 
to thee, with unbounded confidence. O Help of Christians, 
O Mother of mercy, I beseech thee now to hear my prayer, 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 727 



and to obtain for me of thy divine Son the favor that I re- 
quest in this novena. 

Obtain for me, also, dearest Mother, the grace that I may 
imitate thee and become more like to thee in the practice of 
the virtues of humility, obedience, purity, poverty, submis- 
sion to the will of God, and charity. Be my protectress in 
life, guard and guide me in dangers, direct me in perplexities, 
lead me in the way of perfection, and assist me in the hour 
of my death, that I may come to Jesus, and with thee enjoy 
Him, bless Him, and love Him eternally in heaven. Amen.* 

, Zhc flfoyetevies of tbe 1bol£ IRoaat^ 

THE FRUIT OF EACH MYSTERY. 

Joyful Mysteries. — Spirit of Holy Joy. 

1 . — Annunciation Humility. 

2. — Visitation Fraternal Charity. 

3. — Nativity .Spirit of Poverty. 

4. — Presentation Obedience. 

5. — Jesus with the Doctors Love of Jesus and of His 

Holy Services. 

Sorrowful Mysteries. — Spirit of Compassion and Contrition. 

1. — Agony Fervor in Prayer. 

2. — Scourging Penance. 

3. — Crowning with Thorns Moral Courage- 

4. — Carriage of the Cross Patience. 

5. — Crucifixion Self-sacrifice for God and 

our Neighbor. 

Glorious Mysteries. — Spirit of Adoration and Faith. 

1 . — Resurrection Faith. 

2. — Ascension Hope. 

3. — Descent of the Holy Ghost . . Love and Zeal for Souls. 

4. — Assumption Filial devotion to Mary. 

5. — Coronation of B. V. M Perseverance. 

Prayer. 

OGOD, Whose only-begotten Son hath purchased for us 
the rewards of eternal salvation through His life, 
death, and Resurrection, we beseech Thee grant to us, who 

* Other novenas for the festivals of the Blessed Viigin Marv 
will be found in the latter part of this book. 



728 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



are commemorating those mysteries in the holy Rosary 
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the grace to hearken to the 
lessons they teach us and to obtain the blessings they promise. 
Through the same Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. 



©ffering of IFntentions, before IRecitin^ tbe IRosarg, 
in TUmon witb tbe precious JBlooD* 

TERNAL Father, we offer Thee this Rosary, through 
the most pure heart of Mary in union with the precious 
blood of Jesus Christ, in thanksgiving for all Thy benefits, 
in atonement for our sins, for the wants of the holy Church, 
the interests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, for all those graces 
and blessings that will keep us close to that loving Heart 
in life, in death, in time, and for eternity. For the sick, the 
dying, conversion of sinners, and souls in purgatory; for 
those who have asked our prayers and for whom we are 
bound to pray; for Superiors, Congregation, and family inten- 
tions, that God may direct all to His greater honor and glory, 
and for a happy death for each member. 




IRosars of tbe Meeeeb Virgin. 

THE JOYFUL, MYSTERIES. 

V. 'T'NCUNE unto my aid, O God. 

rJ-> R. O Lord, make haste to help me. 
V. Glory be to the Father, etc. 
R. As it was in the beginning, etc. 

First Mystery. — The Annunciation. 
(To obtain the Virtue of Humility.) 
•"I"" ! ET us contemplate in this mystery how the angel Gabriel 
^L-l saluted our blessed Lady with the title, Full of Grace, 
and declared unto her the Incarnation of Our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Our Father, etc., once. Hail Mary, ten times. Glory be to 
the Father, etc. 

Prayer. 

OHOLY Mary, Queen of virgins, by the most high mystery 
of the Incarnation of thy beloved Son, Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, by which our salvation was so happily begun: 
obtain for us, by thy intercession, light to know this so great 
benefit which He hath bestowed upon us, vouchsafing in 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 729 



it to make Himself our Brother, and thee, His own most be- 
loved Mother, our Mother also. Amen. 

Second Mystery — The Visitation. 
(Charity.) 

*T 1 ET us contemplate in this mystery how the blessed Vir- 
1 1 * gin Mary, understanding from the angel that her 
cousin St. Elizabeth had conceived, went with haste into 
the mountains of Judea to visit her, and remained with her 
three months. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer. 

OHOLY Virgin, most spotless mirror of humility, by 
that exceeding charity which moved thee to visit 
thy holy cousin, St. Elizabeth, obtain for us by thy interces- 
sion, that our hearts may be visited by thy most holy Son, 
that being freed from all sin, we may praise Him and give 
Him thanks for ever. Amen. 

Third Mystery. — The Nativity. 
(Poverty of Spirit.) 

""1 lET us contemplate in this mystery how the blessed 
(J— i Virgin Mary, when the time of her delivery was come, 
brought forth Our Redeemer, Christ Jesus, at midnight, and 
laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for Him in 
the inns of Bethlehem. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer. 

OMOST pure Mother of God, by thy virginal and most 
joyful delivery, by which thou gavest unto the world 
thy only Son, Our Saviour; we beseech thee, obtain for us, 
by thy intercession, grace to lead so pure and holy a life in 
this world that we may worthily sing without ceasing, both 
day and night, the mercies of thy Son, and His benefits to 
us by thee. Amen. 

Fourth Mystery. — The Presentation. 
(Obedience.) 

*r- 'ET us contemplate in this mystery how the blessed 
L Virgin Mary, on the day of her purification, pre- 
sented the Child Jesus in the Temple, where holy Simeon, 
giving thanks to God, with great devotion received Him 
into his arms. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 



730 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



Prayer. 

OHOLY Virgin, most admirable mistress and pattern 
of obedience, who didst present in the Temple the 
Lord of the Temple, obtain for us, of thy beloved Son that 
with holy Simeon and devout Anna we may praise and 
glorify Him for ever. Amen. 

The Fifth Mystery. — The Finding in the Temple. 
(Zeal.) 

*"| — 'ET us contemplate in this mystery how the blessed 
JLi Virgin Mary, having lost her beloved Son in Jerusalem, 
sought Him for the space of three days, and at length 
found Him in the Temple, in the midst of the doctors, dis- 
puting with them, being of the age of twelve years. 
Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer. 

/T^OST Blessed Virgin, more than martyr in thy sufferings, 
>X4 and yet the comfort of such as are afflicted, by that 
unspeakable joy wherewith thy soul was rilled in finding 
thy beloved Son in the Temple, in the midst of the doctors, 
disputing with them, obtain of Him for us so to seek Him 
and to find Him in the holy Catholic Church that we may 
never be separated from Him. Amen. 

Salve Regina. 

* I— J AIL, holy Queen! Mother of mercy, our life, our sweet- 
w i ^ ness, and our hope ; to thee do we cry, poor banished 
children of Eve ; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning 
and weeping in this valley of tears ; turn then, most gracious 
advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this 
our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! 

V. Pray for us, holy Mother of God. 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray. 

* EAR, merciful God, the prayer of Thy servants, 
r"-* that we who meet together in the society of the most 
holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, may, through 
her intercession, by Thee be delivered from the dangers that 
continually hang over us. Amen. 

O God, Whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death, and 
Resurrection, has purchased for us the reward of eternal life, 
grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating on these mysteries 
in the most holy Rosary of the blessed Virgin Mary, we 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 731 



may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they 
promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

THE DOLOROUS OR SORROWFUL MYSTERIES. 

First Mystery. — The Agony in the Garden. 
(To obtain the Virtue of Resignation.) 
" I 1 ET us contemplate in this mystery how Our Lord Jesus 
f 1 * Christ was so afflicted for us in the Garden of Geth- 
semane, that His body was bathed in a bloody sweat, which 
ran trickling down in great drops to the ground. 

Our Father, etc., once, Hail Mary, ten times. Glory, etc. 

Prayer. 

OST holy Virgin, more than martyr, by that ardent 
prayer which thy beloved Son poured forth unto 
His Father in the garden, vouchsafe to intercede for us, 
that our passions being reduced to the obedience of reason, 
we may always and in all things conform and subject our- 
selves to the will of God. Amen. 

Second Mystery. — The Scourging at tlie Pillar. 
(Holy Purity.) 

* I 'ET us contemplate in this mystery how Our Lord Jesus 
— A Christ was most cruelly scourged in Pilate's house, 

the stripes He received being innumerable. 
Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer . 

O MOTHER of God, overflowing fountain of patience, 
by those stripes thy only and most beloved Son 
vouchsafed to suffer for us, obtain of Him for us grace that 
we may know how to mortify our rebellious senses, and 
cut off all occasions of sinning with that sword of grief and 
compassion which pierced thy most tender soul. Amen. 

Third Mystery. — The Crowning with Thorns. 
(Humility.) 

*"| 'ET us contemplate in this mystery how those cruel 
< 1 i ministers of Satan platted a crown of sharp thorns, 
and most cruelly pressed it on the most sacred head of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

Our Father, eta, as above. 

Prayer. 

f \ MOTHER of our eternal Prince and King of glory, by 
those sharp thorns wherewith His most holy "head 
was pierced, we beseech thee that, through thy intercession, 




73? Derations in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

we may be delivered from all motions of pride, and, in the 
day of judgment, from that confusion which our sins deserve. 
Amen. 

Fourth Mystery. — The Carrying of the Cross 
(Patience.) 

*-| — 'ET us contemplate in this mystery how Our Lord 

r J i Jesus Christ, being sentenced to die, bore with great 

patience the cross, which was laid upon Him for His greater 
torment and ignominy. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer. 

OHOLY Virgin, example of patience, by the most painful 
carrying of the cross on which thy Son, Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, bore the heavy weight of our sins, obtain for 
us of Him, through thy intercession, courage and strength 
to follow His footsteps, and to bear our cross after Him 
unto the end of our lives. Amen. 

Fifth Mystery. — The Crucifixion. 
(Abiding Sorrow for Sin.) 
' I JET us contemplate in this mystery how Our Lord 
J i Jesus Christ, being come to Mount Calvary, was 
stripped of His clothes, and His hands and feet most cruelly 
nailed to the cross, in the presence of His most afflicted 
Mother. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer. 

OHOLY Mary, Mother of God, as the body of thy be- 
loved Son was for us stretched on the cross, so may 
our desires be daily more and more extended in His service, 
and our hearts wounded with compassion for His most bitter 
Passion; and thou, O most blessed Virgin, graciously vouch- 
safe, by thy powerful intercession, to help us to accom- 
plish the work of our salvation. 
Hail, Holy Queen, etc. 

THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES. 

First Mystery. — The Resurrection. 
(To Obtain the Virtue of Faith.) 
1 1 *ET us contemplate in this mystery how Our Lord Jesus 
1 1 m Christ, triumphing gloriously over death, rose again 
the third day, immortal and impassible. 

Our Father, etc., once ; Hail Mary, etc., ten times ; Glory, etc. 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 733 



Prayer. 

O GLORIOUS Virgin Mary, by that unspeakable joy 
thou receivedst in the Resurrection of thine only Son, 
we beseech thee obtain of Him for us that our hearts may 
never go astray after the false joys of this world, but may 
be ever and wholly employed in the pursuit of the only true 
and solid joys of heaven. Amen. 

Second Mystery. — Tlie Ascension. 
THope.) 

*■ ! ET us contemplate in this mystery how Our Lord Jesus 
yJ i Christ, forty days after His Resurrection, ascended 
into heaven, attended by angels, in the sight and to the 
great admiration of His most holy Mother, His holy apostles 
and disciples. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer. 

O MOTHER of God, Comfortress of the afflicted, as thy 
beloved Son, when He ascended into heaven, lifted 
up His hands and blessed His apostles, so vouchsafe, most 
holy Mother, to lift up thy pure hands to Him for us, that 
we may enjoy the benefits of His blessing, and thine also, 
on earth and hereafter in heaven. Amen. 

Third Mystery. — TJie Descent of tlie Holy Ghost. 
(Charity.) 

1 ET us contemplate in this mystery how Our Lord Jesus 
f I * Christ being seated on the right hand of God, "sent, 
as He had promised, the Holy Ghost upon His apostles, 
who, after His Ascension, returning to Jerusalem, continued 
in prayer and supplication with the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
expecting the fulfilment of His promise. 
Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer. 

O SACRED Virgin, tabernacle of the Holy Ghost, we 
beseech thee, obtain by thine intercession, that this 
most sweet Comforter, Whom thy beloved Son sent down 
upon His apostles, filling them thereby with spiritual joy, 
may teach us in this world the true way of salvation, and 
make us walk in the paths of virtue and good works. Amen. 

Fourth Mystery. — Tlie Assumption of tlie Blessed Virgin. 
(Desire of Heaven ) 
*"| 'ET us contemplate in this mystery how the glorious 
<J — 1 Virgin, languishing upon earth for many years after the 
Resurrection of her Son, passed out of this world at length, 



734 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



and was by Him assumed into heaven, accompanied by the 
holy angels. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer. 

O MOST prudent Virgin, who entering the heavenly palace 
didst fill the holy angels with joy and man with hope, 
vouchsafe to intercede for us at the hour of our death, that 
being delivered from the illusions and temptations of the 
devil, we may joyfully and securely pass out of this tem- 
poral state to enjoy the happiness of eternal life. Amen. 

Fifth Mystery. — The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin. 
(Confidence in Mary.) 
*"| !ET us contemplate in this mystery how the glorious 
rU Virgin Mary was, to the great jubilee and exultation 
of the whole court of heaven, and particular glory of all the 
saints, crowned by her Son with the brightest diadem of glory. 

Our Father, etc., as above. 

Prayer. 

O GLORIOUS Queen of all the heavenly citizens, we 
beseech thee accept this Rosary, which as a crown 
of roses we offer at thy feet, and grant, most gracious Lady, 
by thy powerful intercession, that our souls may be inflamed 
with so ardent a desire of seeing thee so gloriously crowned, 
that it may never die in us until it shall be changed into 
the happy fruition of thy blessed sight. Amen. 
Hail, holy Queen, etc., as before. 

PRAYER TO OUR LADY, QUEEN OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY. 

QUEEN of the most holy Rosary, in these days of bold 
impiety, show forth thy power by the tokens of thy 
former victories, and from the throne on which thou sittest 
as dispenser of pardon and of graces look down upon the 
Church of Thy Son, upon His Vicar, and upon all Orders 
of ecclesiastics and laymen who are struggling against the 
fierce assaults of the enemy; hasten, powerful conqueror 
of heresies, hasten the hour of mercy, though the hour of 
justice is hurried on every day by innumerable sins. Obtain 
for me, the least of men, as I kneel in humble supplication 
before thee, the grace I need most to live among the just on 
earth, to reign among the just in heaven, whilst, in the mean- 
time, together with all the faithful in the world, O Queen of 
the most holy Rosary, I salute and hail thee. 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 735 



Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us. 

An indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., July 3, 1886. 

INVOCATION OF THE NAME OF MARY. 

To all those who devoutly invoke the name of Mary, an indul- 
gence of 25 days, each time. — Clement XIII., Sept. 5, 1759. 

Ejaculation in Honor of the Immaculate Conception. 
Jp N conceptione tua, virgo 



Maria, immaculata fu 
isti; ora pro nobis Patrem 



IN thy conception, O Vir- 
gin Mary! thou wast 



cujus Filium Jesum de Spirit u 
Sancto conceptum peperisti. 



immaculate. Pray for us to 
the Father, Whose Son Jesus, 
conceived in thy womb by 
the Holy Ghost, thou didst 
bring forth. 

An indulgence of 100 days, each time. — Pius VI., Nov. 21, 1793. 

Xtttlc ©ffice of tbe ITmmaculate Conception* 

AT MATINS. 



Eia, mea labia, nunc annuntiate 



Laudes et praeconia Virginis 
beatae. 

V. v p^OMINA, in adju- 
JLJ torium meum 
intende. 

R. Me de manu hostium 
potenter defende. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. Alle- 
luia. 



Come, my lips, and wide pro- 
claim 

The Blessed Virgin's spotless 
fame. 



V 



o 



LADY make 
speed to befriend 

me. 

R. From the hands of the 
enemy mightily defend me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. Alleluia. 

From Septuagesima to Easter t instead of Alleluia is said: 
Laus tibi, Domine, Rex Praise be to Thee, O Lord, 
aeternse gloriae. King of everlasting glory. 

Hymn. 



& 



ALVE, mundi domina, 



Ccelorum regina : 
Salve, virgo virginum, 
Stella matutina. 

Salve plena gratia, 
Clara luce divina : 
Mundi in auxilium, 
Domina, festina. 



* J-w AIL, Queen of the 

<JL f, heavens ! 

Hail, Mistress of earth! 

Hail, Virgin most pure 

Of immaculate birth! 

Clear Star of the morning, 

In beauty enshrined! 

O Lady! make speed 

To the help of mankind. 



736 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 



Ab aeterno Dominus 
Te praeordinavit 
Matrem unigeniti 
Verbi, quo creavit 

Terram, pontuin, aethera: 
Te pulchram ornavit 
Sibi sponsam, quae 
In Adam non peccavit. 

Amen. 

V. Elegit earn Deus, et 
praeelegit earn. 

R. In tabernaculo suo habi- 
tare fecit earn. 

V. Domina, protege ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

Oremus. 

ANCTA Maria, regina 
ji* coelorum, mater Do- 
mini nostri Jesu Christi, et 
mundi domina, quae nullum 
derelinquis, et nullum despi- 
cis: re spice me, domina, 
clementer oculo pietatis, et 
impetra mihi apud tuum 
dilectum Filium cunctorum 
veniam peccatorum: ut qui 
nunc tuam sanctam et im- 
maculatam conceptionem de- 
voto afTectu recolo, aeternae 
in futurum beatitudinis, bra- 
vium capiam, ipso, quern 
virgo peperisti, donante Do- 
mino nostro Jesu Christo : 
qui cum Patre et Sancto 
Spiritu vivit et regnat, in 
Trinitate perfecta, Deus, in 
saecula saeculorum. Amen. 

V. Domina, protege ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
ven : at. 



Thee God in the depth 
Of eternity chose; 
And formed thee all fair, 
As His glorious spouse ; 

And called thee His Word's 
Own Mother to be, 
By Whom He created 
The earth, sky, and sea. 

Amen. 

V. God elected her, and 
pre-elected her. 

R He made her to dwell in 
His tabernacle. 

V. O Lady ! aid my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto thee. 

Let us pray. 

*Tp^ OLY Mary, Queen of 
heaven, Mother of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and Mis- 
tress of the world, who for- 
sakest no one, and despisest 
no one, look upon me, O 
Lady! with an eye of pity, 
and entreat for me, of thy 
beloved Son, the forgiveness 
of all my sins; that, as I 
now celebrate, with devout 
affection, thy holy and im- 
maculate conception, so, here- 
after, I may receive the prize 
of eternal blessedness, by 
the grace of Him Whom thou, 
in virginity, didst bring forth, 
Jesus Christ our Lord: Who, 
with the Father and the Holy 
Ghost, liveth and reigneth, 
in perfect Trinity, God, world 
without end. Amen. 

V. OLady! aid my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto thee. 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary . 737 



V. Benedicamus Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Fidelium animae per 
misericordiam Dei requie- 
scant in pace. 

R. Amen. 



V. Let us bless the Lord, 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the 
faithful, through the mercy 
of God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



AT PRIME. 



V. 



*T^OMINA, in adju- 
torium meum 
intende. 

R. Me de manu hostium 
potenter defende. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. Alle- 
luia. 



V. 



o 



LADY! make 
speed to befriend 
me. 

R. From the hands of the 
enemy mightily defend me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. Alleluia. 



Hymn. 

BALVE, virgo sapiens, ""pi AIL, Virgin most wise! 
Domus Deo dicata, r-"-b 



Domus Deo dicata, 
Columna septemplici 
Mensaque exornata. 

Ab omni contagio 
Mundi praeservata : 
Semper sancta in utero 
Matris, ex qua nata. 

Tu mater viventium, 
Et porta es sanctorum: 
Nova Stella Jacob, 
Domina angelorum. 

Zabulo terribilis 
Acies castrorum; 
Porta et refugium 
Sis christianorum. 

Amen. 

V. Ipse creavit illam in 
Spiritu Sancto. 

R. Et effudit illam super 
omnia opera sua; 

V. Domina, protege, etc. 
(cum oratione ut supra). 



Hail, Deity's shrine! 
With seven fair pillars, 
And table divine ! 

Preserved from the guilt 
Which hath come on us all! 
Exempt, in the womb, 
From the taint of the fall! 

O new Star of Jacob, 
Of angels the Queen! 
O Gate of the saints! 
O Mothe of men! 

To Zabulon fearful 
As th' embattled array! 
Be thou of the faithful 
The refuge and stay. 

Amen. 

V. The Lord Himself cre- 
ated her in the Holy Ghost. 

R. And poured her out 
over all His works. 

V. O Lady, aid, etc. (with 
the prayer as above). 



AT TIERCE 

V. Domina, in adjutorium, V. O Lady, make speed 
etc. etc. 



73S Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary . 



QfAIvVE, area foederis, 
.K-^ Thronus Salomonis, 
Arcus pulcher aetheris, 
Rubus visionis: 

Virga frondens germinis: 
Vellus Gedeonis: 
Porta clausa numinis, 
Favusque Samsonis. 

Decebat tam nobilem 
Natum praecavere 
Ab originali 

Labe matris Evae, 

Almam, quam elegerat, 
Genitricem vere, 
Nulli prorsus sinens 
Culpae subjacere. 

Amen. 

V. Ego in altissimis habito. 

R. Et thronus meus in co- 
lumna nubis. 

V. Domina, protege, etc. 
(cum oratione ut supra). 



Hymn. 

*Tp^AIL, Solomon's Throne! 
«-■-* Pure Ark of the law! 
Fair Rainbow and Bush, 
Which the patriarch saw ! 

Hail, Gedeon's Fleece! 
Hail, blossoming Rod! 
Samson's sweet Honeycomb! 
Portal of God! 



Well-fitting it was 
That a Son so divine 
Should preserve from all 

touch 
Of original sin, 

Nor suffer by smallest 
Defect to be stained 
That Mother, whom He 
For Himself had' ordained. 

Amen. 

V. I dwell in the highest. 

R. And my throne is on 
the pillar of the clouds. 

V. O Lady, aid, etc. (with 
the prayer as above) . 



AT SEXT. 

V. Domina, in adjutorium, V. O Lady, make speed, 
etc. etc. 



Hymn. 

ALVE, virgo puerpera, *J^AIL, virginal Mother! 



Templum Trinitatis, 



Angelorum gaudium, 
Cella puritatis: 

Solamen moerentium, 
Hortus voluptatis: 
Palma patientiae, 
Cedrus castitatis. 

Terra es benedicta 
Et sacerdotalis, 
Sancta et immunis 
Culpae originalis. 



Hail, purity's Cell! 
Fair Shrine, where the Trinity 
Loveth to dwell! 

Hail, Garden of pleasure ! 
Celestial Balm! 
Cedar of chastity! 
Martyrdom's Palm! 

Thou Land set apart 
From uses profane ! 
And free from the curse 
Which in Adam began! 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 739 



Civitas altissimi, 
Porta orientalis: 
In te est omnis gratia, 
Virgo singularis. 

Amen. 

V. Sicut lilium inter spinas. 

R. Sic arnica mea inter fili- 
as Adae. 

V. Domina, protege, etc. 
(cum oratione ut supra). 



Thou City of God! 
Thou Gate of the east 
In thee is all grace 
b Joy of the blest! 

Amen. 

V. As the lily among the 
thorns. 

R. So is my beloved among 
the daughters of Adam. 

V. O Lady, aid, etc. (with 
the prayer as above). 



AT NONE. 

V. Domina, in adjutorium, V. O Lady, make speed, 
etc. etc. 

Hymn. 

BALVE, urbs refugii, *T"^ AIL, City of refuge 1 

Turrisque munita Hail, David's high 

tower, 

David, propugnaculis With battlements crowned 

Armisque insignita. And girded with power! 



In conceptione 
Charitate ignita, 
Draconis potestas 
Est a te contrita. 

O mulier fortis, 
Et invicta Judith! 
Pulchra Abisag virgo. 
Verum f ovens David! 



Filled at thy conception 
With love and with light ! 
The dragon by thee 
Was shorn of his might. 

O Woman most valiant ! 
O Judith thrice blest ! 
As David was nursed 
In fair Abisag's breast; 



Rachel curatorem 
iEgypti gestavit: 
Salvatorem mundi 

Maria portavit. 

Amen. 

V. Tot a pulchra es, arnica 
mea. 

R. Et macula originalis 
numquam fuit in te. 

V. Domina, protege, etc.. 
(cum oratione ut supra). 



As the saviour of Egypt 
Upon Rachel's knee: 
So the world's great Re- 
deemer 
Was cherished by thee. 

Amen. 

V. Thou art all fair, my be- 
loved. 

R. And the original stain 
was never in thee. 

V. O Lady, aid, etc. (with 
the prayer as above). 



740 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



AT VESPERS. 

V. Domina, in adjutorium, V. O Lady, make speed, 
etc. etc. 



Hymn. 



CjALVE, horologium, 
^5 Quo, retrogadiatur 
Sol in decern lineis ; 
Verbum incarnatur. 

Homo ut ab inferis 

Ad summa attollatur, 
Immensus ab angelis 
Paulo minoratur. 

Solis hujus radiis 
Maria coruscat; 
Consurgens aurora 
In conceptu micat. 

Lilium inter spinas, 
Quae serpentis conterat 
Caput : pulchra ut luna 
Errantes colustrat. 

Amen. 

V. Ego feci in ccelis, ut 
oriretur lumen indeficiens. 

R. Et quasi nebula texi 
omnem terram. 

V. Domina, protege, etc. 
(cum oratione ut supra). 



*"p^ AIL, Dial of Achaz ! 
r-*-b On thee the true sun 
Told backward the course 
AVhich from old he had run! 

And, that man might be 

raised, 
Submitting to shame, 
A little more low 
Than the angels became. 

Thou, rapt in the biaze 
Of His infinite light, 
Dost shine as the morn 
On the confines of night; 

As the moon on the lost 
Through obscurity dawns; 
The serpent's destroyer! 
A lily 'mid thorns! 

Amen. 

V. I made an unfailing 
light to arise in heaven. 

R. And as a mist I over- 
spread the whole earth. 

V. O Lady, aid, etc. (with 
the prayer as above) 



AT COMPLINE. 



V. /^T ON VE RT AT nos, 
Domina, tuis pre- 
cibus placatus Jesus Christus 
Filius tuus. 

R. Et a vert at iram suam 
a nobis. 

V. Domina. in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Me de manu hostium 
potenter defende. 

V, Gloria Patri, etc. 



V. (T)AY Jesus Christ, 
r 1 '^ thy Son, recon- 
ciled by thy prayers, O Lady! 
convert our hearts. 

R. And turn away His 
anger from us. 

V. Q Lady! make speed 
to befriend me. 

R. From the hands of the 
enemy mightily defend me. 

V. Glory be to the Father, 
etc 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 741 



ALVE, Virgo florens, 
>OMater illibata, 
Regina clementiae, 
Stellis coronata. 

Super omnes angelos 
Pura, immaculata, 
Atque ad regis dexteram 
Stans veste deaurata. 

Per te, mater gratise, 
Dulcis spes reorum, 
Fulgens stella maris, 
Portus naufragorum. 

Patens coeli janua. 
Salus infirmorum 
Videamus regem 
In aula sanctorum. 



Hymn. 



V. 



o 1 



Amen. 
^LEUM effusum, 
Maria, n o m e n 
tuum. • 

R. Servi tui dilexerunt te 
nimis. 

V. Domina, protege, etc. 
(cum oratione ut supra). 



"Tp^ AIL, Mother most pure ! 
,-L £ Hail, Virgin renowned ! 
Hail, Queen with the stars, 
As a diadem, crowned. 

Above all the angels 
In glory untold, 
Standing next to the King 
In a vesture of gold. 

O Mother of mercy! 
O Star of the wave! 
O Hope of the guilty! 
O Light of the grave! 

Through thee may we come 
To the haven of rest; 
And see heaven's King 
In the courts of the blest ! 

Amen. 

V. /£\ HY name, O Mary! 
V--r is as oil poured 

out. 

R. Thy servants have loved 
thee exceedingly. 

V. O Lady, aid, etc. (with 
the prayers and versicles as 
above). 



THE COMMENDATION. 



jgUPPLICES offerimus 

Tibi, virgo pia, 

Haec laudum praeconia: 

Fac nos ut in via 

Ducas cursu prospero; 
Et in agonia 
Tu nobis assiste ; 
O dulcis Maria. 

R. Deo gratias. 

Ant. Haec est virga in qua 
nec nodus originalis, nec cor- 
tex actualis culpae fuit. 



HESE praises and 
prayers 
I lay at thy feet, 
O Virgin of virgins! 
O Mary most sweet! 

Be thou my true guide 
Through this pilgrimage here ; 
And stand by my side 
When death draweth near 

R. Thanks be to God. 

Ant. This is the rod in 
which was neither knot of 
original sin, nor rind of actual 
guilt. 



742 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



V. In conceptione tua vir- 
go immaculata fuisti. 

R. Ora pro nobis Patrem, 
cujus Filium peperisti. 

Oremus. 

DEUS qui per immacula- 
tam Virginis concep- 
tionem dignum Filio tuo ha- 
bitaculum praeparasti : quae- 
sumus, ut qui ex morte ejus- 
dem Filii tui praevisa earn ab 
omni labe praeservasti, nos 
quoque mundos ejus inter- 
cessione ad te pervenire con- 
cedas. Per eumdem Chris- 
tum Dominum nostrum. 

R. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days, each 



V. In thy conception, O 
Virgin! thou wast immacu- 
late. 

R. Pray for us to the 
Father, Whose Son thou didst 
bring forth 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who, by the im- 
maculate conception of 
the Virgin, didst prepare a 
worthy habitation for Thy 
Son: we beseech Thee that, 
as in view of the death of that 
Son, Thou didst preserve her 
from all stain of sin, so Thou 
wouldst enable us, being 
made pure by her intercession, 
to come unto Thee. Through 
the same Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 

me. — Pius IX., March 31, 1876. 



ANTHEM, VERSICLE, AND PRAYER IN HONOR OF THE IMMACU- 
LATE MARY. 



' ""Pi* ^ C 6St Virga ^ 

«-L-G qua nec nodus 
originalis, nec cortex actualis 
culpae fuit. 

V. In conceptione tua vir- 
go immaculata fuisti. 

R. Ora pro nobis Patrem, 
cujus Filium peperisti. 

Oremus. 

BE US qui per immacula- 
tam Virginis concep- 
tionem dignum Filio tuo 
habitaculurn praeparasti : 
quaesumus, ut qui ex morte 
ejusdem Filii tui praevisa 
earn ab omni labe praeser- 
vasti, nos quoque mun- 
dos ejus intercessione ad te 



Ant /£xHIS is the rod 

in which was 
neither knot of original sin, 
nor rind of actual guilt 

V. In thy conception, O 
Virgin! thou wast immacu- 
late. 

R. Pray for us to the 
Father, Whose Son thou 
didst bring forth. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who, by the im- 
maculate conception of 
the Virgin, didst prepare a 
worthy habitation for Thy 
Son: we beseech Thee that, 
as in view of the death of that 
Son, Thou didst preserve her 
from all stain of sin, so Thou 
wouldst enable us, being made 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 743 



pervenire concedas. Pereum- pure by her intercession, to 
dem Christum Dominum come unto Thee. Through 
nostrum. the same Christ our Lord. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, each time. — Pius IX., March 31, 1876. 



D 1 



CHAPLET IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. 

Suitable for a Noven-a. 

^EUSinadjutorium V. *T*NCLINE unto my 

meum intende. JU aid, O God ! 

R. Domine ad adjuvan- R. O Lord! make haste to 

dum me festina. help me. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. V. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc. R. As it was, etc. 

I. IMMACULATE Virgin, who, conceived without sin, 
m I r didst direct every movement of thy most pure heart 

to that God Who was ever the object of thy love, and 
who was ever most submissive to His will: obtain for me 
the grace to hate sin with my whole heart, and to learn of 
thee to live in perfect resignation to the will of God. 
Our Father, once, Hail Alary, seven times. 

Heart transpierced with pain and woe! 
Set my heart with love aglow. 

II. *~I" J MARVEL, Mary, at thy deep humility, through 
JL> which thy blessed heart was troubled at the 

gracious message brought thee by Gabriel, the archangel, 
that thou wast chosen Mother of the Son of the Most High, 
and through which thou didst proclaim thyself His humble 
handmaid: wherefore, in great confusion at the sight of my 
pride, I ask thee for the grace of a contrite and humble heart, 
that, knowing my own misery, I may obtain that crown of 
glory promised to the truly humble of heart. 

Our Father, etc., Heart, etc. 

III. *TT> LESSED Virgin, who, in thy sweetest heart, didst 
^XL^ keep as a precious treasure the words of Jesus, 

thy Son, and, pondering on the lofty mysteries they contained, 
didst learn to live for God alone: how doth my cold heart 
confound me! O dearest Mother! get me grace so to medi- 
tate within my heart upon God's holy law, that I may strive 
to follow thee in the fervent practice of every Christian 
virtue. 

Our Father, etc., Heart, etc. 



744 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



IV. #^>f LORIOUS Queen of martyrs, whose sacred heart 
\& was pierced in thy Son's bitter Passion by the 

sword, whereof the holy old man Simeon had prophesied: 
gain for my heart true courage and a holy patience to bear 
the troubles and misfortunes of this miserable life, that so, 
by crucifying my flesh with its desires, while following the 
mortification of the cross, I may, indeed, show myself to be a 
true son of thine. 

Our Father, etc., Heart, etc. 

V. f~\ MARY, mystical rose, whose loving heart, burning 
KJ with the living fire of charity, did accept us 

for thy sons at the cross's foot, becoming thus our tender 
* Mother! make me feel the sweetness of thy maternal heart 
and thy power with Jesus, that, when menaced by the perils 
of this mortal life, and most of all in the dread hour of death, 
my heart, united with thine, may love my Jesus then and 
through all ages. Amen. 

Our Father, etc, Heart, etc. 




ET us now turn to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, that 
He may inflame us with His holy love. 



O Divine Heart of Jesus! to thee I consecrate myself, 
full of deep gratitude for the many blessings I have re- 
ceived and daily do receive from thy boundless charity. 
With my whole heart I thank thee for having, in addition 
to them all, vouchsafed to give me thy own most holy Mother, 
giving me to her as a son, in the person of the beloved disciple. 
Let my heart ever burn with love for thee, finding in thy 
sweetest Heart its peace, its refuge, and its happiness. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day; plenary 7 indulgence under 
usual conditions. — Pius IX., Dec. 11, 1S54. 

LITTLE CHAPLET IX HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 
OF THE VIRGIN MARY. 

IX the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost. Amen. 
First set. — Blessed be the holy and immaculate conception 
of the most blessed Virgin Mary. 

Then say the Our Father once, the Hail Mary jour times, and 
the Glory be to the Father once. 

Second set. — Blessed be the holy, etc: one Our Father, etc., 
as before. 

Third set. — Blessed be the holy, etc., etc., as before. 
Indulgence of 300 days, each time; plenary indulgence under 
usual conditions. — Pius IX., June 22, 1855. 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 745 



A VISIT TO OUR LADY OF SORROWS. 

(To be made before her altar or image, immediately after per- 
forming the Stations, or at any other time.) 

OMOST holy Mother, Queen of sorrows, who didst 
follow thy beloved Son through all the way of the 
cross, and whose heart was pierced with a fresh sword of 
grief at all the stations of that most sorrowful journey; obtain 
for us, we beseech thee, O most loving M other, a perpetual 
remembrance of our blessed Saviour's cross and death, and 
a true and tender devotion to all the mysteries of His most 
holy Passion; obtain for us the grace to hate sin, even as 
He hated it in the agony in' the garden; to endure wrong 
and insult with all patience, as He endureth them in the 
judgment-hall; to be meek and humble in all our trials, as 
He was before His judges; to love our enemies even as He 
loved His murderers, and prayed for them upon the cross; 
and to glorify God and do good to our neighbors, even as He 
did in every mystery of His sufferings. O Queen of martyrs, 
who, by the dolors of thy immaculate heart on Calvary, didst 
merit to share the Passion of our blessed Redeemer, obtain 
for us some portion of thy compassion, that for the love of 
Jesus crucified, we may be crucified to the world in this life; 
and in the life to come, may, by His infinite merits and thy 
poweiful intercession, reign with Him in glory everlasting. 
Amen. 

PIOUS EXERCISE IN HONOR OF OUR L,ADY OF DOLORS. 

CN* AXCTA mater istud agas. 'TvJlD me bear, O Mother 
^ blessed! 
Crucifixi fige plagas On my heart the wounds 

impressed 

Cordi meo valide. Suffered by the Crucified. 

An indulgence of 300 days, once a day, to those who, with con- 
trite heart, shall say the # Hail Mary, seven times, and after each 
Hail Mar}', the stanza, as above. — Pius VII., Dec. 1, 1815. 

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF SORROWS. 

OMARY! I beseech thee by the sorrows thou didst 
experience in beholding thy divine Son dying on the 
cross, procure for me a good death; obtain for me that, having 
loved Jesus and thee, my most tender Mother here on earth, 
I may love you both and bless you eternally in heaven. Amen. 



746 Devotions in Ho?ior 0/ the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



U flovena in Ibonoc of tbe Bolors of tbe BleeseD 
Vitgin. 

/~\ MOST holy and afflicted Virgin! Queen of martyrs! 

thou who didst stand beneath the cross, wit- 
nessing the agony of thy expiring Son — through the 
unceasing sufferings of thy life of sorrow, and the bliss 
which now more than amply repays thee for thy past 
trials, look down with a mother's tenderness and pity 
on me, who kneel before thee to venerate thy dolors, 
and place my requests, with filial confidence, in the 
sanctuary of thy wounded heart; present them, I be- 
seech thee, on my behalf, to Jesus Christ, through the 
merits of His own most sacred death and Passion, 
together with thy sufferings at the foot of the cross, 
and through the united efficacy of both, obtain the grant 
of my present petition. To whom shall I recur in my 
wants and miseries if not to thee, O Mother of mercy, 
who, having so deeply drunk of the chalice of thy Son, 
canst compassionate the woes of those who still sigh in 
the land of exile? Sancta Maria, Mater Dolorosa, or a 
pro me! 

PRAYER TO MARY, OUR LADY OP GOOD COUNSEL. 

OST glorious Virgin, selected by the eternal councils 
as Mother of the Eternal Word made man, treasury 
of divine grace and advocate of sinners, I, the most unworthy 
of thy servants, have recourse to thee, that thou mayest be 
my guide and counsellor in this valley of tears; obtain for 
me, by the most precious blood of thy divine Son, the par- 
don of my sins, the salvation of my soul, and the means 
necessary to secure it. Obtain the triumph of the holy 
Church over her enemies and the propagation of the reign of 
Jesus Christ all over the world. Amen. 

Indulgence of ico days, once a day. — Leo XIIL, Nov. 23, 1880. 

PRAYERS IN HONOR OP OUR LADY OP PERPETUAL HELP. 

J. 

O MOTHER of perpetual help! grant that I may ever 
invoke thy most powerful name, which is the safe- 
guard of the living and the salvation of the dying. O 
purest Mary! O sweetest Mary! let thy name henceforth 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary . 747 



be ever on my lips. Delay not, O blessed Lady! to succor 
me, whenever I call on thee; for, in all my temptations, 
in all my needs, I shall never cease to call on thee, ever 
repeating thy sacred name, Mary, Mary. O what consola- 
tion, what sweetness, what- confidence, what emotion fills 
my soul when I utter thy sacred name, or even only think 
of thee ! I thank the Lord for have given thee, for mv good, 
so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be 
content with merely uttering thy name. Let my love for 
thee prompt me ever to hail thee, Mother of perpetual help. 

II. 

O MOTHER of perpetual help! thou art the dispenser 
of all the gifts which God grants to us miserable sin- 
ners; and for this end He has made thee so powerful, so 
rich, and so bountiful, in order that thou mayest succor us 
in our misery. Thou art the advocate of the most wretched 
and abandoned sinners who have recourse to thee: come to 
my help; I commend myself to thee. In thy hands I place 
my eternal salvation, and to thee I intrust my soul. Count, 
me among thy most devoted servants; take me under thy 
protection, and it is enough for me. For, if thou protect 
me, I fear nothing; not from my sins, because thou wilt 
obtain for me the pardon of them; nor from the devils, 
because thou art more powerful than all hell together; nor 
even from Jesus, my Judge, because by one prayer from thee 
He will be appeased. But one thing I fear; that, in the 
hour of temptation, I may through negligence fail to have 
recourse to thee, and thus perish miserably. Obtain for 
me, therefore, the pardon of my sins, love for Jesus, final 
perseverance, and the grace ever to have recourse to thee, 
Mother of perpetual help. 

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES. 

OEVER immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, Health 
of the sick, Refuge of sinners, Comfort of the afflicted, 
thou knowest my wants, my troubles, my sufferings; deign 
to cast upon me a look of mercy. By appearing in the Grotto 
of Lourdes, thou wxrt pleased to make it a privileged sanctu- 
ary, whence thou didst dispense thy favors, and already many 
sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both 
spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with the most 
unbounded confidence, to implore thy maternal intercession. 
Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my requests. Through 
gratitude for thy favors, I will endeavor to imitate thy virtues, 
that I may one day share thy glory. Amen. 



748 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us, who have re- 
course to thee! 

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, pray for us. 

Ejaculation. 

O thee, O virgin Mother, never touched by stain of sin, 
actual or venial, I recommend and confide the puritv 
of my heart. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Nov. 26, 1854. 
A PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN, MOTHER OF PURE LOVE. 

OHOLY Virgin! thou art my good Mother, and by 
excellence, the Mother of pure love. Thou hast 
obtained for me many graces during the course of my life; 
be pleased to obtain one favor more, which will crown all 
the rest — this is to love my God — to love Him purely, to 
love Him ardently, to love Him constantly as long as I shall 
remain on earth — that I may have the happiness of loving 
Him eternally with thee in heaven. Amen. 

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF LIGHT. 

OUR Lady of light, spouse of the Holy Ghost, I give 
thee my whole self, soul and body, all that I have, or 
may have, to keep for Jesus, that I may be His for evermore. 
Our Lady of light, spouse of the Holy Ghost, pray for me. 

A FORM OF CONSECRATION TO THE MOTHER OF GOD. 

(Used by St. Aloysius Gonzaga.) 

/T\OST holy Mary, my Lady, to thy faithful care and 
particular protection and to the bosom of thy mercy, 
to-day and every day, and particularly at the hour of my 
death, I commend my soul and my body; all my hope and 
consolation, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end 
of my life, I commit to thee, that through thy most holy 
intercession and by thy merits all my actions may be directed 
and ordered according to thy will and that of thy divine Son. 
Amen. 

Indulgence of 200 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 15, 1890. 

PRAYER SAID IN SOME RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES ON 
SATURDAY EVENINGS. 

OST holy Virgin! Immaculate Queen! Mother of 
God! and our own dear Mother, Mary! Refuge 
of sinners! Comfortress of the afflicted! prostrate at 




Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 749 



thy feet, in the presence of thy heavenly court, we con- 
secrate ourselves to thy service. We choose thee for 
our Mistress and our Queen: accept us as thy servants,, 
and receive the offering of our bodies and our souls, 
of our hearts and our minds, of all that we are and 
possess. We offer thee this house and community, our 
friends and relatives, and all whom we love in this world. 

Take us all under thy protection, and give us thy 
blessing, O most dear Mother. Protect us against 
temptation, deliver us from danger, assist us in our 
infirmities, comfort us in our afflictions, preserve u£ 
from sin, and at the hour of our death, O come, dear 
Mother, and take our souls and bring them to paradise, 
that we may serve thee, and thank thee, and bless thee, 
and glorify thy beloved Son, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
eternally. Amen. 

PRAYER OF A RELIGIOUS TO MARY. 

If Mary so loves the faithful, how must she not love Re- 
ligious who have sacrificed their liberty, their life, their all 
for the love of Jesus Christ! 

©OST amiable, loving, and beloved Queen, I render 
thee continual thanks, as also to my Saviour, 
for having taken me out of the world and called me to 
this Order, where devotion to thee is singularly held in 
honor and practiced. Take me into thy service, O 
my tender Mother; miserable though I be, yet refuse 
me not a place among the many souls thou holdest dear. 
After God, thou shalt always be my hope and my love. 
In all my needs, in all my trials, in all my temptations, 
it is to thee that I will always have recourse as my 
refuge and my consolation. I wish for naught but 
God and thee to support me in the struggles and sorrows 
of life. I renounce all else, preferring to serve thee 
rather than to reign over the whole world. For me, 
to reign means to serve, love, and bless thee on 
earth, my sweetest sovereign; for, as St. Anselm says, 



750 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 



serving thee is reigning. Mother of perseverance, 
obtain for me the grace of being faithful to thee until 
death, faithful in my vows, faithful in imitating thy 
virtues, and thus I hope to arrive one day in thy glori- 
ous dwelling: there will I kneel at thy feet, to praise 
thee, and thank thee for thy goodness and mercy. 
Jesus and Mary! Sweet objects of my love; for you 
will I labor and suffer; may I serve you in life, may I 
bless you, and love you for ever. 

O dearest Mother, pray for me, that I may one day 
be united in heaven with thy divine Son, Who has re- 
deemed me by His precious blood. 

When my soul shall leave this world and all its perish- 
able goods, to appear before the judgment-seat of thy 
divine Son, then, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin 
Mary, intercede with Him for me, that He may be to 
me a Saviour and not a Judge. 

Oh, do thou thyself present my soul before the throne 
of Jesus, that I may see Him face to face, adore and 
love Him for ever, Whom I now adore here in the Most 
Holy Sacrament. Amen. 

the thirty days' prayer to the blessed virgin mary, 

In Honor of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

It is particularly recommended as a proper devotion for even 7 
day in Lent, and on all Fridays throughout the year. 

YER-GLORIOUS and Blessed Virgin, Queen of virgins, 
Mother of mercy, hope and comfort of dejected souls, 
through that sword of sorrow which pierced thy tender 
heart, whilst thine only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, suffered 
death and ignominy on the cross ; through that filial tender- 
ness and pure love He had for thee, grieving in thy grief, 
whilst from His cross He recommended thee to the care 
and protection of His beloved disciple, St. John: take pity, 
we beseech thee, on our poverty and necessities; have com- 
passion on our anxieties; assist and comfort us in all our 
infirmities and miseries. Thou art the Mother of mercies, 
the sweet consolatrix and refuge of the desolate and afflicted : 
look, therefore, with pity on us, miserable children of Eve, 




Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 751 



and hear our prayer: for since, in just punishment of our 
sins, we are encompassed by evils, whither can we fly for 
more secure shelter than to thy maternal protection? At- 
tend, therefore, with an ear of pity, we beseech thee, to our 
humble and earnest request. We ask it through the mercy 
of thy dear Son, and through the love and condescension 
wherewith He embraced our nature, wfyen, in compliance 
with the divine will, thou gavest thy consent, and Whom, 
after the expiration of nine months, thou didst bring forth 
from thy chaste womb to visit this world, and bless it with 
His presence. We ask it through the anguish of mind 
wherewith thy beloved Son, our dear Saviour, was over- 
whelmed on Mount Olivet, when He besought His eternal 
Father to remove from Him, if possible, the bitter chalice 
of His future Passion. We ask it through the threefold 
repetition of His prayer in the garden, from whence after- 
wards, with mournful tears, thou didst accompany Him to 
the doleful theater of His sufferings and death. We ask it 
through the welds and sores of His virginal flesh, occasioned 
by the cords and whips wherewith He was bound and scourged 
when stripped of His seamless garment, for which His execu- 
tioners afterwards cast lots. We ask it through the scoffs 
and ignominies by which He was insulted, the false accusa- 
tions and unjust sentence by which He was condemned to 
death, and which He bore with heavenly patience. We ask 
it through His bitter tears and sweat of blood, His silence 
and resignation, His sadness and grief of heart. We ask 
it through the blood which trickled from His royal and 
sacred head, when struck with the scepter of a reed and 
pierced with His crown of thorns. We' ask it through the 
torments He endured, when His hands and feet were fastened 
with gross nails to the tree of the cross. We ask it through 
His vehement thirst and bitter potion of vinegar and gall. 
We ask it through His dereliction on the cross, when He 
exclaimed: "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken 
Me?" We ask it through His mercy extended to the good 
thief, and through His recommending His precious soul 
into the hands of His eternal Father before He expired, 
saying: "All is consummated." We ask it through the 
blood mixed with water which issued from His sacred side 
when pierced with a lance, and whence a flood of grace and 
mercy hath flowed to us. We ask it through His immacu- 
late life, bitter Passion, and ignominious death upon the 
cross, at which nature itself was thrown into convulsions, 
by the bursting of rocks, rending of the veil of the Temple, 
the earthquake, and darkness of the sun and moon. We 



752 Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



ask it through His descent into hell, where He comforted 
the saints of the Old Law, and led captivity captive. We 
ask it through His glorious victory over death, His triumphant 
Ascension into heaven, and through the grace of the Holy 
Ghost, infused into the hearts of the disciples when He 
descended on them in the form of fiery tongues. We ask 
it through His a\fful appearance on the last day, when He 
shall come to judge the living and the dead, and shall destroy 
the world by fire. We ask it through the compassion He 
bore thee, and the ineffable joy thou didst feel at thine 
assumption into heaven, where thou art absorbed in the 
sweet contemplation of His divine perfections. O glorious 
and ever-blessed Virgin, comfort the hearts of thy supplicants, 

by obtaining for us .* And as we are persuaded that 

our divine Saviour honors thee as His beloved Mother, to 
whom He can refuse nothing, so let us experience the efficacy 
of thy powerful intercession, according to the tenderness 
of thy maternal affection, and the charity of Hi.3 amiable 
Heart, which mercifully granteth the requests, and complieth 
with the desires of those who love and fear Him. O most 
Blessed Virgin! besides the object of our present petition, 
and whatever else we may stand in need of, obtain for us 
of thy dear Son, Our Lord and Our God, lively faith, firm 
hope, perfect charity, true contrition, a horror of sin, love 
of God and our neighbor, contempt of the world, and patience 
and resignation under the trials and difficulties of this life. 
Obtain for us, also, O sacred Mother of God ! the gift of final 
perseverance, and the grace to receive the last Sacraments 
worthily at the hour of death. Lastly, obtain, we beseech 
thee, for our parents, relatives, our Sisters in Religion, and 
our benefactors, whether living or dead, life everlasting. 
Amen. 

PRAYER OF ST. ALPHONSUS DE WGUORI. 

To the B. V. Mary. 

(T\ OST holy and immaculate Virgin ! O my Mother ! thou 
who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, 
the Advocate, Hope, and Refuge of sinners! I, the most 
wretched among them, now come to thee. I worship thee, 
great Queen, and give thee thanks for the many favors 
thou hast bestowed on me in the past; most of all do I 
thank thee for having saved me from hell, which I had so 
often deserved. I love thee, Lady most worthy of all love, 
and, by the love which I bear thee, I promise ever in the 



* Here mention your request. 



Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 753 



future to serve thee, and to do what in me lies to win others 
to thy love. In thee I put all my trust, all my hope of sal- 
vation. Receive me as thy servant, and cover me with 
the- mantle of thy protection, thou who art the Mother of 
mercy! And since thou hast so much power with God, 
deliver me from all temptations, or at least obtain for me 
the grace ever to overcome them. From thee I ask a true 
love of Jesus Christ, and the grace of a happy death. O my 
Mother! by thy love for God I beseech thee to be at all 
times my helper, but above all at the last moment of my life. 
Leave me not until thou seest me safe in heaven, there for 
endless ages to bless thee and sing thy praises. Amen. 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time; plenary indulgence once 
a month, on the usual conditions. — Phis IX., Sept. 7, 1854. 

THREE OFFERINGS IN HONOR OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 

I. V T< OLIEST Virgin, with all my heart I worship thee 
«J— * above all the angels and saints in paradise as the 

daughter of the eternal Father, and to thee I consecrate 
my soul and all its powers. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

II. T^OLIEST Virgin, with all my heart I worship 
J- 6 thee above all the angels and saints in para- 
dise as the Mother of the only-begotten Son, and to thee I 
consecrate my body with all its senses. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

III. ""px OLIEST Virgin, with all my heart I worship 
r-*— x* thee above all the angels and saints in para- 
dise as the spouse of the Holy Ghost, and to thee I conse- 
crate my heart and all its affections, praying thee to obtain 
for me from the ever-blessed Trinity all the graces which I 
need for my salvation. 

Hail Mary, etc. 
Indulgence of 300 days, each time. — Leo XIL, Oct. 21, 1823. 

AN ACT OF CONSECRATION TO OUR QUEEN AND MOTHER. 



ODOMINAmea! mater 
me a! tibi me totum 
offeror atque ut me tibi pro- 
bem devotum, consecro tibi 
hodie oculos meos, aures me- 
as, os meum, cor meum, plane 
me totum. Quoniarn itaque 
tuus sum, O bona mater, ser- 



Y Queen! my Mother! 
I give myself entirely 
to thee; and to show my 
devotion to thee, I conse- 
crate to thee this day my 
eyes, my ears, my mouth, 
my heart, my whole being, 
without reserve. Wherefore, 




754 Devotions in Ho7ior of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

va me, defende me, ut rem good Mother, as I am thine 
ac possessionem tuam own, keep me, guard me, as 

thy property and possession 
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Aug. 5, 1851. 

THE REMEMBER OF OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART. * 

A Most Efficacious Prayer. 
EMEMBER, O Our Lady of the' Sacred Heart! the 
unlimited power that thou possessest over the Heart 
of thy adorable Son. Full of confidence in thy merits, I 
come to implore thy protection. O sovereign Mistress of 
the Heart of Jesus! of that Heart which is the inexhaustible 
source of all graces, and which thou canst open at thy pleasure, 
and cause all the treasures of love and mercy, of light and 
salvation, that this Heart incloses, to descend upon man, 
grant me, I conjure thee, the favor I solicit. No, I can not 
bear a refusal, and because thou art my Mother, O Our 
Lady of the Sacred Heart! favorably receive my prayer, 
and vouchsafe to grant my petition. Amen. 

AN ACT OF CONSECRATION TO THE MOST HOLY HEART OF MARY. 

O HEART of Mary, ever Virgin! O heart the holiest, the 
purest, the most perfect, that the Almighty hath 
formed in any creature; O heart, full of all grace and sweet- 
ness, throne of love and mercy, image of the adorable Heart 
of Jesus, heart that didst love God more than all the sera- 
phim, that didst procure more glory to the most holy Trinity 
than all the saints together, that didst endure for love of us 
the bitter dolors at the foot of the cross, and dost so justly 
merit the reverence, love, and gratitude of all mankind, I 
give thee thanks for all the benefits which thou hast obtained 
for me from the divine Mercy; I unite myself, to all the souls 
that find their joy and consolation in loving and honoring 
thee. O heart most amiable, the delight and admiration 
of the angels and the saints, henceforth thou shalt be to me, 
next to the Heart of Jesus, the object of my tenderest devo- 
tion, my refuge in affliction, my consolation in sorrow, my 
place of retreat from the enemies of my salvation, and, at 
the hour of my death, the surest anchor of my hope. Amen. 

OHOIyY Mother of God, glorious Queen of heaven and 
earth! I choose thee this day for my Mother, and 
my Advocate at the throne of thy divine Son. Accept the 




* This and the following prayer are from the Visitation Manual. 



Officium Parvum Beaia Marice Virginis, 755 



offering I here make of my heart. May it be irrevocable. 
It never can be out of danger whilst at my disposal; never 
secure but in thy hands. Obtain for me at present the gift 
of true repentance, and such graces as I may afterwards 
stand in need of, for the gaining of life everlasting. Amen. 



©ffidum parvum 3Beatse /Ifcarte IDtrQtms, 

Zbc ©tfice of tbe JBleaseD Vitgin /Iftar^; or, tbe Ibours 
of Qxu 3La&£* 

(In Latin and English*) 

INDULGENCES. 




NDULGENCES for saying the " Office of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary." 



To those who shall recite the whole Office of the Blessed Virgin, 
even to those who are bound to recite it, an indulgence of seven 
years and seven quarantines, once a day; a plenary indulgence, 
once a month, on any day, to those who have recited it on every 
day of the month on the usual conditions; indulgence of 300 
days, once a day, to those who shall recite only Matins and 
Lauds; an indulgence of 50 days for the reciting of each hour 
of said Office, as also for the reciting of the Vespers and Com- 
pline apart from the rest of the office. — Leo XIII., Nov. 17, 1887; 
Dec. 8, 1897. 

For the hymn Ave Maris Stella, an indulgence of 300 days, 
once a day. — Leo XIII. Jan. 27, 1888. 

For the "Song of the Blessed Virgin Mary," The Magnificat, 
an indulgence of 100 days, once a day; an indulgence of seven 
vears and as many quarantines once everv Saturday in the year. — 
Leo XIII., Sept/20, 1879; Feb. 22, 1888. 



* During Eastertide Alleluia is not added to the Invitatory, 
Versicles, or Responses. 

The first Office (I.) is to be said from the day following Candle- 
mas until Vespers of the Saturday before the first Sunday of 
Advent, save that on the Annunciation it is said as in Advent. 

The second Office (II.) is to be said from Vespeis of the Satur- 
day before the first Sunday of Advent until Vespers on Christmas 
Eve, and on the day of the Annunciation. 

The third Office (III.) is to be said from Vespers on Christmas 
Eve until Candlemas inclusive. 



756 Officium Parvum Beaia Mar ice Virginis. 



Comments on tbe IRubrlcs of tbe ©ffice of tbe 
JBlesseb IMrgtn /Ifearg* 

HE Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is of ancient 
usage in the Church. It was recited by the clergy 
and devout laity, and practiced by rule in religious mon- 
asteries, even from the sixth and seventh centuries, and 
probably at a more early period. There is at least suffi- 
cient historical evidence to prove that a liturgical form of 
prayer in honor of Our Lady is of very early times. 

This Office was instituted by the Church, guided by the 
Spirit of God, and is divided into seven canonical hours, 
according to the following order, set down in the Roman 
Breviary: ist, Vespers; 2d, Compline; 3d, Matins with 
Lauds; 4th, Prime; 5th, Tierce; 6th, Sext; and 7th, None. 
These canonical terms should be adopted in naming the 
hours. 

As a rule, in the recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary the Antiphons of the Psalms are announced 
in the manner that is proper to an Office of simple rite, i.e., 
the first words (preceding the asterisk) only of the Antiphons 
are said before the Psalms, but the entire Antiphon is re- 
cited after the Psalms. 

There is, however, an exception to this rule, though this 
fact seems to be commonly overlooked, and therefore we 
have printed the Antiphons in full both before and after the 
Psalms. Ordinarily, indeed, the Office being of a simple 
rite, only the first words of the Antiphons are said before the 
Psalms. 

But on certain occasions the Antiphons are recited as of 
double rite, i.e., all the Antiphons to the Psalms and Can- 
ticles have to be said in full before and after, as appears 
from the following decree of the Roman Congregation, 
dated February 27, 1883. 

This is a reply to some dubia, which were submitted to 
the Congregation of Sacred Rites by a Sisterhood in the dio- 
cese of Rennes: 

The hymn Te Deum must be said in the Little Office 
of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Christmas until Septua- 
gesima, and from Easter until Advent; but in Advent and 
from Septuagesima until Easter, only on the Feasts of the 
Blessed Virgin. 

In Choro, on those days on which feasts of double rite 
are celebrated, the Antiphons for Matins, Lauds, and Ves- 
pers are to be doubled, i.e., said entire before and after the 



Officium Parvum Beaice Mar ice Virginis, 757 



Psalms, whenever the Office is recited in full, viz., with 
three Nocturns. If, however, only one Nocturn is recited 
on festa duplicia, the Antiphons must not be doubled. 
The Latin text of this decree .reads as follows: 
"In Officio parvo B. M. V. recitari debet Te Deum a Nativi- 
tate Domini usque ad Septuagesimam, et a Dominica Resurrec- 
tionis usque ad Adventum; in Adventu autem et a Septuagesima 
usque ad Pascha nonnisi in festis B. M. V. 

"In Choro diebus, quibus celebrantur festa duplicia, Anti- 
phonae ad Matutinum, Laudes et Vesperas duplicandcp sunt, 
si officium recitetur integrum, i.e., cum tribus Nocturnis, non 
vero si unum tantum Nocturnum recitetur." 



1 ' 'T"J ET all things be done decently and according to order, " 

* ' * says St. Paul (1 Cor. xiv, 40). The use of cere- 
monial is toward this end, and is inspired by the spirit 
of reverence. In the following we offer suggestions, based 
upon the practices of well-organized Communities, which 
have been found to answer. 

(1) At the sound of the bell the Community meet at 
some place outside the chapel, and form into two ranks, 
the youngest nearest the entrance, the Superior last. At 
the given signal they enter the choir, two and two, and, after 
genuflecting, proceed to their respective stalls. 

(2) Kneeling, they say silently the introductory prayer. 

(3) When the Superior gives the signal (by a tap on the 
desk) they rise, and bowing profoundly (so that the tips of 
fingers may touch the knees), say in silence the Ave Maria. 

(4) At the signal, all turning eastward (i.e., toward the 
altar), the Superior, o*- the Hebdomadary, that is, the one 
who for the week conducts the service, begins Domine labia 
mea aperies, making a sign of the cross upon the lips; then, 
Dcus in adjutorium meum intende, making the large sign of 
the cross. 

(5) At the Gloria all turn, facing each other, and bow pro- 
foundly. 

(6) Then the first Cantor goes into the middle to the 
Lectern and commences the Invitatory, to which both 
sides of the choir respond. The Psalm is said by the Can- 
tor. On the greater festivals two Cantors should be used. 

(7) In the third verse, at the words Venite adoremus, all 
kneel till the words Nos autem, when they rise for the repe- 
tition of the Invitatory. 

(8) The first line of the hymn is given out by the first 



CEREMONIAL. * 




* Vide Taunton's " Little Office of Our Lady." 



75^ Officiurn Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



Cantor and the rest of the verse is taken up by his side of 
the choir; then the second choir take up the, second verse, 
and so on, both choirs joining in and bowing profoundly 
for the last verse. 

(9) The Antiphon is given out by the first Cantor, and 
also the Psalm up to the asterisk, then all his side of the 
choir take it up. At the end the Cantor repeats the Anti- 
phon, and the second Cantor from the other side begins the 
second Antiphon and Psalms. 

(10) While the Psalms are being said the choir can re- 
cline in their stalls or sit down. 

(11) A short pause ought to be made just after the last 
verse, and all, rising and bowing profoundly, say the Gloria 
Patri. 

N.B.- — This always takes place before the Gloria Patri 
whenever said at the end of a Psalm. 

(12) The Psalms over, all rise; the first Cantor says the 
Versicle, to w r hich all respond. 

. (13) The Supeiior, or Hebdomadary, says Pater Nostcr 
aloud, then all, bowing, continue it in secret till Et ne nos, 
w r hich is said by the Superior aloud, and all, rising, make 
the answ r er. 

(14) The Superior then gives the absolution. 

(15) The Reader goes to the Lectern and after genuflect- 
ing turns, bowing toward the Superior, and says Jube do- 
mine. After the blessing, given by the Superior, to which 
all reply Amen, the choir sits w T hile the Reader reads the 
Lesson. 

(16) At the end of the Lesson the choir, started by the 
Cantor, say the Responsory; but the Versicle is said by 
the Reader, who having said it retires to his place, wmile the 
next one in order comes out to read the second Lesson. 

(17) The Superior, or Hebdomadary, ought to read in his 
place the third Lesson, during wmich, if it be the Superior, 
all stand out of respect. 

(18) The Lessons over, the Te Deum is started by the 
Cantor, all rising and facing eastward. 

(19) At the Te ergo all kneel, facing one another, rising at 
the next verse. 

(20) If Matins is not followed at once by Lauds after the 
Te Deum the Versicle, Domine exaudi orationem, wdth the 
Prayer from Lauds and the concluding Versicles, are said. 
Otherwise — 

AT lauds. 

(1) All turning tow r ard the altar, the Superior or Heb- 
domadary begins, making the sing of the cross, Deus in 



Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 759 



adjutorium. At the Gloria all turn, facing one another, 
and bowing, profoundly, say the Gloria Patri. 
N.B. — This ceremonial is used at all the hours. 

(2) The first Cantor starts -the first Antiphon and Psalm 
and repeats the former at the end, and so with the third 
and fifth. 

(3) The second Antiphon and Psalm are started by the 
second Cantor, and so with the fourth. 

(4) During the Psalms in this and all other hours the 
choir recline in their stalls or sit, as the custom may be. 
The former for preference. 

(5) If it is found that the reciting note is lowered after 
several Psalms, at the Laudate it will be w r ell for the first 
Cantor to raise the pitch when giving out the Antiphon. 

(6) The Psalmody over, all rise and face eastward while 
the Superior, or the Hebdomadary, says the Little Chapter, 
to which all answer, Deo Gratias. Then, all turning face- 
ways, the first Cantor gives out the first line of the hymn 
and all his side continue it. The second verse is said by 
the opposite choir, and all bow during the last verse. 

(7) The Versicle is said by the Cantor, and all make the 
Response. 

(8) Then he starts the Antiphon and the Benedictus. 

(9) At the Canticle, which is to be said more solemnly 
than the rest of the Office, all turn eastwards and make the 
sign of the cross. 

N.B. — This is done at the three Canticles. The Gloria is 
said as usual. 

(10) After the repetition by the Cantor of the Antiphon, 
the first Cantor's side start Kyrie eleison, to which the second 
Cantor's side respond Christe eleison, both sides joining in 
the last invocation. Then the Superior, or Hebdomadary, 
says the Versicles, to which all respond, and the prayer, 
during which all except the reciter bow profoundly, rising 
to answer Amen. Then follows the Commemoration. All 
say the Antiphon; the Cantor follows with the Versicle, 
tc which all respond; the Superior, or other, recites the 
prayer. 

(11) After the concluding Versicles, all bow w^hile saying 
together in secret the Pater, rising for the Dominus dct 
nobis. 

(12) All then kneel (except from Saturday Vespers until 
after Sunday's Compline and during Paschal time, when all 
remain standing, but facing eastwards) for the Antiphon 
of Our Lady, which being over, after a few moments' private 
prayer, all retire as they entered. Having arrived at the 
appointed place (called the statio) the Superior passes through 



760 Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



the ranks and turning, salutes each side, and then all depart 
in peace. 

THE LITTLE HOURS. 

(1) These are said in the same way. 

(2) The Hymn comes before the Psalms. 

VESPERS. 

(1) All as at Lauds, with the following exception: 

(2) In the second Psalm all bow while saying the Sit 
women Domini benedictum. 

(3) All kneel for the first verse of the Ave Maris Stella. 

compline. 

(1) The Conver te is said turned eastwards, toward the altar, 

(2) The rest of the Office as above. 

(3) The Superior gives the final blessing, duiing which 
all bow profoundly. 

(4) The Antiphon of Our Lady follows at once. 

PRAYER TO BE SAID BEFORE DIVINE OFFICE. 



PERI Domine os me- 
um, ad benedicendum 
nomen sanctum tuum : munda 
quoque cor meum ab omni- 
bus vanis, perversis, et alienis 
cogitationibus : intellectum 
illumina, affectum Mamma, 
ut digne, attente, ac devote 
hoc officium recitare valeam, 
et exaudiri merear ante con- 
spectum divinae Majestatis 
tuae. Per Christum Domi- 
num nostrum. R. Amen. 

Domine in unione illius di- 
vinae intentionis, qua ipse in 
terris laudes Deo persolvisti, 
has tibi horas persolvo. 



OLORD, open Thou my 
mouth, that it may 
bless Thy holy name ; cleanse 
my heart too from all vain, 
evil, or wandering thoughts. 
Enlighten mine understand- 
ing, kindle mine affections, 
that I may be able to say 
this office meetly with atten- 
tion and devotion, and may 
deserve to be heard before 
the presence of Thy divine 
Majesty. Through Christ 
our Lord. R. Amen. 

O Lord, in union with that 
divine intention wherewith 
Thou Thyself, while on earth, 
didst offer praises unto God, 
I offer these hours unto Thee. 



JSC 



Officium Parvum Bealce Mar ice Virginis. 761 



PRAYER TO BE SAID AFTER DIVINE OFFICE. 

To those who, after Divine Office, shall on their knees recite with 
devotion the following prayer, Pope Leo X. granted indulgence 
in respect of those shortcomings and faults which they may 
have committed through human frailty, while saying Office. 



^ACROSANCT^E, et in- 
^5 dividuge Trinitati, cru- 
cifixi Domini nostri Jesu 
Christi humanitati, beatissi- 
mse et gloriosissimae semper- 
que Virginis Mariae fecundae 
integritati, et omnium sancto- 
rum universitati sit sempi- 
terna laus, honor, virtus et 
gloria ab omni creatura, no- 
bisque remissio omnium pec- 
catorum, per infinita saecula 
saeculorum R. Amen. 

V Beata viscera Mariae 
Virginis, quae portaverunt ae- 
terni Patris Filium. 

R. Et beata ubera quae 
lactaverunt Christum Domi- 
num. 

Pater, Ave. 

BATER noster, qui es in 
ccelis, sanctificetur no- 
men tuum. Adveniat re- 
gnum tuum. Fiat voluntas 
tua, sicut in ccelo et in terra. 
Panem nostrum quotidianum 
da nobis hodie. Et dimitte 
nobis debita nostra, sicut et 
nos dimittimus debitoribus 
nostris. Et ne nos inducas in 
tentationem: sed libera nos 
a malo. Amen. 

VE Maria, gratia plena, 
Dominus tecum: 
benedicta tu in mulieribus, et 
benedictus fructus ventris 



O the most holy and un- 
divided Trinity, to the 
manhood of our crucified 
Lord Jesus Christ, to the 
fruitful virginity of the most 
blessed and glorious Mary, 
ever a Virgin, to the entire 
assembly of the saints, be 
ascribed everlasting praise, 
honor, power, and glory, by 
every creature ; and to us be 
granted the remission of all 
our sins, world without end. 
R. Amen. 

V. Blessed is the Virgin 
Mary's womb, which bore 
the Son of the everlasting 
Father. 

R. And blessed are the 
paps which gave suck to 
Christ our Lord. 

Our Father, Hail Mary. 

OUR Father, Who art in 
heaven, hallowed be 
Thy name. Thy kingdom 
come. Thy will be done on 
earth, as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily 
bread. And forgive us our 
trespasses, as we forgive 
those who trespass against 
us. And lead us not into 
temptation, but deliver us 
from evil. Amen. 

AIL, Mary, full of grace, 
the Lord is with thee : 
blessed art thou among wom- 
en, and blessed is the fruit of 




<5 




/62 Officiiim Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



tui Jesus. Sancta Maria, 
Mater Dei, ora pro nobis 
peccatoribus, nunc et in hora 
mortis nostras Amen. 

a REDO in Deum, Pa- 
trem omnipotentem 
Creatorem coeli et terrae. Et 
in Jesum Christum, Filium 
ejus unicum, Dominum no- 
strum: qui conceptus est de 
Spiritu sancto, natus ex 
Maria Virgine, passus sub 
Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, 
mortuus, et sepultus: de- 
scendit ad inferos: tertia die 
resurrexit a mortuis ascendit 
ad ccelos sedet ad dexteram 
Dei Patris omnipotentis : inde 
venturus est judicare vivos et 
mortuos. Credo in Spiritum 
sanctum sanctam Ecclesiam 
Catholicam, sanctorum com- 
munionem, remissioncm pec- 
catorum, carnis resurrec- 
tionem, et vitam aeternam. 
Amen. 



thy wcmb, Jesus. Holy Mary, 
Mother of God, pray for us 
sinners now and at the hour 
of our death. Amen. 

"j 1 BELIEVE in God the 
JL, Father almighty, Crea- 
tor of heaven and earth. And 
in Jesus Christ, His only Son, 
Our Lord: Who was con- 
ceived by the Holy Ghost, 
born of the Virgin Mary, 
suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
was crucified, died and was 
buried: He descended into 
hell : the third day He arose 
again from the dead: He as 
cended into heaven, sitteth 
at the right hand of God 
the Father almighty: from 
thence He shall come to judge 
the living and the dead. I 
believe in the Holy Ghost, 
the holy Catholic Church, 
the communion of saints, the 
forgiveness of sins, the resur- 
rection of the body, and the 
life everlasting. Amen. 



©ffictum parvum SBeatae /iftarias WixQinie.— Gbe 
Ibours of Qnv XaDg* 

AT VESPERS. 



Ave Maria, etc., secreto. 
Quce dicitur semper secreto in 

principio omnium Hora- 

rum beatce Maria. 

EUS, in adjutorium me- 
um intende. 
R* Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et 
Spiritui sancto. 



Hail Mary, etc., in silence. 

The Ave Maria is always said 
at the beginning of each of 
the Hours of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary. 

OGOD, hasten to mine 
aid. 

R. O Lord, make haste to 
help me. 

Glory be to the Father, 
and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost. 




Offichim Parvum Beatcz Alar ice Virgim's. 763 



Sicut erat in principio, et 
nunc, et semper, et in saecula 
saeculorum. Amen. Alleluia. 

Sic- dicitur Alleluia ad omnes 
Horas, per totum annum, 
prcEterquam a Septuagesi- 
ma usque ad Sabbat. Sanc- 
tum; cujus loco tunc dici- 
tur: 

Laus tibi, Domine, Rex 
aeternae glorise. 

I. Extra Adventum. 

Antiphona. Dum esset 
Rex * in accubitu suo, nar- 
dus mea dedit odorem su- 
avitatis. 

II. In Adventu. 
Ant. Missus est* Gabriel 
Angelus ad Mariam Virgi- 
nem desponsatam Joseph. 

Ill Post Adventum. 

Ant. O admirabile com- 
mercium!* Creator generis 
humani animatum corpus 
sumens, de Virgine nasci 
dignatus est: et procedens 
homo sine semine, largitus 
est nobis suam Deitatem. 

psalm, cix. 

^-^vIXIT Dominus Domino 
JL/ meo : * Sede a dextris 
meis. 

Donee ponam inimicos 
tuos,* scabellum pedum tuo- 
rum. 

Virgam virtutis tuae emittet 
Dominus ex Sion:* domi- 
nare in medio inimicorum 
tuorum. 



As it was in the beginning, 
is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 
Alleluia. 

From Septuagesima Sunday 
until Holy Saturday, in- 
stead of Alleluia, is said: 



Praise be to Thee, O Lord, 
King of glory everlasting. 

From Candlemas until Ad- 
vent. 

Anthem. While the King * 
was at table, my spikenard 
yielded a sweet smell. 

During Advent. 
Ant. The angel Gabriel was 
sent * to Mary the Virgin, who 
was espoused to Joseph. 

From Christmas until Candle- 
mas. 

Ant. O wondrous union!* 
The Creator of mankind, 
taking a living body, vouch- 
safed to be born of a Virgin, 
and becoming man, con- 
ceived without seed, bestowed 
upon us His Godhead 

PSALM CIX. 

HE Lord said to my 
Lord: Sit Thou at My 
right hand. 

Until I make Thy enemies 
Thy footstool. 

The Lord will send forth 
the scepter of thy power out 
01 Sion: rule thou in the 
midst of thine enemies. 



764 Officiwn Parvam Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



Tecum principium in die 
virtutis tuae, in splendoribus 
Sanctorum : * ex utero ante 
luciferum genui te. 



Juravit Dominus, et non 
pcenitebit eum: * Tu es Sa- 
cerdos in aeternum secun- 
dum ordinem Melchisedech. 

Dominus a dextris tuis,* 
confregit in die irse suae reges. 

Judicabit in nationibus, im- 
plebit ruinas : * conquassa- 
bit capita in terra multorum. 



De torrente in via bibet:* 
propterea exaltabit caput. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 
/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Dum esset Rex in 
accubitu suo, nardus mea de- 
dit odorem suavitatis. 

Ant. Laeva ejus* sub ca- 
pite meo, et dextera illius 
amplexabitur me. 

II. In Adventu. 

Ant. Missus est Gabriel 
Angelus ad Mariam Virgi- 
nem desponsatam Joseph. 

Ant Ave, Maria,* gratia 
plena, Dominus tecum: be- 
ne diet a tu in mulieribus, Al- 
leluia. 

III. Post Adventum. 

Ant. O admirabile com- 
mercium ! Creator generis 



Thine is dominion in the 
day of Thy power, amid the 
brightness of the saints: 
from the womb before the 
day-star have I begotten 
thee. 

The Lord hath sworn, 
and He will not repent: 
Thou art a priest for ever 
after the order of Melchise- 
dech. 

The Lord upon thy right 
hand hath overthrown kings 
in the day of His wrath. 

He shall judge among the 
nations; He shall fill the land 
with the fallen. He shall 
smite in sunder the heads in 
the land of many. 

He shall drink of a brook 
in the way: therefore shall 
He lift up His head. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. While the King was 
at table, my spikenard yield- 
ed a sweet smell. 

Ant. His left hand * is 
under my head, and His 
right hand shall embrace me. 

During Advent. 

Ant. The angel Gabriel was 
sent to Mary the Virgin, who 
was espoused to Joseph. 

Ant. Hail, Mary,* full of 
grace, the Lord is with thee; 
blessed art thou amongst 
women, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until Candle- 
mas. 

Ant. O wondrous union! 
The Creator of mankind, tak- 



Officium Parvum Beatce Marite Virginis. 765 



humani animatum corpus su- 
mens, de Virgine nasci digna- 
tus est: et procedens homo 
sine semine, largitus est no- 
bis suam Deitatem. 

Ant. Quando natus es* in- 
effabiliter ex Virgine, tunc 
impletae sunt Scripturae: si- 
cut pluvia in vellus descendi- 
sti, ut salvum faceres genus 
humanum; te laudamus, De- 
us noster. 



ing a living body, vouchsafed 
to be born of a Virgin, and 
becoming man, conceived 
without seed : bestowed upon 
us His Godhead. 

Ant. When Thou wert 
wondrously born * of a Vir- 
gin, then were the Scriptures 
fulfilled: Thou earnest down 
like the rain upon the fleece, 
that Thou mightest save 
mankind. We praise Thee, 
Our God. 



PSALM. CXII 

EAUDATE pueri Domi- 
num: * laudate no- 
men Domini. 

Sit nomen Domini bene- 
dictum : * ex hoc nunc, et 
usque in saeculum. 

A solis ortu usque ad occa- 
sum* laudabile nomen Do- 
mini. 

Excelsus super omnes Gen- 
tes Dominus,* et super ccelos 
gloria ejus. 

Quis sicut Dominus Deus 
noster, qui in altis habitat,* 
et humilia respicit in cuelo et 
in terra? 

Suscitans a terra inopem : * 
et de stercore. erigens pau- 
perem: 

Ut collocet eum cum princi- 
pibus,* cum principibus po- 
puli sui. 

Qui habitare facit sterilem 
in domo,* matrem filiorum 
laetantem. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



psalm CXII. 

*T£)RAISE the Lord, ye ser- 
vants : praise the name 
of the Lord. 

Blessed be the name of 
the Lord, from this time 
forth for evermore. 

From the rising of the sun 
unto its going down the name 
of the Lord is worthy to be 
praised. 

The Lord is high above all 
nations; and His glory is 
above the heavens. 

Wlio is like unto the Lord 
Our God, Who dwelleth on 
high, yet regardeth lowly 
things in heaven and on 
earth ? 

Who raise th up the needy 
from the earth, and lifteth 
the poor out of the dunghill; 

That He may set him with 
the princes, even with the 
princes of His people. 

Who maketh the barren 
woman dwell in her house the 
joyful mother of children. 

Glory be, etc. 



766 Officiam Parvum Beataz Maria: Virgi?iis. 



I. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Laeva ejus sub capite 
meo, et dextera illius ample- 
xabitur me 

Ant. Nigra sum,* sed for- 
mosa, filise Jerusalem: ideo 
dilexit me Rex, et introduxit 
me in cubiculum suum. 



II. In Adventn. 

Ant. Ave, Maria, gratia 
r lena, Dominus tecum: be- 
nedicta tu in mulieribus, 
Alleluia. 

Ant. Ne timeas Maria : * in- 
venisti gratiam apud Domi- 
num: ecce concipies, et paries 
Filium, Alleluia. 



777. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Quando natus es in- 
effabiliter ex Yirgine, tunc im- 
pletae sunt Scripturse: sicut 
pluvia in vellus descendisti, 
ut salvum faceres genus hu- 
manum; te laudamus, Deus 
noster. 

Ant. Rubum, quern vide- 
rat Moyses * incombustum, 
conservatam agnovimus tu- 
am laudabilem virginitatem ; 
Dei Genitrix, intercede pro 
nobis. 

psalm, cxxi. 

*"| 1 STATUS sum in his 
rJ — * quae dicta sunt mihi : 
* In domum Domini ibimus. 



From Candlemas until 
A dvent. 

Ant. His left hand is under 
my head, and His right hand 
shall embrace me. 

Ant. I am black,* but 
beautiful, O ye daughters of 
Jerusalem : therefore the 
King hath loved me, and 
brought me into His cham- 
ber. 

During Advent. 

Ant. Hail, Mary, full of 
grace, the Lord is with thee ; 
blessed art thou amongst 
women, Alleluia. 

Ant. Fear not, O Mary:* 
thou hast found grace before 
the Lord. Behold, thou shalt 
conceive and shalt bring 
forth a Son, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. When Thou wert won- 
drously born of a Virgin, then 
were the Scriptures fulfilled: 
Thou earnest down like the 
rain upon the fleece, %hat 
Thou mightest save man- 
kind. We praise Thee, Our 
God. 

Ant. The bush which Mo- 
ses saw * unconsumed we 
acknowledge to be thine ad- 
mirable virginity, which thou 
didst keep inviolate ; Mother 
of God, plead for us. 

psalm cxxi. 




WAS glad at the things 
that were said unto me: 



We will go into the house of 
the Lord. 



Officiam Parvum Beaia Mar ice, Virginis. 



767 



Stantes erant pedes nos- 
tri,* in atriis tuis, Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem quae aedificatur 
ut civitas: * cujus partici- 
patio ejus in idipsum. 

Illuc enim ascenderunt tri- 
bus, tribus Domini: * testi- 
monium Israel ad confiten- 
dum nomini Domini. 

Quia illic sederunt sedes in 
judicio,* sedes super domum 
David. 

Rogate quae ad pacem sunt 
Jerusalem : * et abundantia 
diligentibus te. 

Fiat pax in virtute tua : * 
et abundantia in turribus tuis. 

Propter fratres meos et 
proximos meos * loquebar pa- 
cem de te. 

Propter domum Domini 
Dei nostri,* quaesivi bona 
tibi. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Nigra sum sed formo- 
sa, filiae Jerusalem: ideo di- 
lexit me Rex, et introduxit 
me in cubiculum suum. 

Ant. Jam hiems transiit,* 
imber abiit et recessit : surge 
arnica mea, et veni. 

II. In Adventu 
Ant. Ne timeas, Maria : in- 
venisti gratiam apud Domi- 
num: ecce concipies, et pa- 
ries Filium, Alleluia. 



Our feet were standing 
within thy courts, O Jerusa- 
lem. 

Jerusalem, which is built 
as a city, that is compact to- 
gether. 

For thither the tribes went 
up, the tribes of the Lord: 
an ordinance for Israel, to 
give thanks to the name of 
the Lord. 

For there are set up 
thrones of judgment, thrones 
of the house of David. 

Pray ye for the things that 
are for the peace of Jerusa- 
lem; and plenty be to them 
that love thee. 

Let peace be in thy strong- 
hold, and plenty in thy 
towers. 

For my brethren and my 
neighbors' sake I spake peace 
concerning thee. 

For the sake of the house 
of the Lord our God, I have 
sought good things for thee. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. I am black, but beau- 
tiful, O ye daughters of Jeru- 
salem: therefore the King 
hath loved me, and brought 
me into His chamber. 

Ant. Now winter is past,* 
the rain is over and gone: 
arise, my love, and come. 

During Advent. 
Ant. Fear not, Mary: thou 
hast found grace before the 
Lord. Behold, thou shalt 
conceive and shalt bring forth 
a Son, Alleluia. 



768 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



Ant. Dabit ei Dominus * 
sedem David patris ejus, et 
regnabit in aeternum. 

III. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Rubum, quern vide- 
rat Moyses incombustum, 
conservatam agnovimus tu- 
am laudabilem virginitatem; 
Dei Genitrix, intercede pro 
nobis. 

Ant. Germinavit radix Jes- 
se,* orta est stella ex Jacob: 
Virgo peperit Salvatorem: te 
laudamus, Deus noster. 



psalm, cxxvi. 

ISI Dominus aedificave- 
rit domum :* in vanum 
laboraverunt qui aedificant 
earn. 

Nisi Dominus custodierit 
civitatem,* frustra vigilat qui 
custodit earn. 

Vanum est vobis ante lu- 
cem surgere : * surgite post- 
quam sederitis, qui manduca- 
tis panem doloris. 

Cum dederit dilectis suis 
somnum : * ecce hereditas Do- 
mini, filii: merces fructus 
ventris. 

Sicut sagittae in manu po- 
tentis : * ita filii excussorum. 

Beatus vir qui implevit 
desiderium suum ex ipsis:* 
non confundetur, cum lo- 
quetur inimicis suis in porta. 

Gloria Patri, etc 



Ant. The Lord shall give 
Him * the throne of David 
His father, and He shall 
reign for ever. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas 

Ant. The bush which Mo- 
ses saw unconsumed we ac- 
knowledge to be thine admir- 
able virginity, which thou 
didst keep inviolate ; Mother 
of God, plead for us. 

Ant. The root of Jesse 
hath budded,* a star hath 
arisen out of Jacob; a vir- 
gin hath brought forth a 
Saviour; we give praise to 
Thee, Our God. 

PSALM CXXVI. 

NLESSthe Lord build a 
house, they labor in 
vain that build it. 

Unless the Lord keep the 
city, he watcheth in vain 
that keepeth it. 

In vain do ye rise before 
the light : rise not till ye have 
rested, ye that eat the bread 
of sorrow. 

When He giveth sleep to 
His beloved, lo, children 
are an heritage from the 
Lord, and the fruit of the 
womb a reward 

Like as arrows in the hand 
of the mighty, so are the 
children of the outcast. 

Blessed is the man whose 
desire is satisfied with them: 
he shall not be confounded 
when he speaketh with his 
enemies in the gate 

Glory be, etc. 




xx 



Officium Parvum Beaice Mar ice Virginis. 769 



/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Jam hiems transiit, 
imber abiit et recessit: surge 
arnica mea, et veni. 

Ant. Speciosa facta es,* et 
suavis in deliciis tuis, sancta 
Dei Genitrix. 

II. In Adventu. 
Ant. Dabit ei Dominus se- 
dem David patris ejus, et 
regnabit in aeternum. 

Ant. Ecce ancilla Domini,* 
fiat mihi secundum verbum 
tuum. 

III. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Germinavit radix Jes- 
se, orta est Stella ex Jacob: 
Virgo peperit Salvatorem: te 
laudamus, Deus noster. 

Ant. Ecce Maria * genuit 
nobis Salvatorem, quern Jo- 
annes videns exclamavit di- 
cens: Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce 
qui tollit peccata mundi, Alle- 
luia. 



psalm, cxlvii. 

*T-* AUDA Jerusalem Do- 
r J — k minum:* lauda Deum 
tuum Sion. 

Ouoniam confortavit seras 
portarum tuarum: * bene- 
dixit Mis tuis in te. 

Qui posuit fines tuos pa- 
cem : * et adipe frumenti sa- 
tiat te. 

Qui emittit eloquium suum 



From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. Now winter is past, 
the rain is over and gone: 
arise, my love, and come. 

Ant. Beautiful art thou,* 
and sweet in thy delight, O 
holy Mother of God. 

During Advent. 

Ant. The Lord shall give 
Him the throne of David His 
father, and He shall reign 
for ever. 

Ant. Behold the handmaid 
of the Lord,* be it done unto 
me according to thy word. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. The root of Jesse hath 
budded, a star hath arisen 
out of Jacob; a virgin hath 
brought forth a Saviour; we 
give praise to Thee, Our God. 

Ant. Behold, Mary* hath 
brought us forth a Saviour, 
Whom when John saw, he 
cried aloud, saving: Behold 
the Lamb of God! Behold 
Him Who taketh away the 
sins of the world, Alleluia. 

psalm cxlvii. 

-tt^) RAISE the Lord, O 

J Jerusalem: praise thy 

God, O Sion. 

For He hath strengthened 
the bars of thy gates: He 
hath blessed thy children 
within thee. 

Who maketh thy borders 
peaceful, and filleth thee with 
the fat of corn. 

Who sendeth forth His de- 



77o 



Officium Parvum Beatx Mar ice Virgiras. 



terrae : * velociter currit ser- 
mo ejus. 

Qui dat nivem sicut la- 
nam : * nebulam sicut cinerem 
spar git. 

Mittit crystallum suam si- 
cut buccellas : * ante faciem 
frigoris ejus quis sustinebit? 

Emittet verbum suum, et 
liquefaciet ea:* flabit spiri- 
tus ejus, et fluent aquae. 

Qui annuntiat verbum su- 
um Jacob:* justitias, et ju- 
dicia sua Israel. 

Non fecit talker omni na- 
tioni:* et judicia sua non 
manifestavit eis. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Speciosa facta es, et 
suavis in deliciis tuis, sancta 
Dei Genitrix. 

II. In Adventu. 

Ant. Ecce ancilla Domini, 
fiat mihi secundum verbum 
tuum. 

III. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Ecce Maria genuit no- 
bis Salvatorem, quern Joannes 
videns exclamavit dicens : 
Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tol- 
lit peccata mundi, Alleluia. 



/, III. Extra et post Ad- 
ventum. 

CAPITUI/UM. 

Eccli. xxiv. 
Ab initio, et ante saecula 
creata sum et usque ad futu- 



cree upon earth : very swiftly 
runneth His word. 

Who giveth snow like wool : 
He scattereth mist like ashes. 

He sendeth His ice like 
morsels: who shall stand 
before the face of His cold? 

He sendeth forth His word 
and melteth them; His wind 
bloweth, and the w r aters flow. 

Who declareth His word 
unto Jacob: His justice and 
judgment to Israel. 

He hath not done so to 
every nation; nor hath He 
shown them His judgments. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. Beautiful art thou, 
and sweet in thy delight, O 
holy Mother of God. 

During Advent. 

Ant. Behold the handmaid 
of the Lord, be it done unto 
me according to thy word. 

From Christmas until 4 
Candlemas. 

Ant. Behold, Mary hath 
brought us forth a Saviour, 
Whom when John saw, he 
cried aloud, saying: Behold 
the Lamb of God! Behold 
Him Who taketh away the 
sins of the world, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 

Ecclus. xxiv. 
From the beginning, and 
before the world was I ere- 



Officium Parvum Beata Mar ice Virginis. 771 



rum saeculum non desinam, 
et in habitatione sancta co- 
ram ipso ministravi. 



R. Deo gratias. 

II. In Adventu. 

CAPITULUM. 

Isa. xi. 
Egreditur virga de radice 
Jesse, et flos de radice ejus 
ascendet, et requiescet su- 
per eum Spiritus Domini. 



R. Deo gratias. 

HYMNUS. 

VE, maris Stella, 
Dei Mater alma, 
Atque semper Virgo, 
Felix coeli porta. 

Sumens illud ave 
Gabrielis ore, 
Funda nos in pace, 
Mutans Hevae nomen. 

Solve vincla reis, 
Profer lumen caecis, 
Mala nostra pelle, 
Bona cuncta posce. 

Monstra te esse Matrem, 
Sumat per te preces, 
Qui pro nobis natus, 
Tulit esse tuus. 

Virgo singularis, 
Inter omnes mitis, 
Nos culpis solutos, 
Mites fac et castos. 

Vitam prsesta puram, 
Iter para tutum, 
Ut videntes Jesum 
Semper collaetemur. 



ated, and unto the world to 
come I shall not cease to be r 
and in the holy dwelling- 
place have I ministered before 
Him. 

R. Thanks be to God. 
During Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 
Isa. xi. 

There shall come forth a 
rod out of the root of Jesse, 
and a flower shall rise up 
out of his root, and the 
Spirit of the Lord shall rest 
upon him. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

HYMN. 

AIL, thou star of ocean I 
Portal of the sky! 
Ever Virgin Mother 

Of the Lord most high! 

Oh! by Gabriel's Ave, 

Uttered long ago, 
Eva's name reversing, 

Establish peace below. 

Break the captives' fetters, 
Light on blindness pour; 

All our ills expelling, 
Every bliss implore. 

Show thyself a Mother; 

Offer Him our sighs, 
Who for us Incarnate 

Did not thee despise. 

Virgin of all virgins! 

To thy shelter take us: 
Gentlest of the gentle! 

Chaste and gentle make us. 

Still, as on we journey, 
Help our weak endeavor,, 

Till with thee and Jesus 
We rejoice for ever. 





772 Officium Parvum Beatcp Maria Virginis. 



Sit laus Deo Patri, 
Summo Christo decus, 
Spiritui sancto, 
Tribus honor unus. 

Amen. 

V. Diffusa est gratia in la- 
biis tuis. 

R. Propterea benedixit te 
Deus in aeternum. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Beata mater,* et in- 
tacta Virgo, gloriosa Regina 
mundi, intercede pro nobis 
ad Dominum. 

Temp. Pasch., omissa prcedic- 
ta Antiphona, dicitur: 

Ant. Regina coeli * laetare, 
Alleluia: quia quern meruisti 
port are, Alleluia : resurrexit 
sicut dixit, Alleluia: ora pro 
nobis Deum, Alleluia. 

II. In Adventu. 

Ant. Spiritus sanctus * in 
te descendet, Maria : ne time- 
as, habebis in utero Filium 
Dei, Alleluia. 



III. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Magnum haereditatis 
mysterium! * Templum Dei 
f actus est uterus nescientis 
virum: non est pollutus ex 
ea carnem assumens: om- 
nes gentes venient dicentes: 
Gloria tibi, Domine. 



Through the highest heaven, 
To the almighty Three, 

Father, Son, and Spirit, 
One same glory be. 

Amen. 

V. Grace is poured forth on 
thy lips. 

i?. Therefore God hath 
blessed thee for ever. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. O blessed Mother,* 
and Virgin undefiled, O glori- 
ous Queen of the world, plead 
for us before the Lord. 

During Eastertide, instead of 
the above, is said: 

Ant. O Queen of heaven,* 
rejoice, Alleluia ! for He Whom 
thou wast meet to bear, Al- 
leluia, hath risen, as He said, 
Alleluia ; pray for us to God, 
Alleluia. 

During Advent. 

Ant. The Holy Ghost * 
shall come upon thee, Mary ; 
fear not, thou shalt hold 
within thy womb the Son of 
God, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. How great the mys- 
tery* of our inheritance! 
The womb of one that 
knoweth not man hath be- 
come the temple of God! 
He was not defiled in taking 
flesh of her. All nations 
shall come and shall say: 
Glory be to Thee, O Lord. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Marioz Virgi?ns. 773 



CAXTICUM B. M. V. 

Luc. i. 

fTVAGXIFICAT * anima 
%\J^ mea Dominum. 

Et exult avit spiritus me- 
us * in Deo salutari meo. 

Quia respexit humilita- 
tem ancillae sus:* ecce enim 
ex hoc be at am me dicent 
omnes generationes. 

Quia fecit mihi magna qui 
potens est : * et sanctum no- 
men ejus. 

Et misericordia ejus a 
progenie in progenies * ti- 
mentibus eum. 

Fecit potentiam in bra- 
chio suo : * dispersit superbos 
mente cordis sui. 

Deposuit potentes de sede,* 
et exaltavit humiles. 

Esurientes implevit bonis,* 
et divites dimisit inane s. 



Suscepit Israel puerum su- 
um,* recordatus misericordiae 
suae. 

Sicut locutus est ad patres 
nostros,* Abraham, et se- 
mini ejus in saecula. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

/. Extra Adrentum. 

Ant. Beata Mater, et in- 
tacta Virgo, gloriosa Re- 
gina mundi, intercede pro 
nobis ad Dominum. 

Tempore PascJiali. 
Ant. Regina coeli laetare, 
Alleluia : quia quern meruisti 



SONG OF THE B V. MARY. 

Luke i. 

Y soul doth magnify 
the Lord. 
And my spirit hath rejoiced 
in God my Saviour. 

For He hath regarded the 
lowliness of His handmaid; 
for behold from henceforth 
all generations shall call me 
blessed. 

For He that is mighty 
hath done great things unto 
me; and holy is His name. 

And His mercy is from 
generation to generation un- 
to them that fear Him. 

He hath showed strength 
with His arm: He hath 
scattered the proud in the 
conceit of their heart. 

He hath put down the 
mighty from their seat, and 
hath exalted the humble. 

He hath filled the hungry 
with good things, and the 
rich He hath sent empty 
away. 

He hath upholden His ser- 
vant Israel, being mindful of 
His mercy. 

As He spake unto our 
fathers, unto Abraham and 
to his seed for ever. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. O blessed Mother, and 
Virgin undefiled, O glorious 
Queen of the world, plead 
for us before the Lord. 

During Eastertide. 
Ant. O Queen of heaven, 
rejoice, Alleluia, for He 




7 74 Ojftcium Parvum BeaicB Maria Virginis. 



portare, Alleluia: resurrexit 
sicut dixit, Alleluia: ora pro 
nobis Deum, Alleluia. 

II. In Adventu. 

Ant. Spiritus sanctus in te 
descendet Maria: ne timeas 
habebis in utero Filium Dei, 
Alleluia. 



III. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Magnum haereditatis 
mysterium ! Templum Dei 
f actus est uterus nescientis 
virum: non est pollutus ex 
ea carnem assumens: om- 
nes gentes venient dicentes: 
Gloria tibi, D online. 



Kyrie, eleison. 
Christ e, eleison. 
Kyrie, eleison. 

* V. Domine, exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

* R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Oremus. 
^jONCKDE ncs famulos 
V>( tuos, quaesumus, Do- 
mine Deus, perpetua mentis 
et corporis sanitate gaudere: 
et gloriosa beatae Marias sem- 
per Virginis intercessione a 
praesenti liberari tristitia, et 
aeterna perfrui laetitia. Per 



Whom thou wast meet to 
bear, Alleluia, hath risen, as 
He said, Alleluia^ pray for 
us to God, Alleluia. 

During Advent. 

Ant. The Holy Ghost shall 
come upon thee, Mary; fear 
not, thou shalt hold within 
thy womb the Son of God, 
Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas . 

Ant. How great the mys- 
tery of our inheritance! The 
womb of one that knoweth 
not man hath become the 
temple of God! He was not 
defiled in taking flesh of her. 
All nations shall come and 
shall say: Glory be to Thee, 
O Loral 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 
Let us pray. 
RANT, we beseech Thee, 
O Lord God, that we, 
Thy servants, may enjoy 
perpetual health of mind and 
body; and, by the glorious 
intercession of the Blessed 
Mary, ever Virgin, be de- 
livered from present sorrow 



* Here and elsewhere, before and after the Prayer, if a priest 
or deacon be saying the Office, V. Dominus vobiscum and R. 
Et cum. spiritu tuo are said instead of V. Domine exaudi, etc. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



115 



Christum Dominum nostrum. 
R. Amen. 

77. In Adventu. 
Oremus. 
*Tp|EUS, qui de beatae Ma- 
JLI rise Virginis utero, 
Yerbum tuum, Angelo nunti- 
arfte, carnem suscipere volui- 
sti: praesta supplicibus tuis; 
ut qui vere earn Genitricem 
Dei credimus, ejus apud te 
intercessionibus adjuvemur. 
Per eumdem Christum Domi- 
num nostrum. 



R. Amen. 

777. Post Adventum. 

Oremus. 
T^EUS, qui salutis aeternae, 
A^Jy beatae Mariae virgini- 
tate foecunda, humano generi 
praemia praestitisti : tribue, 
quaesumus; ut ipsam pro 
nobis intercedere sentiamus, 
per quam meruimus aucto- 
rem vitae suscipere, Dominum 
nostrum Jesum Christum Fi- 
lium tuum. 
7?. Amen. 

PRO SANCTIS. 

/, 777. Extra et post Ad- 
ventum. 

Ant. Sancti Dei omnes, in- 
tercedere dignemini pro no- 
stra omniumque salute. 

V Laetamini in Domino, et 
exultate justi. 



and possess eternal joy. 
Through Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 

During Advent. 
Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who didst will 
that Thine eternal 
Word should take flesh in 
the womb of the Blessed Vir- 
gin Mary, when the angel 
delivered his message: grant 
that Thy petitioners, who 
verily believe her to be the 
Mother of God, may be as- 
sisted by her intercession. 
Through the same Christ our 
Lord. 

R. Amen. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 
Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who, by the fruit- 
ful virginity of blessed 
Mary, hast given to mankind 
the rewards of eternal salva- 
tion ; grant, we beseech Thee, 
that we may experience her 
intercession for us, by whom 
we deserved to receive the 
Author of life, Our Lord 
Jesus Christ Thy Son. 
R. Amen. 

COMMEMORATION OF THE 
SAINTS 

Throughout the year until 
Advent. 

Ant. All ye saints of God, 
vouchsafe to plead for our 
salvation and for that of all 
mankind. 

V. Be glad in the Lord, 
and rejoice, ye just. 



776 Officium Parvum Beatce Marice Virginis. 



R. Et gloriamini, omnes 
recti corde. 

Oremus, 

*T5)ROTEGE, Domine, po- 
J — pulum tuum, et Apo- 
stolorum tuorum Petri et 
Pauli, et aliorum Aposto- 
lorum patrocinio confiden- 
tem, perpetua defensione 
conserva. 

OMNES Sancti tui, quae- 
sumus Domine, nos 
ubique adjuvent: ut dum 
eorum merits recolimus, pa- 
trocinia sentiamus; et pa- 
cem tuam nostris concede: 
temporibus, et ab Eccle- 
sia tua cunctam repelle ne- 
quitiam : iter, actus et volun- 
tates nostras, et omnium 
famulorum tuorum, in salu- 
tis tuae prosperitate dispone: 
benefactoribus nostris sempi- 
terna bona retribue, et omni- 
bus fidelibus defunctis re- 
quiem aeternam concede. Per 
Dominum nostrum Jesum 
Christum Filium tuum: qui 
tecum vivit et re gnat in uni- 
tate Spiritus sancti Deus, 
per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 

* V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem me am. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Benedicamus Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Fidelium animae per 
misericordiam Dei requie- 
scant in pace. 

R. Amen. 



R. And be joyful, all ye 
that are of right heart. 

Let us pray. 
QfHIELD, O Lord, Thy 
people, and ever keep 
them in Thy care, who put 
their trust in the pleading of 
Thine apostles Peter and 
Paul, and of the other 
apostles. 

QAY all Thy saints, we 
beseech Thee, O Lord, 
everywhere come to our help, 
that while we do honor to 
their merits, we may also 
enjoy their intercession: 
grant Thine own peace unto 
our times, and drive away 
all wickedness from Thy 
Church; direct our way, our 
actions, and our wishes and 
those of all Thy servants in 
the way of salvation; to 
our benefactors render ever- 
lasting blessings, and to all 
the faithful departed grant 
eternal rest Through Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, 
Who liveth and reigneth with 
Thee in the unity of the 
Holy Ghost, God, world with- 
out end. 
R Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the 
faithful, through the mercy 
of God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



* If said by a priest or deacon, V. Dominus vobiscum, etc, 
See note, page 774. 



Officiam Parvum Beataz Mar ice Virginis. 777 



PRO SANCTIS. 

77. In Adventu. 

Ant. Ecce Domimis veniet, 
et omnes Sancti ejus cum eo, 
et erit in die ilia lux magna, 
Alleluia. 

V. Ecce apparebit Domi- 
nus super nubem candi- 
dam. 

R. Et cum eo Sanctorum 
millia. 

Oremus. 

aONSCIENTIAS nostras, 
qusesumus Domine, vi- 
sit a ndo purifica, ut veniens 
Jesus Christus Filius tuus Do- 
minus noster cum omnibus 
Sanctis paratam sibi in nobis 
inveniat mansionem. Qui te- 
cum vivit et regnat in unitate 
Spiritus sancti Deus per omnia 
saecula saeculorum. 



R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam, etc. 



COMMEMORATION OF THE 
SAINTS 

During Advent. 

Ant. Behold, the Lord shall 
come, and all His saints with 
Him, and in that day there 
shall be great light, Alleluia. 

V. Behold, the Lord shall 
appear upon a shining cloud. 

R. And with Him thou- 
sands of saints. 

Let us pray. 

aL E A N S E our con- 
sciences, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, by Thy visi- 
tation, that when Jesus Christ 
Thy Son, Our Lord, shall 
come with all the saints, He 
may find within us a resting- 
place made ready for Him. 
Who liveth and reigneth with 
Thee in the unity of the Holy 
Ghost, God, world without 
end. 

R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer, 
etc., as above. 



AT COMPLINE. 



Ave, Maria, etc. 

Converte nos, Deus salu- 
taris noster. 

R. Et averte iram tuam a 
nobis. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Alleluia, vel Laus tibi, Do- 
mine, Rex aeternae gloriae. 



Hail, Mary, etc. 

Convert us, O God our 
Saviour. 

R. And turn away Thine 
anger from us. 

V. O God, hasten to mine 
aid. 

R. O Lord, make haste to 
help me. 

Glory be, etc. 

Alleluia, or Praise be to 
Thee, O Lord, King of glory 
everlasting. 



778 Officium Parvum Beatcz Mar ice Virginis. 



PSALM. CXXVIII. 

CN* M P E expugnaverunt 
me a juventute mea : * 
dicat nunc Israel. 

Saepe expugnaverunt me 
a juventute mea : * etenim non 
potuerunt mihi. 

Supra dorsum meum fabri- 
caverunt peecatores : * pro- 
longaverunt iniquitatem su- 
am. 

Dominus justus concidit 
cervices peccatorum : * con- 
fundantur, et convertantur 
retrorsum omnes qui oderunt 
Sion. 

Fiant sicut fcenum tecto- 
rum :* quod priusquam evella- 
tur, exaruit. 

De quo non implevit ma- 
num suam qui metit,* et si- 
num suum qui manipulos 
colligit. 

Et non dixerunt qui praete- 
ribant : Benedictio Domini 
super vos : * benediximus vo- 
bis in nomine Domini. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

psalm, cxxix. 

^pAE profundis clamavi ad 
r^LJ te, Domine:* Domi- 
ne, exaudi vocem meam. 

Fiant aures tuae intenden- 
tes,* in vocem deprecati- 
onis meae. 

Si iniquitates observave- 
ris, Domine : * Domine, quis 
sustinebit ? 

Quia apud te propitiatio 
est:* et propter legem tuam 
sustinui te, Domine. 

Sustinuit anima mea in 



PSALM CXXVIII. 

OFTEN have they fought 
against .me from my 
youth; let Israel now say. 

Often have they fought 
against me from my youth; 
but they could not prevail 
against me. 

The wicked have wrought 
upon my back: they have 
prolonged their iniquity. 

The just Lord hath hewn 
asunder the necks of sinners: 
let them all be confounded 
and turned back that hate 
Sion. 

Let them be as grass of 
the housetops, which wither 
eth before it be plucked up. 

Wherewith the mower fill- 
eth not his hand; nor he that 
gathereth the sheaves, his 
bosom. 

And they that pass by say 
not : The blessing of the Lord 
be upon you : we bless you in 
the name of the Lord. - 

Glory be, etc. 

psalm cxxix. 

OUT of the depths have I 
cried unto Thee, O 
Lord. Lord, hear my voice. 

O let Thine ears be atten- 
tive to the voice of my sup- 
plication. 

If Thou, O Lord, wilt ob- 
serve iniquities, Lord, who 
shall stand it? 

For with Thee there is 
merciful forgiveness; and by 
reason of Thy law I have 
waited for Thee, O Lord. 
My soul hath relied on His 



Officium Parvum BeaiCE Clarice J^irginis. 779 



verbo ejus:* speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 

A custodia matutina usque 
ad noctem,* speret Israel in 
Domino. 

Quia apud Dominum mise- 
ricordia:* et copiosa apud 
eum redemptio. 

Et ipse redimet Israel,* ex 
omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

PSALM. CXXX. 

*T"AOMIXE, non est exalta- 
JLJ turn cor meum: * ne- 
que elati sunt oculi mei. 

Xeque ambulavi in mag- 
nis:* neque in mirabilibus 
super me. 

Si non humiliter sentie- 
bam:* sed exaltavi animam 
meam: 

Sicut ablactatus es super 
mp.tre sua,* it a retributio in 
anima mea. 

Speret Israel in Domino,* 
ex hoc nunc, et usque in sae- 
culum. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

HYMNtJS. 

EMENTO, rerun: Condi- 
tor, 

Nostri quod olim corporis, 
Sacrata ab alvo Virginis 
Xascendo formam sumpseris. 

Maria, mater gratiae, 
Dulcis parens dementias, 
Tu nos ab hoste protege, 
Et mortis hora suscipe. 



word. My soul hath hoped 
in the Lord. 

From the morning watch 
even until night, let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

For with the Lord there 
is mercy, and with Him plen- 
tiful redemption. 

And He shall redeem Israel 
from all his iniquities. 
Glory be, etc. 

PSALM CXXX. 

OLORD, my heart is not 
lifted up ; nor are mine 
eyes lofty. 

Neither do I walk in great 
matters, nor in things too 
wonderful for me. 

If I have not been humbly 
minded, but have lifted up 
my soul, 

As a child that is weaned 
upon his mother's breast, so 
let my reward be in my soul. 

Let Israel hope in the Lord 
from this time forth for ever- 
more. 
Glory be, etc. 

HYMN. 

REMEMBER, O Creator 
Jt\ LoTd, 

That in the Virgin's sacred 
womb 

Thou wast conceived, and 
of her flesh 
Didst our mortality assume. 

Mother of grace! O Marv 
blest! 

To thee, sweet fount of life, 
we fly; 

Shield us through life, and 
take us hence 

thy dear bosom, when we 
die. 




7 So Officium Parvum Beatx Maria Virginis. 



Jesu, tibi sit gloria, 
Qui natus es de Virgine, 
Cum Patre, et alrao Spiritu, 
In sempiterna saecula. 

Amen. 

/, III. Extra et post 
A dventum. 

CAPITULUM. 

Eccli. xxiv. 

Ego Mater pulchrae dilecti- 
onis, et timoris, et agnitionis, 
et sanctae spei. 

R. Deo gratias 

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta 
Dei Genitrix. 

R. Ut digni efficiamur pro- 
missionibus Christi. 

II. In Adventu. 

CAPITULUM. 

Isa. vii. 
Ecce virgo concipiet, et 
pariet Filium, et vocabitur 
nomen ejus Emmanuel. Bu- 
tyrum et mel comedet, ut 
sciat reprobare malum, et eli- 
gere bonum. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V . Angelus Domini nuntia- 
vit Mariae. 

R. Et concepit de Spiritu 
sancto. 

/. Extra Adventum. 
Ant Sub tuum presidium. 

Tempore Paschali, omissa praz- 
dicta Antiphona, dicitur: 
Ant. Regina eoeli. 

II. In Adventu. 
Ant. Spiritus sanctus 



O Jesu! born of Virgin bright, 
Immortal glory be to Thee; 

Praise to the Father infinite, 
And Holy Ghost eternally. 

Amen. 

From Christmas until 
Advent. 
LITTLE CHAPTER. 
Ecclus. xxiv. 
I am the Mother of fair 
love, and of fear, and of 
knowledge, and of holy hope. 
R. Thanks be to God. 
V. Pray for us, O holy 
Mother of God. 

R. That we may be made 
worthy of the premises of 
Christ. 

During Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 
Isa. vii. 

Behold, a virgin shall con- 
ceive, and bear a Son, and 
His name shall be called 
Emmanuel : Butter and 
honey shall He eat, that he 
may know to refuse evil 
and to choose good. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V The angel of the Lord 
declared unto Mary. 

R And she conceived of 
the Holy Ghost. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 
Ant. We fly to thy pat- 
ronage. 

During Eastertide, instead of 
the above, is said: 
Ant. O Queen of heaven. 

During Advent. 
Ant. The Holy Ghost. 



Officium Parvum Beata Mar ice Virginis. 781 



1 II. Post Adventum. From Christmas until 

Candlemas. 



Ant. Magnum haereditatis 
mysterium ! 

CANT. SIMEONIS. 

Luc. ii. 

Nunc dimittis servum tu- 
um, Domine,* secundum 
verbum tuum in pace. 

Quia viderunt oculi mei * 
salutare tuum: 

Quod parasti * ante faciem 
omnium populorum. 

Lumen ad revelationem 
Gentium,* et gloriam plebis 
tuse Israel. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Sub tuum praesidium 
confugimus, sancta Dei Geni- 
trix : nostras deprecationes 
ne despicias in necessitatibus 
nostris, sed a periculis cunctis 
libera nos semper, Virgo glo- 
riosa et bene dicta. 

Tempore Paschali. 
Ant. Regina cceli laetare, 
Alleluia : quia quern meruisti 
portare, Alleluia: resurrexit 
sicut dixit, Alleluia: ora pro 
nobis Deum, Alleluia. 

II. In Adventu. 
Ant. Spirit us sanctus in te 
descendet, Maria: ne timeas, 
habebis in utero Filium Dei, 
Alleluia. 

III. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Magnum haereditatis 
mysterium ! Templum Dei 
factus est uterus nescientis 



Ant. How great the mys- 
tery of our inheritance! 

SONG OF SIMEON. 

Luke ii. 

Now Thou dost dismiss Thy 
servant, O Lord, according 
to Thy word in peace: 

Because mine eyes have 
seen Thy salvation, 

Which Thou hast pre- 
pared before the face of all 
peoples : 

A light to the revelation of 
the Gentiles and the glory of 
Thy people Israel. 

From Candlemas till Advent. 

Ant. We fly to thy patron- 
age, O holy Mother of God; 
despise not our petitions in 
our necessities, but ever de- 
liver us from all evil, O glori- 
ous and blessed Virgin. 

During Eastertide. 
Ant. O Queen of heaven,, 
rejoice, Alleluia, for He Whom 
thou wast meet to bear, Al- 
leluia, hath risen, as He said, 
Alleluia ; pray for us to God ; 
Alleluia. 

During Advent. 
Ant. The Holy Ghost shall 
come upon thee, Mary; fear 
not, thou shalt hold within 
thy womb the Son of God, 
Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas, 
Ant. And how great the 
mystery of our inheritance \ 
The womb of one that know 



782 Officium Parvum Beata Mar ice Virginis. 



virum : non est pollutus ex ea 
carnem assumens : omnes 
gentes venient dicentes : Glo- 
ria tibi Domine. 



Kyrie, eleison. 

Christe, eleison 

Kyrie, eleison. 

V. Domine, exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Oremus. 

BEATiE et gloriosae sem- 
per Virginis Mariae, 
quaesumus, Domine, interces- 
sio gloriosa nos protegat, 
et ad vitam perducat aeter- 
nam. Per Dominum no- 
strum Jesum Christum Filium 
tuum; qui tecum vivit et re- 
gnat in unitate Spiritus sancti 
Deus, per omnia saecula sae- 
culorum. 
R. Amen. 

II. In Adventu. 
Oremus. 

*T^EUS, qui de beatae Ma- 
<*<J riae Virginis utero Ver- 
bum tuum, Angelo nuntiante, 
carnem suscipere voluisti : 
praesta supplicibus tuis; ut 
qui vere earn Genitricem Dei 
credimus, ejus apud te in- 
tercessionibus adjuvemur. 
Per eumdem Dominum no- 
strum Jesum Christum, Fili- 
um tuum qui tecum vivit et 
regnat in unitate Spiritus 
sancti Deus, per omnia sae- 
cula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 



eth not man hath become the 
temple of God! He was not 
defiled in taking flesh of her. 
All nations shall come and 
shall say: Glory be to Thee, 
O Lord. 

Lord, have mercv on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 
Let us pray. 

AY the glorious plead- 
ing of the blessed and 
glorious Mary, ever a vir- 
gin, shield us, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, and bring us 
to life everlasting. Through 
Our Lord Jesus Thy Son, 
Who liveth and reigneth with 
Thee in the unity of the Holy 
Ghost, God, world without 
end. 
R. Amen. 

During Advent 
Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who didst will 
that Thine eternal 
Word should take flesh in the 
womb of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, when the angel de- 
livered his message; grant 
that Thy petitioners, who 
verily believe her to be the 
Mother of God, may be as- 
sisted by her intercession. 
Through the same Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth 
and reigneth with Thee, in 
the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
God, world without end. 
R. Amen. 




Officium Parvum Beatcz Maria Virginis. 783 



III. Post Adventum. 
Oremus. 

^T^EUS, qui salutis aeternae, 
JLJ beatse Mariae virgini- 
tate foeeunia, humano generi 
praemia praestitisti : tribue, 
quaesumus, ut ipsam pro no- 
bis intercedere sentiamus, 
per quam meruimus Aucto- 
rem vitae suscipere Dominum 
nostrum Jesum Christum Fi- 
lium tuum, qui tecum vivit 
et re gnat in unitate Spiritus 
sancti Deus, per omnia sae-' 
cula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

R Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V Benedicamus Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

BENEDICTIO. 

Benedicat et custodiat nos 
omnipotens et misericors Do- 
minus, Pater, et Filius, 
et Spiritus sanctus. 

R! Amen. 

Deinde dicitur una ex infra- 
scriptis antiphonis, et dici- 
tur flexis genibus prceter- 
quam tempore PascJiali, et 
similiter in fine Laudum. 

A Sabbato ante I Dom. Ad- 
ventus usque ad Purifica- 
tionem inclusive. 

Alma Redemptoris Mater, 
quae pervia cceli 

Porta manes, et Stella ma- 
ris, succurre cadenti 

Surgere qui curat, populo: 
tu quae genuisti, 



From Christmas till Advent. 
Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who by the fruit- 
ful virginity of blessed 
Mary hast given to mankind 
the rewards of eternal salva- 
tion; grant, we beseech 
Thee, that we may experi- 
ence her intercession for us, 
by whom we deserved to 
receive the Author of life, 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy 
Son, TTho liveth and reigneth 
with Thee, in the unity of the 
Holy Ghost, God, world with- 
out end. 
R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

THE BLESSING. 

May the almighty and 
merciful Lord, *i* Father and 
Son and Holy Ghost, bless 
and keep us. 

R. Amen. 

Then is said one of the follow- 
ing Antliems of tJie Blessed 
Virgin Mary according to 
the season. Except at Eas- 
tertide it is said kneeling; 
so also at the end of Lauds. 

From the Saturday before the 
first Sunday of Advent to 
Candlemas inclu sive . 
Mother of Christ! hear 
thou thy people's cry, 

Star of the deep, and Por- 
tal of the sky, 

Mother of Him Who thee 
from nothing made, 



784 Ojficium Parvum Beatce Marice Virginis. 



Natura mirante, tuum 
sanctum Genitorem, 

Virgo prius ac posterius, 
Gabrielis ab ore, 

Sumens illud Ave, pecca- 
torum miserere. 

II. In Adventu. 

V. Angelus Domini nunti- 
avit Mariae. 

R. Et concepit de Spiritu 
sancto. 

Oremus. 

RATIAM tuam, quaesu- 
mus Domine, mentibus 
nostris infunde: ut qui, An- 
gelo nuntiante, Christi Filii 
tui incarnationem cognovi- 
mus, per passionem ejus et 
crucem, ad resurrectionis glo- 
riam perducamur. Per eum- 
dem Christum Dominum no- 
strum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 

Pater, Ave, Credo, secreto. 

A Vigilia Nativitatis usque 
ad totam diem Purificationis. 
V. Post partum Virgo in- 

violata permansisti. 

R. Dei Genitrix, intercede 
pro nobis. 

Oremus. 

DEUS, qui salutis aeternae, 
beatae Mariae Virgini- 
tate fcecunda, humano ge- 
neri praemia praestitisti : tri- 
bue, quaesumus; ut ipsam 
pro nobis intercedere senti- 



Sinking we strive and call 
to thee for aid: 

Oh, by that joy which 
Gabriel brought to thee, 

Pure Virgin first and last, 
look on our misery. 

In Advent. 

V. The angel of the Lord 
declared unto Mary. 

R. And she conceived of 
the Holy Ghost. 

Let us pray. 

OUR forth, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, Thy 
grace into our hearts, that we, 
to whom the Incarnation of 
Christ, Thy Son. was made 
known by the message of an 
angel, may by His Passion 
and cross be brought to the 
glory of His Resurrection. 
Through the same Christ 
our Lord. 
R. Amen. 

V. May the divine assist- 
ance remain always w r ith us. 
R. Amen. 

Pater, Ave, and Credo, in 
silence. 

From the First Vespers of 
Christmas onwards. 

V. After childbirth, O Vir- 
gin, thou didst remain invio- 
late. 

R. O Mother of God, plead 
for us. 

Let us pray 

OGOD, Who by the fruit- 
ful virginity of blessed 
Mary hast given to mankind 
the rewards of eternal salva- 
tion; grant, we beseech Thee, 
that we may experience her 





Officium Parvum Bealce Mar ice Virginis t 785 



amus, per quam meruimus 
auctorem vitae suscipere, Do- 
minum nostrum Jesum Chri- 
stum Filium tuum : * qui 
tecum vivit et regnat in uni- 
tate Spiritus Sancti Deus per 
omnia saecula saeculorum. 
R. Amen. 

V. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 

Pater, Ave, Credo, secreto. 

A Purification usque ad 
Completorium Sabbati 
Sancti exclusive. 

ANTIPHONA. 

VE Regina coelorum, 

Ave Domina Angelorum: 
Salve radix, salve porta, 
Ex qua mundo lux est orta* 

Gaude Virgo gloriosa, 
Super omnes speciosa: 
Vale, o valde decora, 
Et pro nobis Christum exora. 

V. Dignare me laudare te, 
Virgo sacrata. 

R. Da mihi virtutem con- 
tra hostes tuos. 

Oremus. 

aONCEDE, misericors 
Deus, fragilitati no- 
stras praesidium : ut qui sanc- 
tae Dei Genitricis memori- 
am agimus, intercessionis 
ejus auxilio a nostris iniqui- 
tatibus resurgamus. Per eum- 
dem Christum Dominum 
nostrum. 
R. Amen. 



intercession for us, by whom 
we deserved to receive the 
Author of life, Our Lord Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth 
and reigneth with Thee in 
the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
God, world without end. 
R. Amen. 

V. May the divine assist- 
ance remain always with us. 
R. Amen. 

Pater, Ave, and Credo, in 

silence. 

From Candlemas until Com- 
pline on Holy Saturday 
exclusively. 

ANTHEM. 

AIL, O Queen of heav'n 
r"— & enthroned ! 
Hail, by angels Mistress owned! 
Root of Jesse! Gate of morn, 
Whence the world's true Light 

was born: 
Glorious Virgin, joy to thee, 
Beautiful surpassingly! 
Fairest thou where all are fair! 
Plead for us a pitying prayer. 

V, Vouchsafe that I may 
praise thee, O Blessed Virgin. 

R. Grant me strength 
against thine enemies. 

Let us pray. 

OMOST merciful God, 
grant succor unto our 
frailty; that as we celebrate 
the memory of the holy 
Mother of God, so by the 
help of her intercession we 
may rise again from our sins. 
Through the same Christ 
our Lord 
R. Amen. 




* This Prayer in the Roman Breviary ends here; in the Propa- 
ganda edition of the Officium Parvum, it is continued as printed. 



786 Officium Parvum Beata Maria Virginis. 



V. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 

Pater, Ave, Credo, secreto. 

A Completorio Sabbati Sanc- 
ti usque ad Nonam Sabbati 
post Pentecosten inclusive. 

ANTIPHONA. 

EGINA cceli lsetare, Alle- 
luia, 

Quia quern meruisti portare, 

Alleluia, 
Resurrexit sicut dixit, Alleluia. 
Ora pro nobis Deum, Alleluia, 

V. Gaude et lsetare, Virgo 
Maria, Alleluia. 

R. Quia surrexit Dominus 
vere, Alleluia. 

Oremus. 
"T^VKUS, qui per resurrec- 
r*— " tionem Filii tui Do- 
mini nostri Jesu Christi mun- 
dum laetificare dignatus es: 
prsesta quaesumus; ut per 
ejus Genitricem Virginem 
Mariam perpetuae capiamus 
gaudia vitae. Per eumdem 
Christum Dominum nostrum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 

Pater, Ave, Credo, secreto. 

A Completorio Sabbati post 
Pentecosten usque ad Ad- 
ventum. 

ANTIPHONA. 

OfALVE Regina, Mater mi- 
sericordiae, vita, dulcedo, 
et spes nostra salve. 



V. May the divine assist- 
ance remain always with us. 

R. Amen. 
Pater, Ave, and Credo, in 
silence. 

From Compline 0} Holy Sat- 
urday until None on the 
Saturday after Pentecost in- 
clusively. 

ANTHEM, 

O QUEEN of heaven, re- 
joice, Alleluia, 
For He Whom thou wast 

meet to bear, Alleluia, 
Hath risen, as He said, Alleluia. 
Pray for us to God, Alleluia. 

V. Rejoice and be glad, 
O Virgin Mary, Alleluia. 

R. For the Lord hath 
risen indeed, Alleluia. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who didst vouch- 
safe to give joy to the 
world through the Resurrec- 
tion of Thy Son, Our Lord 
Jesus Christ; grant, we be- 
seech Thee, that, through 
His Mother, the Virgin Mary, 
we may obtain the joys of 
everlasting life. Through 
the same Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 

V. May the divine assist- 
ance remain always with us. 
R. Amen. 
Pater, Ave, and Credo, in 
silence. 

From Compline of the Satur- 
day after Pentecost until 
Advent. 

ANTHEM. 

AIL, holy Queen, Mother 
of mercy. Hail, our life, 
our sweetness, and our hope! 





Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 787 



Ad te clamamus, exsules filii 
Hevae; 

Ad te suspiramus, gementes 
et flentes in hac lacrimarum 
valle. 

Eia ergo, advocata nostra, 
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad 
nos converte. 

Et Jesum, benedictum fruc- 
tum ventris tui, nobis post hoc 
exsilium ostende. 

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis 
Virgo Maria. 

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta 
Dei Genitrix. 

R. Ut digni efficiamur pro- 
missionibus Christi. 

Oremus. 

OMNIPOTENS sempiter- 
ne Deus, qui glorio- 
sse Virginis Matris Marise 
corpus et animam / ut dig- 
num Filii tui habitaculum 
effici mereretur, Spiritu sanc- 
to cooperante prseparasti : 
da, ut cujus commemoratione 
laetamur, ejus pia intercessi- 
one ab instantibus malis, et 
a morte perpetua liberemur. 
Per eumdem Christum Do- 
minum nostrum. 



R. Amen. 

V. Divinum auxilium ma- 
neat semper nobiscum. 
R. Amen. 

Pater, Ave, Credo, secreto. 



To thee do we cry, poor 
banished children of Eve. 

To thee do we send up our 
sighs, mourning, and weeping 
in this vale of tears. 

Turn then, most gracious 
advocate, thine eyes of mercy 
toward us. 

And after this our exile show 
unto us the blessed fruit of thy 
womb, Jesus. 

O clement, O loving, O sweet 
Virgin Mary. 

V. Pray for us, O holy 
Mother of God. 

R. That we may be made 
worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 
^□TLMIGHTY, everlasting 
<%/<-*-> God, Who, by the co- 
operation of the Holy Ghost, 
didst so make ready the body 
and soul of the glorious 
Virgin Mother Mary that 
she deserved to become a 
meet dwelling for Thy Son ; 
grant that we, who rejoice 
in her memory, may through 
her loving intercession be de- 
livered from the evils that 
hang over us, and from ever- 
lasting death. Through the 
same Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 

V. May the divine assist- 
ance remain always with us. 
R. Amen. 

Pater, Ave, and Credo in 
silence. 



AT MATINS. 



Ave Maria, secreto. 
Domine, labia mea aperies. 

R. Et os meum annuntia- 
bit laudem tuam. 



Hail, Mary, silently. 
Lord, Thou shalt open my 
lips. 

R. And my mouth shall 
declare Thy praise. 



788 Officium Parvum Beaice Mario?, Virginis. 



V. Deus, in adjutodum 
meum intende. 

R. Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Alleluia, vel Laus tibi,. Do- 
mine, Rex aeternae glorias. 

INVITATORIUM. 

Ave, Maria, gratia plena: 
Dominus tecum. Ave, Ma- 
ria, gratia plena: Dominus 
tecum. 

psalm, xciv. 

VKNITE, exultemus Do- 
mino, jubilemus Deo 
salutari nostro: praeoccupe- 
mus faciem ejus in confessi- 
one, et in psalmis jubilemus 
ei. 

Ave, Maria, gratia plena: 
Dominus tecum. 

Quoniam Deus magnus Do- 
minus, et rex magnus super 
omnes deos; quoniam non 
repellet Dominus plebem su- 
am, quia in manu ejus sunt 
omnes fines terrae, et alti- 
tudines montium ipse conspi- 
cit. 

Dominus tecum. 

Quoniam ipsius est mare, 
et ipse fecit illud, et aridam 
fundaverunt manus ejus: ve- 
nite, adoremus, et procida- 
mus ante Deum: ploremus 
coram Domino qui fecit nos, 
quia ipse est Dominus Deus 
noster nos autem populus 
ejus, et oves pascuae ejus. 

Ave, Maria, gratia plena: 
Dominus tecum. 

Hodie si vocem ejus audi- 
eritis, nolite obdurare corda 



V. O God hasten, to mine 
aid. 

R. O Lord, make haste to 
help me. 

Glory be, etc. 

Alleluia, or Praise be to 
Thee, O Lord, King of glory 
everlasting. 

INVITATORY. 

Hail, Mary, full of grace, 
the Lord is with thee. Haii, 
Mary, full of grace, the Lord 
is with thee. 

psalm xciv 

OCOME, let us exult in 
the Lord; let us re- 
joice before God our Saviour. 
Let us come into His pres- 
ence with thanksgiving; and 
rejoice before Him with 
psalms. 

Hail, Mary, full of grace, 
the Lord is with thee. 

For the Lord is a great 
God, and a great King above 
all gods; for the Lord will 
not cast off His people, for 
in His hand are all the ends 
of the earth ; and the heights 
of the mountains He be- 
holdeth. 

The Lord is with thee. 
For the sea is His, and He 
made it; and His hands 
founded the dry land. Come, 
let us worship and fall down 
before God ; let us weep be- 
fore the Lord that made us; 
for He is the Lord our God; 
and we are His people, and 
the sheep of His pasture. 

Hail, Mary, full of grace; 
the Lord is with thee. 

To-day if ye shall hear 
His voice, harden not your 



Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 789 



vestra, sicut in exacerbatione hearts ; as in the provoca- 

secundum diem tentationis tion, according to the day 

in deserto: ubi tentaverunt of temptation in the wilder- 

me patres vestri, probaverunt ness : where your fathers 

et viderunt opera mea. tempted Me, proved and saw 

My works. 

Dommus tecum. The Lord is with thee. 

Quadraginta annis proxi- Forty years long was I 

mus fui generationi huic, et nigh unto that generation, 

dixi : Semper hi errant corde : and said : They do always 

ipsi vero non cognoverunt err in their heart; and they 

vias meas, quibus juravi in have not known My ways: 

ira mea, si introibunt in re- to whom I swore in My 

quiem meam. wrath that they should not 

enter into My rest. 

Ave, Maria, gratia plena: Hail, Mary, full of grace, 

Dominus tecum. the Lord is with thee. 

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Glory be to the Father, 

Spiritui sancto. Sicut erat and to the Son, and to the 

in principio, et nunc, et Holy Ghost. As it was in 

semper, et in saecula sseculo- the beginning, is now, and 

rum. Amen. ever shall be, world without 

end. Amen. 

Dominus tecum. The Lord is with thee. 

Ave, Maria, gratia plena: Hail, Mary, full of grace, 

Dominus tecum. the Lord is with thee. 



HYMNUS. 

^^UEM terra, pontus, sidera, 

Colunt, adorant, predi- 
cant, 

Trinam regentem machinam, 
Claustrum Marias bajulat. 



Cui luna, sol, et omnia, 
Deserviunt per tempora 

Perfusa coeli gratiae, 

Gestant puellae viscera. 



Beata mater, muriere 



HYMN. 




HE Lord, Whom earth, 
and air, and sea 



With one adoring voice re- 
sound; 

Who rules them all in majesty; 
In Mary's heart a cloister 
found. 

Lo! in a humble Virgin's womb 
O'ershadowed by almighty 
power, 

He Whom the stars, and sun, 
and moon, 
Each serve in their appointed 
hour. 

O Mother blest, to whom was 
given 



790 Officium Parvum Beaia Maria Virginis. 



Cujus supernus artifex 
Mundum pugillo continens, 
Ventris sub area clausus est. 



Beata coeli nuntio, 
Foecunda sancto Spiritu, 

Desideratus gentibus, 

Cujus per alvum fusus est. 



Jesu, tibi sit gloria, 
Qui natus es de Virgine, 
Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, 
In sempiterna sascula. Amen. 



Isti tres Psalmi sequentes die. 
diebus Dominicis, Feria II 
et V ad Nocturn. 

Ant. Benedicta tu * in mu- 
lieribus, et benedictus fruc- 
tus ventris tui. 

psalm. VIII. 

Domine, Dominus noster,* 
quam admirabile est nomen 
tuum in universa terra! 

Quoniam elevata est magni- 
ficentia tua * super coelos. 

Ex ore inf antium et lacten- 
tium perfecisti laudem prop- 
ter inirnicos tuos,^ ut de- 
struas inimicum et ultorem. 



Quoniam videbo coelos tu- 
os, opera digit orum tuorum,* 
lunam et Stellas quae tu fun- 
dasti. 

Quid est homo, quod me- 



Within thy compass to con- 
tain 

The Architect of earth and 
heaven, 
Whose hands the universe 
sustain! 

To thee was sent an angel down ; 
In thee the Spirit was en- 
shrined; 
From thee came forth that 
mighty One, 
The long-desired of all man- 
kind. 

O Jesu! born of Virgin bright, 
Immortal glory be to Thee; 

Praise to the Father infinite, 
And Holy Ghost eternally. 
Amen. 

The three following Psalms 
are said on Sunday, Mon- 
day, and Thursday at the 
Nocturn. 

Ant. Blessed art thou* 
amongst women, and blessed 
is the fruit of thy womb. 

PSALM VIII. 

O Lord our Lord, how ad- 
mirable is Thy name in the 
whole earth! 

For Thy magnificence is 
exalted above the heavens. 

Out of the mouth of babes 
and sucklings Thou hast per- 
fected praise because of Thine 
enemies, that Thou mayest 
destroy the enemy and the 
avenger. 

For I will behold Thy 
heavens, the works of Thy 
fingers: the moon and the 
stars which Thou hast set. 

What is man that Thou 



Officium Parvum Beatce AfaricE Virginis. 791 



mor est ejus ? * aut films ho- 
minis, quoniam visitas eum? 

Minuisti eum paulo minus 
ab angelis; gloria et honor e 
coronasti eum ;* et constituis- 
ti eum super opera manuum 
tuarum. 

Omnia subjecisti sub pedi- 
bus ejus, * oves et boves uni- 
versas, insuper et pecora 
campi. 

Volucres coeli, et pisces ma- 
ris,* qui perambulant semi- 
tas maris 

Domine, Dominus noster,* 
quam admirabile est nomen 
tuum in universa terra! 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Benedicta tu in mu- 
lieribus, et benedictus fruc- 
tus ventris tui. 

Ant. Sicut myrrha electa * 
odorem dedisti suavitatis, 
sancta Dei Genitrix. 

PSALM. XVIII. 

/^">f(ELI enarrant gloriam 
V^l Dei,* et opera ma- 
nuum ejus annuntiat firma- 
mentum. 

Dies diei eructat verbum,* 
et nox nocti indicat scienti- 
am. 

Hon sunt loquelae, heque 
sermones,* quorum non audi- 
antur voces eorum. 

In omnem terram exivit 
sonus eorum,* et in fines or- 
bis terrae verba eorum. 

In sole posuit tabernacu- 
lum suum ; * et ipse tan quam 
sponsus procedens de thala- 
mo suo. 

Kxultavit ut gigas ad cur- 



art mindful of him? or the 
son of man that Thou visitest 
him? 

Thou hast made him a little 
less than the angels, Thou 
hast crowned him with glory 
and honor; and hast set him 
over the works of Thy hands. 

All things Thou hast put 
under his feet: sheep and 
all oxen, yea, also the beasts 
of the field. 

The birds of the air and the 
fishes of the sea, that pass 
through the paths of the sea. 

O Lord our Lord, how 
admirable is Thy name in all 
the earth! 

Glory be,- etc. 

Ant. Blessed art thou 
amongst women, and blessed 
is the fruit of thy womb. 

Ant. Like unto choice 
myrrh * thou yieldest a sweet 
smell, O holy Mother of God. 

PSALM XVIII. 

HE heavens are telling 
the glory of God; and 
the firmament declareth the 
works of His hands. 

Day unto day uttereth 
speech ; and night unto night 
showeth knowledge. 

They are not speeches nor 
words, whose voices are not 
heard. 

Unto all the earth their 
sound hath gone forth, and 
their words unto the ends of 
the world. 

In the sun hath He set 
His tabernacle; and as a 
bridegroom cometh out His 
bride-chamber 

He hath rejoiced as a 



792 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



rendam viam; * a summo 
coelo egressio ejus. 

Bt occursus ejus usque 
ad summum ejus; * nec est 
qui se absconda.t a calore 
ejus. 

Lex Domini immaculata, 
convertens animas ; * testi- 
monium Domini fidele, sa- 
pientiam praestans parvulis. 

Justitiae Domini rectse, lae- 
tificantes corda ; * praeceptum 
Domini lucidum, illuminans 
oculos. 

Timor Domini sanctus, per- 
manens in saeculum saeculi ; * 
judicia Domini vera, justi- 
ficata in semetipsa. 

Desiderabilia super au- 
rum, et lapidem pretiosum 
multum ; * et dulciora super 
mel et favum. 

Etenim servus tuus custo- 
dit ea;* in custodiendis illis 
retributio multa. 

Delicta quis intelligit? Ab 
occultis meis munda me;* 
et ab alienis parce servo tuo. 

Si mei non fuerint domi- 
nati, tunc immaculatus ero,* 
et emundabor a delicto maxi- 
mo. 

Et erunt ut complaceant 
eloquia oris mei,* et medita- 
tio cordis mei in conspectu 
tuo semper. 

Domine, ad jut or meus,* et 
redemptor meus. 

Gloria Patri, etc 

Ant. Sicut myrrha electa 
odorem dedisti suavitatis, 
sancta Dei Genitrix. 



giant to run His course. His 
going forth is from the end 
of heaven; 

And His course even unto 
the end thereof: and there 
is none that is hid from His 
heat. 

The law of the Lord is with- 
out spot, converting souls: 
the testimony of the Lord is 
faithful, giving wisdom to 
little ones. 

The precepts of the Lord 
are right, rejoicing hearts: 
the commandment of the 
Lord is lightsome, enlighten- 
ing the eyes. 

The fear of the Lord is holy, 
enduring for ever and ever: 
the judgments of the Lord 
are true, justified in them- 
selves. 

More to be desired are they 
than gold and many precious 
stones; and sweeter than 
honey and the honey-comb. 

For Thy servant keepeth 
them; and in keeping them 
there is great reward. 

Who understandeth his 
sins? From my secret ones 
cleanse me, and from stran- 
gers spare Thy servant. 

If they shall have no do- 
minion over me, then shall I 
be without spot: and I shall 
be cleansed from grievous sin. 

And the sayings of my 
mouth and the meditation 
of my heart in Thy sight 
shall be ever pleasing. 

O Lord, my helper and my 
Redeemer. 

Glory be, etc. 

Ant. Like unto choice 
myrrh thou yieldest a sweet 
smell. O holy Mother of God. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 793 



Ant. Ante torum * hujus 
Virginis frequentate nobis 
dulcia cantica dramatis, 



PSALM. XXIII. 

^pVOMIXI est terra, et 
JLJ plenitudo ejus:* or- 
bis terrarum, et universi qui 
habitant in eo. 

Quia ipse super maria fun- 
davit eum,* et super flumi- 
na praeparavit eum. 

Quis ascendet in montem 
Domini ? * aut quis stabit in 
loco sancto ejus? 

Innocens manibus et mun- 
do corde,* qui non accepit 
in vano animam suam, nec 
juravit in dolo proximo suo 

Hie accipiet benedictionem 
a Domino,* et misericordiam 
a Deo salutari suo. 

Haec est generatio quaeren- 
tium eum,* quaerentium fa- 
ciem Dei Jacob. 

Attollite portas, princi- 
pes, vestras, et elevamini 
portae aeternales,* et introibit 
Rex gloriae. 

Quis est iste Rex gloriae ? * 
Dominus fortis et potens, 
Dominus potens in praelio. 

Attollite portas, principes, 
vestras, et elevamini portae 
aeternales,* et introibit Rex 
gloriae. 

Quis est iste Rex gloriae?* 
Dominus virtutum, ipse est 
Rex gloriae. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Ante torum hujus 



Ant. Before this Virgin's 
couch * sing us again and 
again the sweet songs of the 
play. 

PSALM XXIII. 

HE earth is the Lord's, 
and the fulness there- 
of: the world and all they 
that dwell therein. 

For He hath founded it 
upon the seas; and hath 
prepared it upon the rivers. 

Who shall go up to the 
mountain of the Lord? or 
who shall stand in His holy 
place ? 

He that, hath clean hands 
and a pure heart: who hath 
not taken his soul in vain, 
nor sworn deceitfully to his 
neighbor. 

He shall receive a blessing 
from the Lord, and mercy 
from God his Saviour. 

This is the generation of 
them that seek Him: of 
them that seek the face of 
the God of Jacob. 

Lift up your gates, O ye 
princes, and be ye lifted up, 
O eternal gates: and the 
King of glory shall enter in. 

Who is this King of glory? 
The Lord strong and mighty : 
the Lord mighty in battle. 

Lift up your gates, O ye 
princes, and be ye lifted up, 
O eternal gates; and the 
King of glory shall enter in. 

Who is this King of glory? 
The Lord of hosts, He is the 
King of glory. 

Glory be, etc. 

Ant. Before this Virgin's 
couch sing us again and 



794 Officium Parvam BeatcE Maria Virginis. 



Virginis frequentate nobis 
dulcia cantica dramatis. 

Isti ires P salmi sequentes die. 
Feria III et VI ad Noc- 
turnum. 

Ant. Specie tua,* et pul- 
chritudine tua, intende, pro- 
spere procede, et regna. 

psalm, xuv. 

RUCTAVIT cor meum 
verbum bonum;* dico 
ego opera mea Regi. 

Lingua mea calamus scri- 
bae,* velociter scribentis. 

Speciosus forma prae filiis 
hominum, diffusa est gratia 
in labiis tuis ; * propterea 
benedixit te Deus in aster- 
num. 

Accingere gladio tuo super 
femur tuum,* potentissime. 

Specie tua et pulchritu- 
dine tua:* intende, prospere 
procede, et regna. 

Propter veritatem, et man- 
suetudinem, et justitiam;* 
et deducet te mirabiliter dex- 
tera tua. 

Sagittae tuae acutae, populi 
sub te cadent,* in corda ini- 
micorum Regis. 

Sedes tua, Deus, in saecu- 
lum saeculi;* virga directi- 
onis virga regni tui. 

Dilexisti justitiam, et odi- 
sti iniquitatem ; * propterea 
unxit Te Deus, Deus tuus, 
oleo laetitiae prae consortibus 
tuis. 

Myrrha, et gutta, et casia 



again the sweet songs of the 
play. 

The three following Psalms 
are said on Tuesday and 
Friday at the Nocturn. 

Ant. In Thy comeliness * 
and Thy beauty, go forth, 
advance prosperously and 
reign. 

psalm xliv. 

Y heart hath uttered a 
good word: I address 
my works to the King. 

My tongue is the pen of a 
writer that writeth swiftly. 

Thou art beautiful above 
the sons of men, grace is 
poured forth on Thy lips; 
therefore God hath blessed 
Thee for ever. 

Gird Thy sword upon Thy 
thigh, O Thou most mighty. 

With Thy comeliness and 
Thy beauty, bend [Thy 
bow], advance prosperously 
and reign. 

In behalf of truth and 
meekness and justice; and 
Thy right hand shall guide 
Thee wondrously. 

Thine arrows are sharp; 
under Thee shall the peoples 
fall, into the hearts of the 
King's enemies. 

Thy throne, O God, is for 
ever and ever: the scepter 
of Thy kingdom is a scepter 
of uprightness. 

Thou lovest justice and 
hat est iniquity : therefore 
God, Thy God, hath anointed 
Thee with the oil of gladness 
above Thy fellows. 

Myrrh and aloes and cas- 





Officium Parvum Beaicc Mar ice Virginis. 795 



a vestimentis tuis, a domi- 
bus eburneis ; * ex quibus de- 
lecatverunt te filiae regum in 
honore tuo. 

Astitit Regina a dextris 
tuis in vestitu deaurato,* 
circumdata varietate. 

Audi, filia, et vide, et in- 
clina aurem tuam ; * et oblivi- 
scere populum tuum, et do- 
mum patris tui. 

Et concupiscet Rex deco 
rem tuum,* quoniam ipse 
est Dominus Deus tuus, et 
adorabunt eum. 

Et filiae Tyri in muneribus * 
vultum tuum deprecabuntur ; 
omnes divites plebis. 

Omnis gloria ejus filiae Re- 
gis ab intus,* in fimbriis au- 
reis, circumamicta varietati- 
bus. 

Adducentur Regi virgines 
post earn,* proximae ejus affe- 
rentur tibi. 

Afferentur in laetitia et 
exultatione ; * adducentur in 
templum Regis. 

Pro patribus tuis nati 
sunt tibi filii;* constitues 
eos principes super omnem 
terrain. 

Memores erunt nominis 
tui,* in omni generatione et 
generationem. 

Propterea populi confite- 
buntur tibi in aeternum,* et 
in saeculum saeculi. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Specie tua, et pulchri- 
tudine tua, intende, pro- 
spere procede, et regna. 



sia perfume Thy garments, 
from out of ivory palaces: 
from which kings' daughters 
gladden Thee in Thine honor. 

On Thy right hand stand- 
eth the Queen, in golden rai- 
ment wrought about with 
variety. 

Hearken, O daughter, and 
consider, and incline thine 
ear; forget also thine own 
people and thy father's house. 

And the King shall greatly 
desire thy beauty; for He is 
the Lord thy God, and Him 
they shall adore. 

And the daughters of Tyre, 
all the rich ones of the people, 
with gifts shall entreat thy 
face. 

All her glory [is that] of 
the King's daughter from 
within, with fringes of gold, 
arrayed in divers colors. 

After her shall virgins be 
brought unto the King: her 
neighbors shall be brought 
unto thee. 

AVith joy and gladness 
shall they be brought: they 
shall be brought into the 
temple of the King. 

Instead of thy fathers, 
sons are born to thee: thou 
shalt make them princes over 
all the earth. 

They shall be mindful of 
thy name from generation 
to generation. 

Therefore shall the people 
praise thee for ever: yea 
for ever and ever. 

Glory be, etc. 

Ant. In Thy comeliness 
and Thy beauty, go forth, 
advance prosperously and 
reign. 



796 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



Ant. Adjuvabit earn * De- 
us vultu suo: Deus in medio 
ejus, non commovebitur. 

PSALM. XLV. 

*TP\BUS noster refugium, 
JLJ et virtus ; * adjutor in 
tribulationibus quae invene- 
runt nos nimis. 

Propterea non timebimus 
dum turbabitur terra,* et 
transferentur montes in cor 
maris. 

Sonuerunt, et turbatae sunt 
aquae eorum ; * conturbati 
sunt montes in fortitudine 
ejus. 

Fluminis impetus laetineat 
civitatem Dei:* sanctifica- 
vit tabernaculum suum Al- 
tissimus. 

Deus in medio ejus, non 
commovebitur ; * adjuvabit 
earn Deus mane diluculo. 

Conturbatae sunt gentes, 
et inclinata sunt regna : * de- 
dit vocem suam, mota est 
terra. 

Dominus virtutum nobi- 
scum;* susceptor noster De- 
us Jacob. 

Venite, et videte opera 
Domini, quae posuit prodigia 
super terrain,* auferens bella 
usque ad finem terrae. 

Arcum conteret, et confrin- 
get arma,* et scuta com- 
buret igni. 

Vacate, et videte quoniam 
ego sum Deus : * exaltabor in 
gentibus et exaltabor in 
terra. 



Ant. God shall help her* 
with His countenance; God 
is in the midst of her, she 
shall not be moved. 

psalm xlv. 

OUR God is a refuge and 
strength; a helper in 
troubles, which have come 
upon us heavily. 

Therefore shall we not fear 
when the earth shall be 
troubled ; and the mountains 
shall be removed into the 
heart of the sea. 

Their waters roar and 
are troubled: the mountains 
are troubled at the violence 
thereof. 

The stream of the river 
maketh glad the city of 
God: the Most High hath 
hallowed His tabernacle. 

God is in the midst of 
her, she shall not be moved: 
God shall help her in the 
morning early. 

Nations were troubled, and 
kingdoms bowed down: He 
gave forth His voice: the 
earth quaked. 

The Lord of hosts is with 
11s: the God of Jacob is our 
helper. 

Come ye and behold the 
works of the Lord : what won- 
ders He hath wrought upon 
earth, making wars to cease 
even to the ends of the earth. 

He shall break the bow 
and snap the weapons in 
sunder; and the shields shall 
He burn with fire. 

Be still, and see that I am 
God: I will be exalted 
among the nations, and I will 
be exalted in the earth. 



Officium Parvum Beaice Marice Virginis. 797 



Dominus virtutum nobi- 
scum ; * suseeptor noster De- 
us Jacob. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Adjuvabit earn Deus . 
vultu suo: Deus in medio 
ejus, non commovebitur. 

Ant. S i c u t laetantium * 
omnium nostrum habitatio 
est in te, sancta Dei Genitrix. 

psalm, lxxxvi. 

BUNDAMENTA ejus in 
montibus Sanctis ; * di- 
ligit Dominus portas Sion 
super omnia tabernacula Ja- 
cob. 

Gloriosa dicta sunt de te,* 
civitas Dei! 

Memor ero Rahab, et Ba- 
bylonis,* sciendum me. 

Ecce alienigenae, et Tyrus, 
et populus iEthiopum,* hi 
fuerunt illic. 

Numquid Sion dicet: Ho- 
mo et homo natus est in ea,* 
et ipse fundavit earn Altissi- 
mus? 

Dominus narrabit in scrip- 
turis populorum et princi- 
pum * horum qui fuerunt in 
ea. 

Sicut laetantium omnium * 
habitatio est in te. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Sicut laetantium om- 
nium nostrum habitatio est in 
te, sancta Dei Genitrix. 



The Lord of hosts is with 
us: the God of Jacob is our 
helper. 

Glory be, etc. 
Ant. God shall help her 
with His countenance; God 
is in the midst of her ; she 
shall not be moved. 

Ant. As of people all re- 
joicing,* so is our dwelling 
in thee, O holy Mother of 
God. 

PSALM LXXXVI. 

IS foundations are in 
the holy mountains; 
the Lord loveth the gates of 
Sion above all the dwellings 
of Jacob. 

Glorious things are spoken 
of thee, O city of God. 

I will be mindful of Rahab 
and of Babylon, that know 
me. 

Behold strangers, and Tyre, 
and the people of the Ethio- 
pians, these were there. 

Shall it not be said of Sion : 
This one, and that one, is 
born in her. and the Most 
High Himself hath founded 
her? 

The Lord shall tell it in 
His writings of peoples and 
of princes, of them that have 
been in her. 

As of people all rejoicing, 
so is our dwelling in thee. 

Glory be, etc. 

Ant. As of people all re- 
joicing, so is our dwelling in 
thee, O holy Mother of God. 




798 Officium Parvum Bealce Maria Virginis, 



Isti tres Psalmi sequentes di- 
cuntur Feria quarto, et Sab- 
bato ad Nocturnum. 

Ant Gaude, Maria Vir- 
go,* cunctas hsereses sola 
interemisti in universo mun- 
do. 

PSALM. XCV. 

aANTATE Domino canti- 
cum novum,* cant ate 
Domino, omnis terra. 

Cantate Domino, et be- 
nedicite nomini ejus : * annun- 
tiate de die in diem salu- 
tare ejus. 

Annuntiate inter gentes 
gloriam ejus,* in omnibus 
populis mirabilia ejus. 

Quoniam magnus Domi- 
nus, et laudabilis nimis ; * ter- 
ribilis est super omnes deos. 

Quoniam omnes dii genti- 
um daemonia ; * Dominus au- 
tem ccelos fecit. 

Confessio et pulchritudo 
in conspectu ejus;* sancti- 
monia et magnificentia in 
sanctificatione ejus. 

Afferte Domino patriae gen- 
tium; afferte Domino glori- 
am et honorem ; * afferte Do- 
mino gloriam nomini ejus. 

Tollite host i as, et introite 
in atria ejus ; * adorate Do- 
minion in atrio sancto ejus. 

Commoveatur a facie ejus 
universa terra;* dicite in 
Gentibus, quia Dominus reg- 
navit. 

Etenim correxit orbem ter- 
ra?, qui non commovebitur ; * 
judicabit populos in aequitate. 



The three following Psalms 
are said on Wednesday 
and Saturday at the Noc~ 
turn: 

Ant. Rejoice, O Virgin 
Mary,* alone, thou hast de- 
stroyed all heresies through- 
out the world. 

psalm xcv. 

OSING unto the Lord 
a new song: sing 
unto the Lord, all the earth. 

Sing unto the Lord, and 
bless His name: tell forth 
His salvation from day to 
day. 

Tell forth His glory among 
the Gentiles: His wonders 
amongst all peoples. 

For the Lord is great, and 
highly to be praised: He is 
to be feared above all gods. 

For all the gods of the 
Gentiles are devils; 3 ut the 
Lord made the heavens. 

Praise and beauty are be- 
fore Him; holiness and maj- 
esty are in His sanctuary. 

Bring unto the Lord, O ye 
kindred of the Gentiles, bring 
unto the Lord glory and 
honor: bring unto the Lord 
glory unto His name. 

Bring sacrifices, and come 
into His courts: adore ye 
the Lord in His holy court. 

Let all the earth be moved 
at His presence: tell ye 
among the Gentiles that the 
Lord hath reigned. 

For He hath established 
the world, and it shall not 
be moved: He will judge 
the peoples with equity 



Officium Parvutn Bealce Mar ice Virginis. 799 



Laetentur coeli, et exultet 
terra; commoveatur mare et 
plenitudo ejus; * gaudebunt 
campi, et omnia quae in eis 
sunt. 

Tunc exultabunt omnia lig- 
na silvarum a facie Domini, 
quia venit,* quoniam venit 
judicare terram. 

Judicabit orbem terrae in 
sequitate,* et populos in 
veritate sua 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Gaude, Maria Virgo, 
cunctas haereses sola intere- 
misti in universo mundo. 

Ant. Dignare me * laudare 
te, Virgo sacrata : da mihi vir- 
tutem contra hostes tuos. 

psalm, xcvi. 

DOMINUS regnavit ; exul- 
tet terra ; * laetentur 
insulae multae. 

Nubes et caligo in circu- 
itu ejus ; * justitia et judi- 
cium correctio sedis ejus. 

Ignis ante ipsum praece- 
det,* et inflammabit in cir- 
cuitu inimicos ejus. 

Illuxerunt fulgura ejus orbi 
terrae ; * vidit, et commota 
est terra. 

Montes sicut cera fluxerunt 
a facie Domini;* a facie Do- 
mini omnis terra. 

Annuntiaverunt cceli justi- 
tiam ejus ; * et viderunt om- 
nes populi gloriam ejus. 

Confundantur omnes qui 



Let the heavens rejoice 
and let the earth be glad: 
let the sea be moved, and 
the fulness thereof ; the fields 
shall be joyful, and all 
things that are therein. 

Then shall all the trees 
of the A.oods rejoice before 
the face of the Lord, for He 
cometh: for He cometh to 
judge the earth. 

He shall judge the world 
with equity, and the peoples 
in His truth. 

Glory be, etc. 

Ant Rejoice, O Virgin 
Mary, alone thou hast de- 
stroyed all heresies through- 
out the world. 

Ant. Vouchsafe that I * 
may praise thee, holy Vir- 
gin; grant me might against 
thine enemies. 

psalm xcvi. 

HE Lord doth reign; 
let the earth rejoice: 
let the multitude of the isles 
be glad. 

Clouds and darkness are 
round about Him: justice 
and judgment are the foun- 
dation of His throne. 

Fire shall go forth before 
Him, and shall burn up His 
enemies on every side. 

His lightnings shone upon 
the world: the earth saw, 
and was moved. 

The mountains melted like 
wax before the face of the 
Lord; yea, all the earth, at 
the presence of the Lord. 

The heavens declared His 
justice; and all the peoples 
saw His glory. 

Let them all be con- 



8oo Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



adorant sculptilia,* et qui 
gloriantur in simulacris suis. 

Adorate eum, omnes an- 
geli ejus;* audivit, et laetata 
est Sion. 

Et exult averunt filise Ju- 
dae,* propter judicia tua Do- 
mine. 

Quoniam tu Dominus Altis- 
sinms super omnem terram ; * 
nimis exaltatus es super om- 
nes deos. 

Qui diligitis Dominum, odi- 
te malum ; * custodit Domi- 
nus animas sanctorum suo- 
rum, de manu peccatoris li- 
berabit eos. 

Lux orta est justo,* et rec- 
tis corde lsetitia. 

Laetamini, justi, in Do- 
mino ; * et confitemini memo- 
rise sanctificationis ejus. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Dignare me laudare 
te, Virgo sacrata: da mihi 
virtutem contra hostes tuos. 

Ant. Post partum * Virgo 
inviolata permansisti : Dei 
Genitrix, intercede pro nobis. 

In Advent. Ant. Angelus 
Domini * nuntiavit Mariae, 
et concepit de Spiritu sancto. 



PSALM. XCVII. 

OANTATE Domino can- 
ticum novum,* quia 
mirabilia fecit. 

Salvavit sibi dextera ejus,* 
et abrachium sanctum ejus. 



founded that adore graven 
things; and that glory in 
their idols. 

Adore Him all ye, His 
angels; Sion heard, and was 
glad. 

And the daughters of Ju- 
da rejoiced, because of Thy 
judgments, O Lord. 

For Thou art Lord most 
high over all the earth : Thou 
art exalted exceedingly above 
all gods. 

Ye that love the Lord hate 
evil: the Lord keepeth the 
souls of His saints; He will 
deliver them out of the hand 
of the sinner. 

Light is risen tc the just; 
and gladness to such as are 
right of heart. 

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye 
just: and give praise to the 
remembrance of His holi- 
ness. 

Glory be, etc. 

Ant. Vouchsafe that I may 
praise thee, holy Virgin; 
grant me might against thine 
enemies. 

Ant. After childbirth, O 
Virgin, thou didst remain 
inviolate; plead for us, O 
Mother of God. 

In Advent. Ant. The angel 
of the Lord declared unto 
Mary, and she conceived of 
the Holy Ghost. 

PSALM XCVII. 

Q(lNG unto the Lord a 
new song: for He 
hath done wonderful things. 

His right hand and His 
holy arm hath wrought sal- 
vation for Him. 



Officium Parvum Beaice Maria Virginis. 



801 



Notum fecit Dominus sa- 
lutare suum ; * in conspectu 
Gentium revelavit justitiam 
suam. 

Recordatus est miseri- 
cordiae suae,* et veritatis suae 
domui Israel. 

-Viderunt omnes termini 
terras * salutare Dei nostri. 

Jubilate Deo omnis terra;* 
cantate et exultate, et psal- 
lite. 

Psallite Domino in cithara, 
in cithara et voce psalmi;* 
in tubis ductilibus, et voce 
tubae corneae. 



Jubilate in conspectu Regis 
Domini ; * moveatur mare, et 
plenitudo ejus; orbis terra- 
rum, et qui habitant in eo. 



Flumina plaudent manu, 
simul montes exultabunt a 
conspectu Domini, * quo- 
niam venit judicare terram. 

Judicabit orbem terrarum 
in justitia,* et populos in 
aequitate. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Ant. Post partum Virgo 
inviolata permansisti : Dei 
genitrix, intercede pro nobis. 

In Advent. Ant. Angelus 
Domini nuntiavit Mariae, et 
concepit de Spiritu sancto. 
Alleluia. 

V. Diffusa est gratia in 
labiis tuis. 

R. Propterea benedixit te 
Deus in aeternum. 



The Lord hath made 
known His salvation: He 
hath revealed His justice 
in the sight of the Gentiles. 

He hath remembered His 
mercy and His truth toward 
the house of Israel. 

All the ends of the earth 
have seen the salvation of 
Our God. 

Sing joyfully unto God, 
all the earth; sing, rejoice, 
and give praise. 

Give praise unto the Lord 
upon the harp, upon the 
harp and with voice of 
psalms: with the long 
trumpets and sound of the 
horn. 

Sing joyfully before the 
Lord our King; let the 
sea be moved, and the 
fulness thereof; the com- 
pass of the earth, and they 
that dwell therein. 

The rivers shall clap their 
hands, the mountains shall 
rejoice together at the 
presence of the Lord, for He 
cometh to judge the earth. 

He shall judge the world 
with justice, and the peoples 
with equity. 

Glory be, etc. 

Ant. After childbirth, O 
Virgin, thou didst remain 
inviolate; plead for us, O 
Mother of God. 

In Advent. Ant. The 
angel of the Lord declared 
unto Mary, and she con- 
ceived of the Holy Ghost. 
Alleluia. 

V. Grace is poured forth 
upon thy lips. 

R. Therefore God hath 
blessed thee for ever. 



802 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



Pater noster, etc., secreto. 
V. Et ne nos inducas in 
tentationem. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

I, III. Extra et post 
Ad-centum. 



ABSOLUTIO. 

Precibus et meritis beatae 
Mariae semper Virginis, et 
omnium Sanctorum, perdu- 
cat nos Dominus ad regna 
coelorum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Jube, domne, bene- 
dicere. 

BENEDICTIO. 

Xos cum prole pia bene- 
dicat Virgo Maria. 
R. Amen. 

LECTIO I. 
Eccli. xxiv. 
In omnibus requiem quae- 
sivi, et in haereditate Domini 
morabor. Tunc praecepit, et 
dixit mihi Creator omnium: 
et qui creavit me, requievit 
in tabernaculo meo, et dixit 
mihi: In Jacob inhabita, et 
in Israel haereditare, et in 
electis meis mitte radices. 
Tu autem, Domine, miserere 
nobis. 



R. Deo gratms. 

R. Sancta et immaculata 
virginitas, quibus te laudibus 
efTeram nescio: Quia quern 
coeli capere non poterant, tuo 
gremio contulisti. 

V. Benedict a tu in mulie- 



Our Father, etc., in silence. 

V. And lead us not into 
temptation. 

R. But deliver us from 
evil. 

The following Lessons, etc. y 
are said throughout the 
year, except during Ad- 
vent . 

THE ABSOLUTION. 

Through the prayers and 
merits of blessed Mary, ever 
a Virgin, and of all the 
saints, may the Lord bring 
us to the kingdom of heaven. 

R. Amen. 

V. Pray, a blessing. 

THE BLESSING. 

May the Virgin Mary with 
her loving Child bless us. 
R. Amen. 

LESSON i. 
Ecclus. xxiv. 

In all these I sought rest, 
and I shall abide in the 
inheritance of the Lord. 
Then the Creator of all 
things commanded and said 
to me; and He that made 
me rested in my tabernacle, 
and He said to me: Let 
thy dwelling be in Jacob, 
and thine inheritance in 
Israel, and take root in My 
chosen people. Do Thou, 
Lord, have mercy on us. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

R. O holy and immacu- 
late virginity, I know not 
with what praises to extol 
thee. For Him Whom 
heaven could not hold thou 
didst carry at thy bosom. 

V. Blessed art thou 



Officium Parvum Beatce Marice Virginis. 803 



ribus, et benedictus fructus 
ventris tui. Quia quern coeli 
capere non poterant, tuo 
gremio contulisti. 

V. Jube, domne, bene- 
dicere. 

BENEDICTIO. 

Ipsa Virgo virginum 
intercedat pro nobis ad 
Dominum. 

R. Amen. 

LECTIO 11. 
Et sic in Sion firmata sum, 
et in civitate sanctificata 
similiter requievi, et in Jeru- 
salem potestas mea. Et 
radicavi in populo honori- 
ficato, et in parte Dei mei 
haereditas illius, et in ple- 
nitudine Sanctorum detentio 
mea. Tu autem, Domine, 
miserere nobis. 

R. Deo gratias. 

R. Beata es, Virgo Maria, 
quae Dominum portasti Crea- 
torem mundi. Genuisti qui 
te fecit, et in aeternum 
permanes Virgo. 



V. Ave Maria, gratia 
plena : Dominus tecum. 
Genuisti qui te fecit, et in 
aeternum permanes Virgo. 

Ouando dicitur Te Deum 
laudamus, assumitur in 
fine hujus Res pons orii: 

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et 
Spiritui Sancto. Genuisti qui 



amongst women, and blessed 
is the fruit of thy womb. 
For Him Whom heaven 
could not hold thou didst 
carry at thy bosom. 
V. Pray, a blessing. 

THE BLESSING. 

May the Virgin of virgins 
herself plead for us before 
the Lord. 

R. Amen. 

LESSON 11. 

And so was I established 
in Sion, and in the holy 
city likewise I rested; and 
my power was in Jerusalem, 
And I took root in an honor- 
able people, and in the por- 
tion of my God is His 
inheritance, and my abode 
is in the full assembly of 
saints. Do Thou, Lord, have 
mercy on us. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

R. Blessed art thou, O 
Virgin Mary, who didst bear 
the Lord, the Creator of 
the world. Thou didst bring 
forth Him that made thee 
and remainest a virgin for 
ever. 

V. Hail, Mary, full of 
grace, the Lord is with 
thee. Thou didst bring forth 
Him that made thee, and 
remainest a virgin for ever. 

When the Te Deum is said y 
at the end of the Respon- 
sory is added: 

Glory be to the Father, 
and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost. Thou didst 
bring forth Him that made 



804 Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



te fecit, et in aeternum 
permanes Virgo. 

V. Jube, domne, benedi- 
cere. 

BENKDICTIO. 

Per Virginem Matrem 
concedat nobis Dominus salu- 
tem et pacem. 

R. Amen. 

LECTIO III. 

Quasi cedrus exaltata sum 
in Libano, et quasi cypressus 
in monte Sion; quasi palma 
exaltata sum in Cades, et 
quasi plantatio rosae in Jeri- 
co. Quasi oliva speciosa in 
campis, et quasi platanus 
exaltata sum juxta aquam 
in plateis. Sicut cinnamo- 
mum et balsamum aroma- 
tizans odorem dedi: quasi 
myrrha electa dedi suavi- 
tatem odoris. Tu autem, 
Domine miserere nobis. 

R. Deo gratias. 

Sequens Res pons orium omit- 
titur quando dicitur Te 
Deum. 

R. Felix namque es, sacra 
Virgo Maria, et omni laude 
dignissima: Quia ex te or- 
tus est sol justitiae, Christus 
Deus noster. 

V. Ora pro populo, inter- 
^vreni pro clero, intercede 
pro devoto femineo sexu; 
sentiant omnes tuum juva- 
men, quicumque celebrant 
tuam sanctam commemora- 
tionem. Quia ex te ortus 
est sol justitiae, Christus Deus 
-noster. 



thee, and remainest a virgin 
for ever. 
V. Pray, a blessing. 

THE BLESSING. 

Through the Virgin Mother 
may the Lord grant us 
salvation and peace. 

R. Amen. 

LESSON III. 

I was exalted like a cedar 
in Lebanon, and as a cypress- 
tree on Mount Sion. I was 
exalted like a palm-tree in 
Cades, and as a rose-plant 
in Jericho. As a fair olive- 
tree in the plains, and as a 
plane-tree by the water in 
the streets, was I exalted. I 
gave forth a sweet fragrance 
like cinnamon and aromatic 
balm. I yielded a sweet 
smell like choicest myrrh. 
Do Thou, Lord, have mercy 
on us. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

When the Te Deum is said, 
the following Res pons or y 
is omitted. 

R. Happy indeed art thou, 
O holy Virgin Mary, and 
most worthy of all praise: 
For out of thee arose the 
Sun of righteousness, Christ 
our God. 

V. Pray for the people, 
intercede for the clergy, 
plead for religious women. 
Let all enjoy thine aid 
who keep holy commem- 
oration of thee. For out 
of thee arose the Sun of 
righteousness, Christ our God. 



Officium Parvum Beata? Mar ice Virginis. 



805 



V. Gloria Patri, et ' Filio, 
et Spiritui Sancto. Christus 
Deus noster. 

Sequens Hymnus Te Deum 
die. a Nativ. Domini usque 
ad Septnag., et a Dom. 
Resurrectionis usque ad Ad- 
vent., et quando dicitur, 
omittitur III Responsorium, 
et in II Responsorio dicitur 
Gloria Patri, ut dictum 
est supra: in Adventu autem 
et a Septuag. usque ad Pa- 
scha non die. nisi in Festis 
B. Mar ice. 



HYMNUS SS. AMBROSII ET 
AUGUSTINI. 

E Deum laudamus : * te 
Dominum confitemur. 

Te aeternum Patrem : * om- 
nis terra veneratur. 

Tibi omnes Angeli,* tibi 
cceli, et universal Potestates: 

Tibi Cherubim et Sera- 
phim * incessabili voce pro- 
clamant : 

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, 
* Dominus Deus Sabaoth 

Pleni sunt coeli et terra * 
majestatis gloriae tuae. 

Te gloriosus * Apostolo- 
rum chorus, 

Te Prophetarum laudabilis 
numerus, 

Te Martyrum candidatus * 
laudat exercitus. 

Te per orbem terrarum * 
sancta confitetur Ecclesia, 



V. Glory be to the Father* 
and to the Son, and to the 
Holy Ghost. Christ our God. 

.The following Hymn, Te De- 
um, is said from Christmas 
until Septuagesima, and 
from Easter Sunday until 
Advent. When it is said, 
the third Responsory is 
omitted, and Gloria Patri 
is said in the second Re- 
sponsory, as was noted above. 
In Advent and from Sep- 
tuagesima until Easter it 
is only said on festivals of 
the Blessed Virgin. 

HYMN OF SS. AMBROSE AND 
AUGUSTINE. 

f H praise Thee, O God; 
vxA> we acknowledge Thee 
to be the Lord. 

Thee, the Father everlast- 
ing, all the earth doth wor- 
ship. 

To Thee all the angels, to 
Thee the heavens, and all 
the powers, 

To Thee the cherubim and 
Seraphim cry out without 
ceasing: 

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord 
God of hosts. 

Full are the heavens and 
the earth of the majesty of 
Thy glory. 

Thee the glorious choir of 
the apostles, 

Thee the admirable com- 
pany of the prophets, 

Thee the white-robed army 
of martyrs doth praise. 

Thee the holy Church 
throughout the world doth 
confess, 



<5 



So 6 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



Patrem * immensae Ma- 
jestatis, 

Venerandum tuum verum,* 
et unicum Filium, 

Sanctum quoque Paracli- 
tum Spiritum. 

Tu Rex gloriae,* Christe. 

Tu Patris * sempiternus 
es Filius. 

Tu ad liberandum suscep- 
turus hominem,* non horru- 
isti Virginis uterum. 

Tu, devicto mortis aculeo,* 
aperuisti credentibus regna 
ccelorum 

Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes,* 
in gloria Patris. 

Judex crederis * esse ventu- 
rus. 

* Te ergo quaesumus, tuis 
famulis subveni:* quos pre- 
tioso sanguine redemisti. 

iEterna fac cum Sanctis 
tuis * in gloria numerari. 

Salvum fac populum tuum, 
Domine ; * et benedic hae- 
reditati tuae. 

Bt rege eos,* et extolle illos 
usque in aeternum. 

Per singulos dies * bene 
dicimus te. 

Et laudamus nomen tuum 
in saeculum,* et in saeculum 
saeculi. 

Dignare, Domine, die isto * 
sine peccato nos custodire. 

Miserere nostri, Domine : * 
miserere nostri. 

Fiat misericordia tua, Do- 



The Father of incompre- 
hensible Majesty, 

Thine adorable, true, and 
only Son, 

And the Holy Ghost the 
Paraclete. 

Thou, O Christ, art the 
King of glory. 

Thou art the everlasting 
Son of the Father. 

Thou, having taken upon 
Thee to deliver man, didst 
not disdain the Virgin's 
womb. 

Thou, having overcome 
the sting of death, hast 
opened to believers the king- 
dom of heaven. 

Thou sittest at the right 
hand of God, in the glory of 
the Father. 

Thou, we believe, art the 
Judge to come. 

* We beseech Thee, there- 
fore, to help Thy servants, 
whom Thou hast redeemed 
with Thy precious blood. 

Make them to be num- 
bered with Thy saints in 
glory everlasting. 

O Lord, save Thy people, 
and bless Thine inheritance. 

And govern them, and 
exalt them for ever. 

Day by day we bless Thee. 

And we praise Thy name 
for ever; yea, for ever and 
eve^. 

Vouchsafe, O Lord, this 
day, to keep us without sin. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord ; 
have mercy on us. 

Let Thy mercy, O Lord, 



* Kneel at this verse. 



Officium Parvum Beaia Mar ice, Virginis. 807 



mine, super nos : * quemad- 
modum speravimus in te. 

In te, Domine, speravi: * 
non confundar in aeternum. 



II. In Adventu. 



ABSOLUTIO. 

Precibus et meritis beatae 
Mariae semper Virginis, et 
omnium Sanctorum, perdu- 
cat nos Dominus ad regna 
ccelorum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Jube, domne, benedi- 
cere. 

BENEDICTIO. 

Nos cum prole pia bene- 
dicat Virgo Maria 
R. Amen. 

LECTIO 1. 
Luc. i. 

Missus est Angelus Ga- 
briel a Deo in civitatem 
Galilaeae, cui nomen Naza- 
reth, ad Virginem desponsa- 
tam viro, cui nomen erat 
Joseph, de domo David, et 
nomen Virginis Maria. Et 
ingressus Angelus ad earn, 
dixit: Ave, gratia plena: Do- 
minus tecum: benedicta ut 
in mulieribus. Tu autem, 
Domine, miserere nobis 

R. Deo gratias. 

R. Missus est Gabriel ange- 
us ad Mariam Virginem de- 
sponsatam Joseph, nuntians 
ei verbum, et expavescit 
Virgo de lumine. Ne ti- 
meas, Maria, invenisti gra- 
tiam apud Dominum: Ecce 



be upon us; as we have 
trusted in Thee. 

In Thee, O Lord, have I 
trusted: let me not be con- 
founded for ever. 

The following Lessons, etc., 
are said during Advent. 

THE ABSOLUTION. 

Through the prayers and 
merits of Blessed Mary, ever 
a virgin, and of all the saints, 
may the Lord bring us to the 
kingdom of heaven. 

R. Amen. 

V. Pray, a blessing. 

THE BLESSING. 

May the Virgin Mary with 
her loving Child bless us. 
R. Amen. 

LESSON I. 
Luke i. 

The angel Gabriel was 
sent from God into a city of 
Galilee called Nazareth, to a 
Virgin espoused to a man 
whose name was Joseph, 
of the house of David; and 
the Virgin's name was Mary. 
And the angel being come in, 
said unto her: Hail, full of 
grace, the Lord is with thee: 
blessed art thou amongst 
women. Do thou, Lord, 
have mercy on us. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

R. The angel Gabriel was 
sent to Mary, the Virgin, who 
was espoused to Joseph, de- 
claring to her the word, and 
the Virgin trembles at the 
light. Fear not, Mary, thou 
hast found grace with the 



So 8 Officium Parvum BeaiCB Mar ice Virginis. 



concipies, et paries, et voca- 
bitur Altissimi Filius. 

V. Dabit ei Dominus De- 
us sedem David patris ejus, 
et regnabit in domo Jacob in 
aeternum. Ecce concipies, et 
paries, et vocabitur Altissimi 
Filius. 



V. Jube, domne, benedi- 
cere. 

BENEDICTIO. 

Ipsa Virgo virginum inter- 
cedat pro nobis ad Dominum. 

R. Amen. 

LECTIO II. 

Quae cum audisset, turba- 
ta est in sermone ejus, et 
cogitabat qualis esset ista 
salutatio. Et ait angelus ei: 
Ne timeas Maria, invenisti 
enim gratiam apud Deum: 
Ecce concipies in utero, et 
paries Filium, et vocabis 
nomen ejus Jesum. Hie 
erit magnus, et Filius Al- 
tissimi vocabitur, et dabit 
illi Dominus Deus sedem Da- 
vid patris ejus, et regnabit 
in domo Jacob in aeternum, 
et regni ejus non erit finis. 
Tu autem, Domine, miserere 
nobis. 



R. Deo gratias. 
R. Ave, Maria, gratia ple- 
na: Dominus tecum. Spi- 



Lord: Behold thou shalt 
conceive, and shalt bring 
forth, and He shall be called 
the Son of the Most High. 

V. The Lord shall give 
unto Him the throne of 
David His father, and He 
shall reign i in the house of 
Jacob for ever. Behold, thou 
shalt conceive, and shalt bring 
forth, and He shall be called 
the Son of the Most High. 

V. Pray, a blessing. 

THE BLESSING. 

May the Virgin of virgins 
herself plead for us before 
the Lord. 

R. Amen. 

LESSON II. 

And when she had heard 
these things, she was troubled 
at his saying, and thought 
within herself what manner 
of salutation this should be. 
And the angel said unto her: 
Fear not, Mary, for thou 
hast found grace with God, 
Behold, thou shalt conceive 
in the womb, and shalt bring 
forth a Son, and thou shalt 
call His name Jesus. He 
shall be great, and shall be 
called the Son of the Most 
High. And the Lord God 
will give unto Him the 
throne of David His father, 
and He shall reign in the 
house of Jacob for ever ; and 
of His kingdom there shall 
be no end. Do thou, Lord, 
have mercy on us. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

R. Hail, Mary, full of 
grace, the Lord is with thee. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 809 



ritus sanctus superveniet in 
te, et virtus Altissimi obum- 
brabit tibi. quod enim ex 
te nascetur sanctum, voca- 
bitur Filius Dei. 

V. Quomodo net istud, quo- 
niam virum non cognosco? 
Et respondens Angelus, dixit 
ei: Spiritus sanctus superve- 
niet in te, et virtus Altissimi 
obumbrabit tibi: quod enim 
ex te nascetur sanctum, voca- 
bitur Filius Dei. 

V. Jube, domne, benedi- 
cere. 

bexedictio. 

Per Virginem matrem con- 
cedat nobis Dominus salu- 
tem et pacem. 

R. Amen. 

lectio in. 

Dixit autem Maria ad Ange- 
lum: Ouomodo net istud, 
quoniam virum non cog- 
nosco ? Et respondens, 
Angelus dixit ei: Spiritus 
sanctus superveniet in te, 
et virtus Altissimi obum- 
brabit tibi. Ideoque et quod 
nascetur ex te sanctum, vo- 
cabitur Filius Dei. Et ecce 
Elizabeth cognata tua, et 
ipsa concepit Filium in 
senectute sua: et hie mensis 
sextus est illi quae vocatur 
sterilis: quia non erit im- 
possibile apud Deum omne 
verbum. Dixit autem 
Maria: ecce ancilla Domini, 
fiat mihi secundum verbum 



The Holy Ghost shall come 
upon thee, and the power of 
the Most High shall over- 
shadow thee; for the Holy 
which shall be born of thee 
shall be called the Son of God. 

V. How shall this be done, 
seeing I know not man? And 
the angel answering said unto 
her: The Holy Ghost shall 
come upon thee, and the 
power of the Most High shall 
overshadow thee; for the 
Holy which shall be born of 
thee shall be called the Son 
of God. 

V. Pray, a blessing. 

THE BLESSING. 

Through the Virgin Mother 
may the Lord grant us salva- 
tion and peace. 

R. Amen. 

LESSON III. 

And Mary said to the, an- 
gel: How shall this be done, 
seeing I know not man ? 
And the angel answering said 
unto her: The Holy Ghost 
shall come upon thee, and 
the power of the Most 
High shall overshadow thee. 
And therefore also the Holy 
which shall be born of 
thee shall be called the 
Son of God. And behold, 
thy cousin Elizabeth, she 
also hath conceived a son 
in her old age, and this is 
the sixth month with her 
who is called barren; for 
no word shall be impossible 
with God. And Mary said: 
Behold the handmaid of the 
Lord, be it done to me 



8io Officium Parvum Beatcz Maria Virginis. 



tuum. Tu autem, Domine, 
miserere nobis. 

R. Deo gratias. 

R. Suscipe verbum, Virgo 
Maria, quod tibi a Domino 
per Angelum transmissum 
est: concipies, et paries 
Deum pariter et hominem. 
Ut benedicta dicaris inter 
omnes mulieres. 

V. Paries quidem Filium, 
et virginitatis non patieris 
detrimentum: efficieris gra- 
vida, et eris mater semper 
intacta. Ut benedicta dica- 
ris inter omnes mulieres. 
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et 
Spiritui Sancto. Ut bene- 
dicta dicaris inter omnes 
mulieres. 



according to thy word. Do 
Thou, Lord, have mercy on 
us. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

R. Receive, O Virgin 
Mary, the word which the 
Lord hath sent thee through 
an angel: Thou shal-t con- 
ceive, and shalt bring forth 
both God and man, that 
thou mayest be called 
blessed amongst all women. 

V. Yea, thou shalt bring 
forth a Son, and shalt suffer 
no loss of virginity: thou 
shalt be with child, and 
shalt be a mother ever 
undefiled. That thou mayest 
be called blessed amongst 
all women. Glory be to 
the Father, and to the Son, 
and to the Holy Ghost. 
That thou mayest be called 
blessed amongst all women. 



AT I 

Deus, in adjutorium meum 
intende. 

R. Domine ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Alleluia, vel Laus tibi, 
Domine, Rex aeternae gloriae. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Assumpta est * Maria 
in ccelum, gaudent Angeli, 
laudantes benedicunt Domi- 
num. 

77. in Adventu. 

Ant. Missus est * Gabriel 
Angelus ad Mariam Virgi- 
nem desponsatam Joseph. 



O God, hasten to mine 
aid. 

R. O Lord, make haste 
to help me. 

Glory be, etc. 

Alleluia, or Praise be to 
Thee, O Lord, King of 
everlasting glory. 

From Candlemas until Advent. 

Ant. Mary is taken up * 
into heaven, the angels re- 
joice, and "praising, bless the 
Lord. 

During Advent. 

Ant The angel Gabriel was 
sent * to Mary the Virgin, 
who was espoused to Joseph. 



Officium Parvum BeaicE Maria Virginis. 811 



777. Post Adventum. 

Ant. O admirabile com- 
mercium ! * Creator generis 
humani, animatum corpus 
sumens, de Virgine nasci 
dignatus est: et procedens 
homo sine semine, largitus 
est nobis suam Deitatem. 

psalm, xcn. 

DOMINUS regnavit, de- 
corem indutus est,* 
indutus est Dominus forti- 
tudinem, et praecinxit se. 

Ktenim firmavit orbem 
terrae,* qui non commove- 
bitur. 

Parata sedes tua ex tunc ; * 
a saeculo tu es. 

Elevaverunt flumina, Do- 
mine,* elevaverunt flumina 
vocem suam. 

Elevaverunt flumina fluc- 
tus suos,* a vocibus aqua- 
rum mult arum. 

Mirabiles elationes maris ; * 
mirabilis in altis Dominus. 

Testimonia tua credibilia 
facta sunt nimis : * Domum 
tuam decet sanctitudo, Do- 
mine, in longitudinem dierum. 

Gloria Patri. etc. 

I. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Assumpta est Maria 
in coelum, gaudent Angeli, 
laudantes benedicunt Do- 
minum. 

Ant. Maria Virgo * as- 



From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. O wondrous union! 
The Creator of mankind, 
-taking a living body, vouch- 
safed to be born of a Virgin, 
and becoming man, con- 
ceived without seed, be- 
stowed upon us His God- 
head. 

psalm XCII. 

HE Lord reigneth: He 
is clothed with beauty : 
the Lord is clothed with 
strength, and hath girded 
Himself. 

For He hath 'stablished 
the world, which shall not 
be moved. 

Thy throne is prepared 
of old: Thou art from 
everlasting. 

The floods have lifted 
up, O Lord: the floods 
have lifted up their voice. 

The floods have lifted 
up their waves, with the 
noise of many waters. 

Wonderful are the surges 
of the sea: wonderful is the 
Lord on high. 

Thy testimonies are made 
exceedingly trustworthy : 
holiness becometh Thine 
house, O Lord, unto length 
of days. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. Mary is taken up 
into heaven, the angels re- 
joice, and praising, bless the 
Lord. 

Ant The Virgin Mary* 



812 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



sumpta est ad aethereum 
thalamum, in quo Re:: regum 
stellate sedet solio. 

II. In Ad-jentu. 

Ant. Missus est Gabriel 
Angelus ad Mariam Virginem 
desponsatam Joseph. 

Ant. Ave, Maria,* gratia 
plena, Dominus tecum: bene- 
dieta tu in mulieribus, Alle- 
luia. 

HX. Post Adventum. 

Ant. O admirabile com- 
mercium ! Creator generis 
humane animatum corpus su- 
mens, de Yirgine nasci 
dignatus est: et procedens 
homo sine semine, largitus 
est nobis suam Deitatem. 

Ant. Ouando natus es * 
ineffabiliter ex Yirgine, tunc 
impletae sunt Scripturae sicut 
pluvia in vellus descendisti, 
ut salvum faceres genus 
humanum ; te laudamus, 
Deus noster. 



is taken up into the heavenly 
bride-chamber, where the 
King of kings sitteth on a 
starry throne. 

During Advent. 

Ant. The angel Gabriel 
was sent to Mary the Virgin, 
who was espoused to Joseph. 

Ant. Hail, Mary * full of 
grace, the Lord is with 
thee; blessed art thou 
amongst women, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. O wondrous union! 
The Creator of mankind, 
taking a living body, vouch- 
safed to be born of a Virgin, 
and becoming man, con- 
ceived without seed, be- 
stowed upon us His God- 
head. 

Ant. When Thou wert 
wondrously born * of a 
Virgin, then were the Scrip- 
tures fulfilled: Thou earnest 
down like the rain upon the 
fleece, that Thou mightest 
save mankind. We praise 
Thee, Our God. 



PSALM. XCIX. 

UBILATE Deo, omnis 
terra;* servite Domino 
in laetitia. 

Introite in conspectu ejus:* 
in exult atione. 

Scitote quoniam Dominus 
ipse est Deus ; * ipse fecit 
nos, et non ipsi nos. 

Populus ejus et oves 
pascuae ejus,* introite port as 



PSALM XCIX. 

ING joyfully unto God 
all the earth: serve 
ye the Lord with gladness. 

Come in before His pres- 
ence with exceeding joy. 

Know ye that the Lord 
He is God : He hath made 
us, and not we ourselves. 

We are His people and 
the sheep of His pasture: 
go ye into His gates with 
thanksgiving, and into His 



3 



& 



Officium Parvum Beataz Mar ice Yirginis. 813 



ejus in confessione, atria ejus 
in hymnis ; conntemini illi. 

Laudate nomen ejus, quo- 
niam suavis est Dominus ; in 
aeternum misericordia ejus,* 
et usque in generationem et 
generationem Veritas ejus. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

I. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Maria Virgo as- 
sumpta est ad aethereum 
thalamum, in quo Rex regum 
stellato sedet solio. 

Ant. In odorem * unguen- 
torum tuorum currimus : 
adolescentulae dilexerunt te 
nimis. 

II. In Adventu. 

Ant. Ave, Maria, gratia 
plena, Dominus tecum : bene- 
dicta tu in mulieribus, 
Alleluia. 

Ant. Ne timeas Maria:* 
invenisti gratiam apud Do- 
minum: ecce concipies, et 
paries Filium, Alleluia. 

777. Post Adventiim. 

Ant. Ouando natus es 
inettabiliter ex Virgine, tunc 
impletae sunt Scripturse : 
sicut pluvia in vellus descen- 
disti, ut salvum faceres genus 
humanum : te laudamus, 
Deus noster. 

Ant. Rubum, quern vide- 
rat Moyses * incombustum, 
conservatam agnovimus tu- 
am laudabilem virginitatem : 



courts with hymns; and 
give thanks unto Him. 

Praise ye His name; for 
the Lord is gracious, His 
mercv is for ever, and His 
truth endureth from genera- 
tion to generation. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

The Virgin Mary is taken 
up into the heavenly bride- 
chamber, where the King 
of kings sitteth on a starry 
throne. 

Ant. We run after the 
sweet smell * of thine oint- 
ments; maidens love thee 
exceedingly . 

During Advent. 

Ant. Hail, Mary, full of 
grace, the Lord is with 
thee; blessed art thou 
amongst women, Alleluia. 

Ant. Fear not, Mary:* 
thou hast found grace before 
the Lord: behold, thou shalt 
conceive, and shalt bring 
forth a Son, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. When Thou wert 
wondrously born of a Virgin, 
then were the Scriptures 
fulfilled; Thou earnest down 
like the rain upon the 
fleece, that Thou mightest 
save mankind. We praise 
Thee, Our God. 

Ant. The bush which Mo- 
ses saw * unconsumed we 
acknowledge to be thine ad- 
mirable virginity, which thou 



8 1 4 Officium Parvum Beatce Marice Virginis. 



Dei Genitrix, intercede pro 
nobis. 

psalm, lxii. 

*-p*\EUS, Deus meus* adte 
\J de luce vigilo. 

Sitivit in te anima mea;* 
quam multipliciter tibi caro 
mea! 

In terra deserta, et invia, 
et inaquosa,* sic in sancto 
apparui tibi, ut viderem vir- 
tutem tuam et gloriam tuam. 

Quoniam melior est miseri- 
cordia tua super vitas,* la- 
bia mea laudabunt te. 

Sic benedicam te in vita 
mea;* et in nomine tuo le- 
vabo manus meas. 

Sicut adipe et pinguedine 
repleatur anima mea,* et la- 
biis exultationis laudabit os 
meum. 

Si memor fui tui super 
stratum meum, in matutinis 
meditabor in te;* quia fuisti 
adjutor meus. 

Et in velamento alarum 
tuarum exultabo, adhsesit 
anima mea post te ; * me sus- 
cepit dextera tua. 

Ipsi vero in vanum quaesi- 
erunt animam meam; introi- 
bunt in inferiora terrae;* tra- 
dentur in manus gladii; par- 
tes vulpium erunt. 



Rex vero laetabitur in Deo ; 
laudabuntur omnes qui ju- 



didst keep inviolate; O 
Mother of God, plead for us. 

psalm lxii. 

OGOD, my God, to Thee 
do I wake at break of 

day. 

For Thee my soul thirsteth ; 
for Thee my flesh longeth, O 
how exceedingly! 

In a desert, pathless, and 
waterless land: so have I 
come before Thee in the holy 
place, that I might see Thy 
power and Thy glory. 

For Thy mercy is better 
than life: my lips shall 
praise Thee. 

Thus will I bless Thee all 
my life long; and in Thy 
name will I lift up my hands. 

Let my soul be filled as 
with marrow and fatness; 
and my mouth shall praise 
Thee with joyful lips. 

If I have remembered Thee 
upon my bed, on Thee will I 
meditate in the morning; be- 
cause Thou hast been my 
helper. 

And I will rejoice under 
the covert of Thy wings : my 
soul cleaveth unto Thee; 
Thy right hand upholdeth 
me. 

But they seek my soul in 
vain: they shall go into the 
lower parts of the earth: 
they shall be delivered into 
the power of the sword: 
they shall be portions for 
foxes. 

But the king shall rejoice 
in God, all they that swear 
by Him shall be praised: 
because the mouth of them 



Officiiim Parvum Bealce Maria, Virginis. 815 



rant in eo,* quia obstructum 
est os loquentium iniqua. 
Non die. Gloria Patri. 

PSALM. LXVI. 

BE US misereatur nostri, 
et benedicat nobis ; * 
illuminet vultum suum super 
nos, et misereatur nostri. 

Ut cognoscamus in terra 
viam tuam,* in omnibus 
gentibus salutare tuum. 

Confiteantur tibi populi, 
Deus,* confiteantur tibi po- 
puli omnes. 

Laetentur et exultent gen- 
tes,* quoniam judicas popu- 
los in aequitate, et gentes in 
terra dirigis. 

Confiteantur tibi populi, 
Deus, confiteantur tibi po- 
puli omnes ; * terra dedit f ruc- 
tum suum. 

Benedicat nos Deus, Deus 
noster, benedicat nos Deus,* 
et metuant eum omnes fines 
terrae. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. In odorem unguento- 
rum tuorum currimus: ado- 
lescentulse dilexerunt te ni- 
mis. 

Ant. Benedicta, filia,* tu 
a Domino, quia per te fruc- 
tum vitse communicavimus. 



II In Adventu. 

Ant. Ne timeas, Maria: in- 
venisti gratiam apud Do- 



that speak wicked things 
is stopped. 

Gloria Patri is not said. 

PSALM LXVI. 

/T^fOD be merciful unto us, 
ViJ and bless us: cause 
His countenance to shine 
upon us, and be merciful 
unto us. 

That we may know Thy 
way upon earth: Thy sal- 
vation in all nations. 

Let the peoples give thanks 
to Thee, O God: let all the 
peoples give Thee thanks. 

O let the nations be glad 
and rejoice; for Thou judgest 
the peoples with justice, and 
governest the nations upon 
earth. 

Let the peoples give thanks 
to Thee, O God: let all the 
peoples give Thee thanks; 
the earth hath yielded her 
fruit. 

May God, even our own 
God, bless us, may God bless 
us; and may all the ends of 
the earth fear Him. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. We run after the 
sweet smell of Thine oint- 
ments; maidens love Thee 
exceedingly. 

Ant. Blessed art thou, 
daughter,* of the Lord, for, 
through thee do we share in 
the fruit of life. 

During Advent. 

Ant. Fear not, Mary; thou 
hast found grace before the 



816 Officium Parvum Beatcc Maria Virginis. 



minum: ecce concipies, et 
paries Filium, Alleluia. 

Ant. Dabit ei Dominus * 
sedem David patris ejus, et 
regnabit in aeternum. 

77/. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Rubum, quern viderat 
Moyses incombustum, conser- 
vatam agnovimus tuam lau- 
dabilem virginitatem : Dei 
Genitrix, intercede pro nobis. 

Ant. Germinavit radix Jes- 
se.* orta est Stella ex Jacob: 
Virgo peperit Salvatorem: te 
laudamus, Deus noster. 



Lord: behold, thou shalt con- 
ceive, and shalt bring forth 
a Son, Alleluia. 

Ant. The Lord shall give 
unto Him * the throne of 
David His father, and He 
shall reign for ever. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. The bush which Mo- 
ses saw unconsumed we ac- 
knowledge to be thine ad- 
mirable virginity, which thou 
didst keep inviolate; O 
Mother of God, plead for us. 

Ant. The root of Jesse 
hath budded,* a star hath 
arisen out of Jacob: a Vir- 
gin hath brought forth a 
Saviour; we give praise to 
Thee, Our God. 



CANTICUM TRIUM PUERORUM. CANTICLE OF THE THREE 

CHILDREN. 

Dan. Hi. Dan. Hi. 

BENEDICITE, omnia *ZT*LL ye works of the 

opera Domini, Do- <*a-*- Lord, bless the Lord, 

mino;* laudate et superex- praise and exalt Him above 

altate eum in Saecula. all for ever. 

Benedicite, angeli Domi- ye angels of the Lord, 

ni, Domino;* benedicite, cce- bless the Lord: O ye heav- 

li, Domino. ens, bless the Lord. 

Benedicite, aquae omnes, O all ye waters that are 

quae super coelos sunt, Do- above the heavens, bless 

mino ; * benedicite, omnes vir- the Lord : O all ye powers 

tutes Domini, Domino. of the Lord, bless the Lord. 

Benedicite, sol et luna, Do- O ye sun and moon, bless 

mino ; * benedicite, stellae the Lord ; O ye stars of 

cceli, Domino. heaven, bless the Lord. 

Benedicite, omnis imber et O every shower and dew, 

ros, Domino;* benedicite, bless ye the Lord; O all ye 

omnes spiritus Dei, Domino, spirits of God, bless the Lord. 

Benedicite, ignis et aestus, O ye fire and heat, bless 

Domino;* benedicite, frigus the Lord; O ye cold and 

et aestus, Domino. heat, bless the Lord. 



Officium Parvum Beataz Maria Virginis. 817 



Benedicite, rores et pruina, 
Domino ; * benedicite, gelu et 
frigus, Domino. 

Benedicite, glacies et ni- 
ves, Domino ; * benedicite. 
noctes et dies, Domino. 

Benedicite, lux et tenebrae, 
Domino ; * benedicite, f ulgura 
et nubes, Domino. 

Benedicat terra Domi- 
num ; * laudet et superex- 
altet eum in saecula. 

Benedicite, montes et col- 
les, Domino ; * benedicite, 
universa germinantia in terra, 
Domino. 

Benedicite, fontes, Domi- 
no ; * benedicite, maria et flu- 
mina, Domino. 

Benedicite, cete, et omnia 
quae moventur in aquis, Do- 
mino ; * benedicite, omnes vo- 
lucres coeli, Domino 

Benedicite, omnes bestiae et 
pecora, Domino;* benedicite, 
filii hominum, Domino. 

Benedicat Israel Domi- 
num;* laudet et superex- 
altet eum in saecula. 

Benedicite, sacerdotes Do- 
mini, Domino ; * benedicite, 
servi Domini, Domino. 

Benedicite, spiritus et ani- 
mae justorum, Domino;* be- 
nedicite, sancti et humiles 
corde, Domino. 

Benedicite, Anania, Aza- 
ria, Misael, Domino;* lau- 
date et superexaltate eum in 
saecula. 

Benedicamus Patrem, et 
Filium, cum sancto Spiritu ; * 
laudemus et superexaltemus 
eum in saecula. 



O ye dews and hoar- 
frosts, bless the Lord; O 
ye frost and cold, bless the 
Lord. 

O ye ice and snow, bless 
the Lord; O ye nights and 
days, bless the Lord. 

O ye light and darkness, 
bless the Lord; O ye light- 
nings and clouds, bless the 
Lord. 

O let the earth bless the 
Lord; let it praise and exalt 
Him above all for ever. 

O ye mountains and hills, 
bless the Lord; O all ye 
things that spring up in the 
earth, bless the Lord. 

O ye fountains, bless the 
Lord; O ye seas and rivers, 
bless the Lord. 

O ye whales, and all that 
move in the waters, bless the 
Lord; O all ye fowls of the 
air, bless the Lord. 

O all ye beasts and cattle, 
bless the Lord; O ye sons 
of men, bless the Lord. 

O let Israel bless the Lord; 
let him praise and exalt Him 
above all for ever. 

O ye priests of the Lord, 
bless the Lord; O ye ser- 
vants of the Lord, bless the 
Lord. 

O ye spirits and souls of 
the just, bless the Lord; O 
ye holy and humble of heart, 
bless the Lord. 

O Ananias, Az arias, and 
Misael, bless ye the Lord; 
praise and exalt Him above 
all for ever. 

Let us bless the Father, 
and the Son, with the Holy 
Ghost; let us praise Him 
and magnify Him for ever. 



818 Officium Parvum Beatce Marice Vtrginis. 



Benedictus es, Domine, in 
firmamento cceli;* et lauda- 
bilis, et gloriosus, et super- 
exaltatus in saecula. 

Non die. Gloria Patri. 
/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Benedicta, filia, tu a 
Domino, quia per te fructum 
vitae communicavimus. 

Ant. Pulchra es * et decora, 
filia Jerusalem: terribilis ut 
castrorum acies ordinata. 

II. In Adventu. 
Ant. Dabit ei Dominus se- 
dem David patris ejus, et 
regnabit in aeternum. 

Ant. Ecce ancilla Domini,* 
fiat mihi secundum verbum 
tuum. 

777. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Germinavit radix Jes- 
se, orta est Stella ex Jacob: 
Virgo peperit Salvatorem: te 
laudamus, Deus noster. 



Ant. Ecce Maria * genuit 
nobis Salvatorem, quern Jo- 
annes, videns exclamavit di- 
cens: Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce 
qui tollit peccata mundi, Alle- 
luia. 



psalm, cxlviii. 

V ¥-' AUDATE Dominum, de 
< I i coelis;* laudate eum 
in excelsis. 



Blessed art Thou, O Lord, 
in the firmament of heaven; 
and worthy of praise, and 
glorious, and magnified for 
ever. 

Gloria Patri is not said. 

From Candlemas until 
A dvent. 

Ant. Blessed art thou, 
daughter of the Lord, for 
through thee do we share in 
the fruit of life. 

Ant. Thou art beautiful * 
and comely, O daughter of 
Jerusalem: terrible as an 
army set in array. 

During Advent. 

Ant. The Lord shall give 
unto Him the throne of 
David His father, and He 
shall reign for ever. 

Ant. Behold the handmaid 
of the Lord : * be it done unto 
me according to thy word. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. The root of Jesse 
hath budded, a star hath 
arisen out of Jacob : a Virgin 
hath brought forth a Saviour ; 
we give praise to Thee, Our 
God. 

Ant Behold, Mary* hath 
borne us a Saviour, Whom 
when John saw he called 
out, saying: Behold the 
Lamb of God, behold Him 
Who taketh away the sins of 
the world, Alleluia. 

psalm cxi, vm. 

RAISE the Lord from 
the heavens ; praise 
Him in the heights. 




Officium Parvum Beaicz Mar ice Virginis. 819 



Laudate eum, omnes ange- 
li ejus ; * laudate eum, omnes 
virtutes ejus. 

Laudate eum, sol et luna ; * 
laudate eum, omnes stellae 
et lumen. 

Laudate eum coeli coelo- 
rum;* et aquae omnes, quae 
super coelos sunt, laudent no- 
men Domini. 

Quia ipse dixit, et facta 
sunt ; * ipse mandavit, et 
creata sunt. 

Statuit ea in aeternum, et 
in saeculum saeculi ; * praeeep- 
tum posuit, et non praete- 
rabit. 

Laudate Dominum, de ter- 
ra:* dracones, et omnes 
abyssi. 

Ignis, grando, nix, glacies, 
spiritus proeellarum,* quae 
faciunt verbum ejus. 

Montes, et omnes colles;* 
ligna fructifera, et omnes ce- 
dri. 

Bestiae, et universa pe- 
cora;* serpentes, et volu- 
cres pennatae. 

Reges terrae, et omnes po- 
puli,* principes, et omnes ju- 
dices terrae. 

Juvenes et virgines, senes 
cum junioribus laudent no- 
men Domini,* quia exalt a- 
tum est nomen ejus solius. 

Confessio ejus super cae- 
lum et terram;* et exaltavit 
cornu populi sui. 

Hymnus omnibus Sanctis 
ejus;* filiis Israel, populo 
appropinquanti sibi. 

Non die. Gloria Patri. 



Praise Him, all ye His 
angels; praise Him, all His 
hosts. 

Praise Him, sun and moon ; 
praise Him, all ye stars and 
light. 

Praise Him, ye heavens of 
heavens; and let all the 
waters that are above the 
heavens, praise the name of 
the Lord. 

For He spake, and they 
were made: He commanded, 
and they were created. 

He hath established them 
for ever, and for evermore; 
He hath made a decree, and 
it shall not pass away. 

Praise the Lord from the 
earth; ye dragons and all 
deeps. 

Fire, hail, snow, ice, and 
stormy winds, which fulfil 
His word. 

Mountains and all hills; 
fruitful trees and all cedars. 

Beasts and all cattle, 
creeping things, and feathered 
fowls. 

Kings of the earth and all 
peoples; princes and all 
judges of the earth. 

Young men and maidens, 
old men and children, let 
them praise the name of the 
Lord; for His name alone is 
exalted. 

His praise is above heaven 
and earth; and He hath 
exalted the horn of His 
people. 

A song of praise to all His 
saints; to the children of 
Israel, a people drawing nigh 
unto Him. 

Gloria Patri is not said. 



820 Officinvi Parvum Beatoe, Maria Virginis. 



psalm, cxlix. 

aANTATK Domino canti- 
cum novum ; * laus ejus 
in Ecclesia sanctorum. 

Lsetetur Israel in eo, qui 
fecit eum,* et filii Sion exul- 
tent in Rege suo. 

Laudent nomen ejus in 
choro,* in tympano et psalte- 
rio psallant ei. 

Quia beneplacitum est Do- 
mino in populo suo,* et exal- 
tabit mansuetos in salutem. 

Exultabunt sancti in glo- 
ria,* laetabuntur in cubili- 
bus suis. 

Exaltationes Dei in gut- 
ture eorum,* et gladii anci- 
pites in manibus eorum. 

Ad faciendam vindictam in 
nationibus,* increpationes in 
populis. 

Ad alligandos reges eorum 
in compedibus,* et nobiles 
eorum in manicis ferreis. 

Ut faciant in eis judicium 
conscriptum : * gloria haec est 
omnibus Sanctis ejus. 

Non die. Gloria Patri. 

PSALM. CL. 

*T-* AUDATE Dominum in 
, I k Sanctis ejus;* laudate 
eum in firmamento virtutis 
ejus. 

Laudate eum in virtuti- 
bus ejus; * laudate eum se- 
cundum multitudinem ma- 
gnitudinis ejus. 

Laudate eum in sono 



psalm cxlix. 

^ING unto the Lord a 
new song; let His 
praise be in the Church of the 
saints. 

Let Israel rejoice in Him 
that made him; and let the 
children of Sion be joyful in 
their King. 

Let them praise His name 
in the choir; let them sing 
unto Him with timbrel and 
psaltery. 

For the Lord is well pleased 
with His people ; and He will 
exalt the meek unto salva- 
tion. 

The saints shall rejoice in 
glory: they shall be joyful 
in their beds. 

The high praises of God 
shall be in their mouth; 
and two-edged swords in 
their hands: 

To execute vengeance up- 
on the nations; and chastise- 
ments among the peoples: 

To bind their kings with 
fetters; and their nobles 
with chains of iron. 

To execute upon them the 
judgment that is written: 
Such glory have all His 
saints. 

Gloria Patri is not said. 

PSALM CL. 

RAISE the Lord in His 
holy places : praise 
Him in the firmament of His 
power. 

Praise Him in His mighty 
acts: praise Him according 
to the multitude of His great- 
ness. 

Praise Him with sound of 




Officium Parvum Beatoz Maria Virginis. 821 



tubae ; * laudate eum in psal- 
terio et cithara. 

Laudate eum in tympano 
et choro ; * laudate eum in 
chordis et organo. 

Laudate eum in cymba- 
lis benesonantibus ; laudate 
eum in cymbalis jubilati- 
onis;* omnis spiritus laudet 
Dominum. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

I. Extra Adventum 

Ant. Pulchra es et de- 
cora, filia Jerusalem: terri- 
bilis ut castrorum acies ordi- 
nata. 

IL In Adventu. 

Ant. Ecce ancilla Domini, 
fiat mihi secundum verbum 
tuum. 

///. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Ecce Maria genuit 
nobis Salvatorem, quern Jo- 
annes videns exclamavit di- 
cens: Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce 
qui tollit peccata mundi, 
Alleluia. 



/, 777. Extra et post 
Adventum. 

CAPITULUM. 

Cant. vi. 
Viderunt earn filise Sion, et 
beatissimam praedicaverunt, 
et reginae laudaverunt earn. 

R. Deo gratias. 



trumpet: praise Him with 
psaltery and harp. 

Praise Him with timbrel 
and choir: praise Him with 
strings and organs. 

Praise Him upon the high- 
sounding cymbals ; praise 
Him upon cymbals of joy: 
let every spirit praise the 
Lord. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. Thou art beautiful 
and comely, O daughter of 
Jerusalem: terrible as an 
army set in array. 

During Advent. 

Ant. Behold the handmaid 
of the Lord; be it done unto 
me according to thy word. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. Behold, Mary hath 
borne us a Saviour, Whom 
when John saw he called out, 
saying: Behold the Lamb 
of God, behold Him Who 
taketh away the sins of the 
world, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 
Cant. vi. 
The daughters of Sion 
saw her, and declared her 
most blessed; and queens 
praised her. 

R. Thanks be to God. 



822 Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



II. In Adventu. 

CAPITULUM. 

Isa. xi. 
Egredietur virga de radice 
Jesse, et flos de radice ejus 
ascendet. Et requieseet su- 
per eum Spiritus Domini. 

R. Deo gratias. 



During Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 
Isa. xi. 
There shall come forth a 
rod out of the root of Jesse, 
and a flower shall rise up 
out of his root. And the 
Spirit of the Lord shall rest 
upon Him. 

R. Thanks be to God. 



HYMNTJS. 

GLORIOSA Virginum, 
Sublimis inter sidera, 
Qui te creavit, parvulum 
Lactente nutris ubere. 

Quod Heva tristis abstulit, 
Tu reddis almo genuine: 
Intrent ut astra flebiles, 
Coeli recludis cardines. 

Tu regis alti janua, 
Et aula lucis fulgida: 

Vitam datam per Yirginem, 

Gentes redemptae, plaudite. 

Jesu, tibi sit gloria, 
Qui natus es de Yirgine, 
Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, 
In sempiterna saecula. Amen. 

V. Benedicta tu in mulie- 
ribus. 



HYMN. 




QUEEN of all the virgin 
choir, 



Enthroned above the starry- 
sky, 

Who with thy bosom's milk 
didst feed 
Thine own Creator, Lord 
most high. 

What man had lost in hapless 
Eve, 

Thy sacred womb to man 
restores ; 
Thou to the wretched here be- 
neath 

Hast open'd heaven's eternal 
doors. 

Hail, O refulgent Hall of light! 
Hail, Gate august of heaven's 
high King! 
Through thee redeem'd to end- 
less life, 
Thy praise let all the nations 
sing. 

O Jesu! born of Virgin bright, 
Immortal glory be to Thee; 

Praise to the Father infinite 
And Holy Ghost eternally. 

Amen. 

V. Blessed art thou 
amongst women. 



Officium Parvinn Beatce Maria Virginis. 823 



R. Et benedictus fructus 
ventris tui. 

I. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Beata Dei Genitrix 
Maria,* Virgo perpetua, tem- 
plum Domini, sacrarium 
Spiritus Sancti: sola sine 
exemplo placuisti Domino 
nostro Jesu Christo: ora pro 
populo, interveni pro clero, 
intercede pro devoto femineo 
sexu. 



Tempore Paschali, omissa prce- 
dicta Ant. y dicitur Antiph.: 

Ant. Regina cceli * laetare, 
Alleluia ; quia quern meruisti 
portare, Alleluia; resurrexit, 
sicut dixit, Alleluia: ora pro 
nobis Deum, Alleluia. 



II. In Adventu. 

Ant. Spiritus Sanctus * in 
te descendet, Maria: ne ti- 
meas, habebis in utero Filium 
Dei, Alleluia. 



777. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Mirabile mysterium * 
declaratur hodie : innovantur 
naturae: Deus homo f actus 
est: id quod fuit permansit, 
et quod non erat assumpsit, 
non commixtionem passus, 
neque divisionem. 



R. And blessed is the 
fruit of thy womb. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. O Mary, blessed 
Mother of God,* ever a 
Virgin, the Lord's own 
temple, shrine of the Holy 
Ghost, thou alone as none 
other didst please Our Lord 
Jesus Christ; pray for the 
people; intercede for the 
clergy; plead for religious 
women. 

During Eastertide is said 
instead of the above: 

Ant. O Queen of heaven,* 
rejoice, Alleluia; for He 
Whom thou wast meet to 
bear, Alleluia, hath risen, as 
He said, Alleluia; pray for 
us to God, Alleluia. 

During Advent. 

Ant. The Holy Ghost* 
shall come down upon thee, 
Mary; fear not, thou shalt 
hold within thy womb the 
Son of God, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. A wondrous mys- 
tery * is revealed to-day : 
marvels are wrought. God 
is made man; He still 
remaineth what He was, 
and hath taken upon Him 
what He was not, suffering 
neither confusion nor divi- 
sion. 



824 Officium Parvum Beata Maria Virginis. 



CANT. ZACHARI^. 

Luc. i. 

BENEDICTUS Dominus 
Deus Israel,* quia 
visitavit, et fecit redemp- 
tionem plebis suae. 

Et erexit cornu salutis 
nobis * in domo David pueri 
sui. 

Sicut locutus est per os 
sanctorum,* qui a saeculo 
sunt, prophetarum ejus. 

Salutem ex inimicis no- 
stris,* et de manu omnium 
qui oderunt nos: 

Ad faciendam miseri- 
cordiam cum patribus no- 
stris,* et memorari testa- 
menti sui sancti. 

Jusjurandum quod juravit 
ad Abraham patrem nostrum, 
* daturum se nobis : 

Ut sine timore, de manu 
inimicorum nostrorum libe- 
rati,* serviamus illi: 

In sanctitate et justitia 
coram ipso,* omnibus diebus 
nostris. 

Et tu, puer, propheta 
Altissimi vocaberis : * praeibis 
enim ante faciem Domini 
parare vias ejus. 

Ad dandam scientiam salu- 
tis plebi ejus,* in remissio- 
nem peccatorum eorum. 

Per viscera misericordiae 
Dei nostri,* in quibus visi- 
tavit nos oriens ex alto. 

Illuminare his qui in tene- 
bris et in umbra mortis 
sedent,* ad dirigendos pedes 
nostros in viam pacis. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



CANTICLE OF ZACHARY. 

Luke i. 

BLESSED be the Lord 
God of Israel, because 
He hath visited and wrought 
the redemption of His people ; 

And hath raised up a horn 
of salvation to us in the 
house of David His servant ; 

As He spoke by the mouth 
of His holy prophets, who 
are from the beginning: 

Salvation from our enemies, 
and from the hand of all 
that hate us. 

To perform mercy to our 
fathers, and to remember 
His holy testament. 

The oath which He swore 
to Abraham our father, that 
He would grant to us, 

That being delivered from 
the hand of our enemies, we 
may serve Him without fear, 

In holiness and justice 
before Him all our days. 

And thou, child, shalt 
be called the prophet of 
the Highest; for thou shalt 
go before the face of the 
Lord to prepare His ways: 

To give knowledge of sal- 
vation to His people, unto 
the remission of their sins; 

Through the bowels of 
the mercy of Our God, in 
which the Orient from on 
high hath visited us. 

To enlighten them that 
sit in darkness and in the 
shadow of death; to direct 
our feet into the way of 
peace. 

Glory be, etc. 



Officium Parvum Beatcz Maria Virginis. 825 



III. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Beat a Dei Genitrix 
Maria, Virgo perpetua, tem- 
plum Domini, sacrarium 
Spiritus Sancti: sola sine 
exemplo placuisti Domino 
nostro Jesu Christo: ora pro 
populo, interveni pro clero, 
intercede pro devoto femineo 
sexu. 

Tempore Paschali. 

Ant. Regina coeli laetare, 
Alleluia ; quia quern meruisti 
portare, Alleluia; resurrexit, 
sicut dixit, Alleluia: ora pro 
nobis Deum, Alleluia. 

77. In Adventu. 

Ant. Spiritus Sanctus in 
te descendet, Maria: ne 
timeas habebis in utero Fi- 
lium Dei, Alleluia. 

77/. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Mirabile mysterium 
declaratur hodie : innovantur 
naturae: Deus homo f actus 
est: id quod fuit permansit, 
et quod non erat assumpsit, 
non commixtionem passus, 
neque divisionem. 



Kyrie, eleison. 

Christe, eleison. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 



From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. O Mary, blessed 
Mother of God, ever a 
Virgin, the Lord's own 
temple, shrine of the Holy 
Ghost, thou alone as none 
other didst please Our Lord 
Jesus Christ; pray for the 
people; intercede for the 
clergy; plead for religious 
women. 

During Eastertide. 

Ant. O Queen of heaven, 
rejoice, Alleluia; for He 
Whom thou wast meet to 
bear, Alleluia, hath risen, as 
He said, Alleluia; pray for 
us to God, Alleluia. 

During Advent. 

Ant. The Holy Ghost 
shall come down upon thee, 
Mary; fear not, thou shalt 
hold within thy womb the 
Son of God, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. A wondrous mys- 
tery is revealed to-day: 
marvels are wrought. God 
is made man; He still 
remaineth what He was, 
and hath taken upon Him 
what He was not, suffering 
neither confusion nor divi- 
sion. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 



826 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



I.j II. Extra Adventum et 
in Adventu. 

Oremus 

BEUS, qui de beatae 
Mariee Virginis utero, 
Verbum tuum, Angelo 
nuntiante, carnem suscipere 
voluisti: prsesta supplicibus 
tuis; ut qui vere earn Geni- 
tricem Dei credimus, ejus 
apud te intercessionibus ad- 
juvemur. Per eumdem 
Christum Dominum nos- 
trum. 

R. Amen. 



From Candlemas until 
Christmas. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who didst will 
that Thine eternal Word 
should take flesh in the 
womb of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, when the angel deliv- 
ered his message: grant that 
Thy petitioners, who verily 
believe her to be the Mother 
of God, may be assisted by 
her intercession. Through 
the same Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 



777. Post Adventum. 

Oremus. 

DEUS, qui salutis aeter- 
nse, beatae Marias vir- 
ginitate fcecunda, humano 
generi praemia praestitisti : 
tribue, quaesumus; ut ipsam 
pro nobis intercedere senti- 
amus, per quam meruimus 
auctorem vitae suscipere, 
Dominum nostrum Jesum 
Christum Filium tuum. 

R. Amen 



From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who, by the 
fruitful virginity of 
blessed Mary, hast given to 
mankind the rewards of 
eternal salvation; grant, we 
beseech Thee, that we may 
experience her intercession 
for us, by whom we deserved 
to receive the Author of life, 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy 
Son. 

R. Amen. 



PRO SANCTIS. 



/., 777. Extra et post 
Adventum. 

Ant. Sancte Dei omnes, 
intercedere dignemini pro 
nostra omniumque salute. 

V Laetamini in Domino, 
et exultate justi. 

R. Et gloriamini, omnes 
recti corde. 



COMMEMORATION OF THE 
SAINTS 

Throughout the Year except 
in Advent. 

Ant. All ye saints of God, 
vouchsafe to plead for our 
salvation and for that of all 
mankind. 

V. Be glad in the Lord, and 
rejoice, ye just. 

R And be joyful, all ye 
that are right of heart. 



Officium Parvum Beata Maria Virginis. 827 



Oremus. 

ROTEGE, Domine, 
populum tuum, et 
apostolorum tuorum Petri 
et Pauli, et aliorum aposto- 
lorum patrocinio confident em, 
perpetua defensione con- 
serva. 

OMNES Sancti tui, quae- 
sumus Domine, nos 
ubique adjuvent: ut dum 
eorum merita recolimus, pa- 
trocinia sentiamus ; et pacem 
tuam nostris concede tem- 
poribus, et ab Ecclesia tua 
cunctam repelle nequitiam ; 
iter, actus et voluntates 
nostras, et omnium famu- 
lorum tuorum, in salutis tuae 
prosperitate dispone ; bene- 
factoribus nostris sempiterna 
bona retribue, et omnibus 
fidelibus defunct is requiem 
aeternam concede. Per Do- 
minum nostrum Jesum 
Christum Filium tuum: qui 
tecum vivit et regnat in 
unitate Spiritus sancti Deus, 
per omnia saecula saeculo- 
rum. 

R. Amen. 

* V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Benedicamus Domino. 

R Deo gratias. 

V. Fidelium animae per 
misericordiam Dei requie- 
scant in pace. 

R. Amen. 



Let us pray. 

HIELD, O Lord, Thy 
people, and ever keep 
them in Thy care, who put 
their trust in the pleading 
of Thine apostles Peter and 
Paul, and of the other 
apostles. 

AY all Thy saints, we 
beseech Thee, O 
Lord, everywhere come to 
our help, that while we do 
honor to their merits, we 
may also enjoy their inter- 
cession: grant Thine own 
peace unto our times, and 
drive away all wickedness 
from Thy Church ; direct our 
way, our actions, and our 
wishes and those of all Thy 
servants in the way of 
salvation; to our benefactors 
render everlasting blessings, 
and to all the faithful de- 
parted grant eternal rest. 
Through Our Lord Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth 
and reigneth with Thee in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, 
God, world without end. 
R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the 
faithful, through the mercy 
of God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 






* If said by a priest or deacon, V. Dominus vobiscum, etc. 



828 Officium Parvum Beato? Marice Virginis. 



PRO SANCTIS. 

77. In Adventu. 
Ant. Ecce Dominus veniet, 
et omnes Sancti ejus cum 
eo, et erit in die ilia lux 
magna, Alleluia. 

V. Ecce apparebit Do 
minus super nubem candi- 
dam 

R. Et cum eo Sanctorum 
millia. 

Oremus. 

aONCIENTIAS nostras, 
quaesumus Domine, 
visitando purifica, ut veniens 
Jesus Christus Filius tuus 
Dominus noster cum omni- 
bus Sanctis paratam sibi in 
nobis inveniat mansionem. 
Qui tecum vivet et regnat 
in unitate Spiritus sancti 
Deus per omnia saecula sae- 
culorum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Benedicamus Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Fidelium animae per 
misericordiam Dei requie- 
scant in pace. 

R. Amen. 
Si terminandum sit Officium, 

dicuntur ea quae sequuntur; 

alioquin, si alia subse- 

quatur Hora, in fine ultima 

Horce 

Pater noster, etc., totum 

secreto. 

V. Dominus det nobis 
suem pacem. 



COMMEMORATION OF THE 
SAINTS 

During Advent. 

Ant. Behold, the Lord 
shall come, and all His saints 
with Him, and in that day- 
there shall be great light, 
Aleluia. 

V. Behold, the Lord shall 
appear upon a shining cloud. 

R. And with Him thou- 
sands of saints. 

Let us pray. 

OLEANSE our con- 
sciences, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, by Thy visita- 
tion, that when Jjsus Christ, 
Thy Son, Our Lord, shall 
come with all the saints, 
He may find within us a 
resting-place made ready 
for Him. Who liveth and 
reigneth with Thee in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, 
God, world without end. 
R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the 
faithful through the mercy 
of God rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 
The following are only said 

if the Office is to end with 

Lauds. They are said at 

the end of the last Hour 

if any other Hour follow. 

Our Father, etc., in 
silence throughout. 

V. May the Lord grant us 
His peace. 



Officium Parvum Beata Mar ice Virginis. 829 



R. Et vitam seternam. 
Amen. 

Deinde dicitur una ex Anti- 
phonis B.M.V., ut in fine 
Completorii, p. 160, et dici-- 
tur flexis genibus, prater- 
quam Tempore Paschali. 



R. And life everlasting. 
Amen. 

Then is said — kneeling, un- 
less it be Eastertide — one of 
the Anthems of the Blessed 
Virgin, according to the 
season, as at the end of 
Compline, p. 160. 



AT 3 

Ave Maria, etc. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Alleluia, vel Laus tibi, Do- 
mine, Rex aeternae gloriae. 



Hail Mary, etc. 
V. O God, hasten to mine 
aid. 

R. O Lord, make haste to 
help me. 

Glory be, etc. 

Alleluia, or Praise be to 
Thee, O Lord, King of ever- 
lasting glory. 



HYMNUS. 

EMENTO, rerum Condi- 
tor, 

Nostri quod olim corporis, 

Sacrata ab alvo Virginis 

Nascendo, formam sumpseris. 

Maria, Mater gratiae, 
Dulcis parens clementiae, 

Tu nos ab hoste protege, 

Et mortis hora suscipe. 



HYMN 




EMEMBER, O Creator 
, Lord, 



That in the Virgin's sacred 
womb 

Thou wast conceived, and of 
her flesh 
Didst our mortality assume. 

Mother of grace ! O Mary blest ! 
To thee, sweet fount of life, 
we fly; 

Shield us through life ; and take 
us hence, 
To thy dear bosom, when we 
die. 




Jesu tibi sit gloria 
Qui natus es de Virgine, 
Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, 
In sempiterna saecula. Amen. 



O Jesu! born of Virgin bright! 

Immortal glory be to Thee, 
Praise to the Father infinite, 
And Holy Ghost eternally. 

Amen. 



830 Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



I, III. Extra et post Adven- 
tum.~\ 
Ant. Assumpta est. 

77. In Adventu. 
Ant. Missus est. 

PSALM. 1,111. 

^f^EUS, in nomine tuo sal- 
vum me f ac ; * et in 
virtute tua judica me. 

Deus, exaudi orationem 
meam ; * auribus percipe verba 
oris mei. 

Quoniam alieni insur- 
rexerunt adversum me, et 
fortes qusesierunt animam 
meam, * et non proposue- 
runt Deum ante conspectum 
suum. 

Ecce enim Deus adjuvat 
me, * et Dominus susceptor 
est animae mese. 

Adverte mala inimicis 
meis; * et in veritate tua 
disperde illos. 

Voluntarie sacrificabo tibi,* 
et confitebor nomini tuo, Do- 
mine, quoniam bonum est. 

Quoniam ex omni tribu- 
latione eripuisti me,* et super 
inimicos meos despexit ocu- 
lus meus. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

psalm. LXXXIV. 

BENEDIXISTI, Domine, 
t err am tuam ; * averti- 
sti captivitatem Jacob. 



From Christmas until 

Advent. 
Ant, And she is taken up. 

During Advent. 
Ant. There was sent. 

psalm liii. 

SAVE me, O God, by 
Thy name; and judge 
me in Thy strength. 

Hear my prayer, O God: 
give ear unto the words of 
my mouth. 

For strangers have risen 
up against me, and the 
mighty have sought after 
my soul: and they have not 
set God before their eyes. 

For behold, God is my 
helper, and the Lord is the 
protector of my soul. 

Turn back evil upon mine 
enemies: and destroy them 
in Thy truth. 

I will freely sacrifice unto 
Thee, and will give thanks 
to Thy name, O Lord, for it 
is good. 

For Thou hast delivered 
me out of all my trouble ; and 
mine eye hath looked down 
upon mine enemies. 

Glory be, etc. 

psalm lxxxiv. 

HOU hast blessed Thy 
land, O Lord: Thou 
hast turned away the cap- 
tivity of Jacob. 



t According to the Roman Breviary (editio typica, Ratisbon, 
1885) the Anthem for Office III, post Adventum, is O admira- 
bile commercium! as on page 811. The Propaganda Press edition 
of the Little Office (Rome, 1898) gives Assumpta est, as above. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 831 



Remisisti iniquitatem ple- 
bis tuae;* operuisti omnia 
peccata eorum. 

Mitigasti omnem iram tu- 
am, * avertisti ab ira indig- 
nationis tuae. 

Converte nos, Deus salu- 
taris noster, * et averte iram 
tuam a nobis. 

Numquid in aeternum ira- 
sceris nobis?* aut extendes 
iram tuam a generatione in 
generationem ? 

Deus tu conversus vivifi- 
cabis nos ; * et plebs tua laeta- 
bitur in te. 

Ostende nobis, Domine, 
misericordiam tuam, * et salu- 
tare tuum da nobis. 

Audiam quid loquatur in 
me Dominus Deus, * quoni- 
am loquetur pacem in ple- 
bem suam. 

Et super sanctos suos,* et 
in eos qui convertuntur ad 
cor. 

Verumtamen prope timen- 
tes eum salutare ipsius,* ut 
inhabitet gloria in terra no- 
stra. 

Misericordia et Veritas obvi- 
averunt sibi ; * justitia et pax 
osculatae sunt. 

Veritas de terra orta est, * 
et justitia de coelo prospexit. 

Etenim Dominus dabit be- 
nignitatem,* et terra nostra 
dabit fructum suum. 

Justitia ante eum ambu- 
labit,* et ponet in via gressus 
suos. 

Gloria Patri, etc 



Thou hast forgiven the 
iniquity of Thy people: 
Thou hast covered all their 
sins. 

Thou hast softened all 
Thine anger: Thou hast 
turned away from the wrath 
of Thine indignation. 

Convert us, O God our 
Saviour; and turn away 
Thine anger from us. 

Wilt Thou be angry with 
us for ever: or wilt Thou 
stretch out Thy wrath from 
generation to generation? 

Thou wilt turn again, O 
God, and quicken us; and 
Thy people shall rejoice in 
Thee. % 

Show us Thy mercy, O 
Lord; and grant us Thy sal- 
vation. 

I will hearken what the 
Lord shall say within me; 
for He will speak peace unto 
His people. 

And unto His saints; and 
unto them that are con- 
verted in heart. 

Surely His salvation is 
unto them that fear Him: 
that glory may dwell in our 
land. 

Mercy and truth have met 
together: justice and peace 
have kissed. 

Truth is sprung out of the 
earth ; and justice hath looked 
down from heaven. 

For the Lord shall give 
goodness ; and our earth shall 
yield her fruit. 

Justice shall walk before 
Him; and shall set His steps 
in the right way. 

Glory be, etc. 



832 Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



psalm, cxvi. 

*T~! AU D ATE Dominum, 
* * •+ omnes gentes;* lau- 
date eum, omnes populi. 

Quoniam confirmata est 
super nos misericordia ejus,* 
et Veritas Domini manet in 
aeternum. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

I, III. Extra et post Adven- 
tum.* 

Ant. Assumpta est Maria 
in caelum, gaudent angeli, 
laudantes benedicunt Domi- 
num. 

II. In Adventu. 

Ant. Missus est Gabriel an- 
gelus ad Mariam Virginem 
desponsatam Joseph. 

J, III. Extra et post Adven- 
tum. 

CAPITULUM. 

Cant. vi. 

Quae est ista quae progredi- 
tur quasi aurora consurgens, 
pulchra ut luna, electa ut 
sol, terribilis ut castrorum 
acies ordinata? 

R. Deo gratias. 

II. In Adventu. 

CAPITULUM. 

Isa. vii. 
Ecce Virgo concipiet, et 
pariet Filium, et vocabitur 
nomen ejus Emmanuel. Bu- 
tyrum et mel comedet, ut 
sciat reprobare malum, et 
eligere bonum. 



psalm cxvi. 

O PRAISE the Lord, all 
ye nations : praise 
Him, all ye peoples. 

For His mercy is con- 
firmed upon us; and the 
truth of the Lord remaineth 
for ever. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Christmas until 
Advent. 

Ant. Mary is taken up into 
heaven. The angels rejoice, 
and praising bless the Lord. 

During Advent. 

Ant. The angei Gabriel was 
sent to Mary the Virgin, who 
was espoused to Joseph. 

From Christmas until 
Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 

Cant. vi. 

Who is she that cometh 
forth as the morning rising, 
fair as the moon, bright as 
the sun, terrible as an army 
set in array? 

R. Thanks be to God. 

During Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 
Isa. vii. 
Behold, a Virgin shall con- 
ceive and shall bear a Son, 
and His name shall be called 
Emmanuel : butter and honey 
shall He eat, that He may 
know to refuse the evil and 
choose the good. 



* See note on p. 830. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 833 



R. Deo gratias. 

V. Dignare me laudare te, 
Virgo sacrata. 

R. Da mihi virtutem con- 
tra hostes tuos. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

Christe, eleison. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

V. Domine exaudi orati- 
onem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Or emus. 
^T^vBUS, qui virginalem au- 
JLJ lam beatae Mariae in 
qua habit ares, eligere digna- 
tus es: da, quaesumus; ut 
sua nos defensione munitos, 
jucundos facias suae interesse 
commemorationi. Qui vivis 
et regnas cum Deo Patre 
in unitate Spiritus Sancti 
Deus, per omnia saecula 
saeculorum. 



R. Amen. 

II. In Adventu. 
Or emus. 

*Tp^ EUS, qui de beatae Mariae 
JLJ Virginis utero,Verbum 
tuum, Angelo nuntiante, car- 
nem suscipere voluisti: prae- 
sta supplicibus tuis: ut qui 
vere earn Genitricem Dei cre- 
dimus, ejus apud te interces- 
sionibus adjuvemur. Per 
eumdem Dominium nostrum 
Jesum Christum Filium tuum : 
qui tecum vivit et regnat in 



R. Thanks be to God. 

V. Vouchsafe that I may 
praise thee, O holy Virgin. 

R. Grant me strength 
against thine enemies. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent, 
Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who didst vouch- 
safe to choose the vir- 
gin palace of blessed Mary 
for Thy dwelling; grant, we 
beseech Thee, that we, who 
are shielded by her protec- 
tion, may by Thy grace join 
with gladness in her com- 
memoration. Who livest 
and reignest with God the 
Father, in the unity of the 
Holy Ghost, God, world 
without end. 
R. Amen. 

During Advent. 
Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who didst will 
that Thine eternal 
Word should take flesh in 
the womb of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, w T hen the angel 
delivered his message: grant 
that Thy petitioners, who 
verily believe her to be the 
Mother of God, may be 
assisted by her intercession 
with Thee. Through the 
same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, 
Our Lord, Who liveth and 



^34 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



imitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, 
per omnia saecula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 

III. Post Adventum. 

Oremus. 

DEUS, qui salutis aeternae, 
beatae Mariae virgini- 
tate fecunda, humano ge- 
neri praemia praestitisti : tri- 
bue, quaesumus ; ut ipsam pro 
nobis intercedere sentiamus, 
per quam meruimus aucto- 
rem vitae suscipere, Dominum 
nostrum Jesum Christum Fi- 
lium tuum: qui tecum vivit 
et regnat in unitate Spiritus 
Sancti Deus, per omnia sae- 
cula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Benedicamus Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Fidelium animae per mi- 
sericordiam Dei requiescant 
in pace. 

R. Amen. 



reigneth with Thee, in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, God, 
world without end. 
R. Amen. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who, by the fruit- 
ful virginity of blessed 
Mary, hast given to mankind 
the rewards of eternal salva- 
tion : grant, we beseech Thee, 
that we may experience her 
intercession for us, by whom 
we deserved to receive the 
Author of life, Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, Thy Son. Who 
liveth and reigneth with 
Thee in the unity of the Holy 
Ghost, God, world without 
end. 

R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the 
faithful, through the mercy 
of. God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



AT T. 

Ave, Maria, etc. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Alleluia, or Laus tibi, Do- 
mine, Rex aeternae gloriae. 



Hail, Mary, etc. 
V. O God, hasten to mine 
aid. 

R. O Lord, made haste to 
help me. 

Glory be, etc. 

Alleluia, or Praise be to 
Thee, O Lord, King of ever- 
lasting glory. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 835 



HYMNUS. 

/TV EMENTO, rerum Condi- 
5JL4 tor, 

Nostri quod olim corporis, 
Sacrata ab alvo Virginis 
Nascendo, formam sumpseris. 

Maria, Mater gratiae, 
Dulcis parens clementiae, 
Tu nos ab hoste protege, 
Et mortis hora suscipe. 



Jesu tibi sit gloria 
Qui natus es de Virgine, 
Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, 
In sempiterna s^cula. Amen. 



HYMN. 

*|T)EMEMBER, O Creator 
4-\, Lord, 

That in the Virgin's sacred 
womb 

Thou wast conceived, and of her 
flesh 

Didst our mortality assume. 

Mother of grace! O Mary 
blest! 

To thee, sweet fount of life, 
we fly; 

Shield us through life, and take 
us hence, 
To thy dear bosom when we 
die. 

O Jesus! born of Virgin bright, 
Immortal glory be to Thee, 

Praise to the Father infinite, 
And Holy Ghost eternally. 

Amen. 



/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Maria Virgo. 

II. In Adventu. 
Ant. Ave Maria. 

III. Post Adventum. 
Ant. Quando natus es. 

PSALM. CXIX. 

*TJ*D Dominum cum tri- 
tjJpL, bularer clamavi,* et 
exaudivit me. 

Domine, libera animam 
meam a labiis iniquis * et 
a lingua dolosa. 

Quid detur tibi, aut quid 



From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. The Virgin Mary. 

During Advent. 
Ant. Hail, Mary. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. When thou wert born. 

psalm cxix. 

V A ■"'HEN I was in trouble, 
VxX I cried unto the 
Lord: and He heard me. 

O Lord, deliver my soul 
from wicked lips and from a 
deceitful tongue. 

What shall be given unto 
Thee, or what shall be added 



836 Officium Parvum Bealce Mar ice Virginis. 



apponatur tibi * ad linguam 
dolosam ? 

Sagittae potentis acutae,* 
cum carbonibus desolatoriis. 

Heu mihi, quia incolatus 
meus prolongatus est, habi- 
tavi cum habitantibus Ce- 
dar ; * multum incola f uit ani- 
ma mea. 

Cum his qui oderunt pacem 
eram pacificus; * cum loque- 
bar illis, impugnabant me 
gratis. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

psalm, cxx. 

' I JEVAVI oculos meos in 
1 1 1 montes,* unde veniet 
auxilium mihi. 

Auxilium meum a Domi- 
no,* qui fecit coelum et ter- 
rain. 

Non det in commotionem 
pedem tuum,* neque dor- 
mitet qui custodit te. 

Kcce non dormi tabit ne- 
que dormiet,* qui custodit 
Israel. 

Dominus custodit te, Do- 
minus protectio tua * super 
manum dexteram tuam. 

Per diem sol non uret te,* 
neque luna per noctem. 

Dominus custodit te ab 
omni malo,* custodiat ani- 
mam tuam Dominus. 

Dominus custodiat intro- 
itum tuum, et exitum tuum,* 
ex hoc nunc, et usque in sae- 
culum. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 



unto Thee, to a deceitful 
tongue ? 

Sharp arrows of the mighty 
One, with destroying coals. 

Woe is me, that my so- 
journ is prolonged: I have 
dwelt with the inhabitants 
of Cedar: my soul hath long 
been a sojourner. 

With them that hated 
peace I was peaceable: when 
I spake unto them, they 
fought against me without 
cause. 

Glory be, etc. 

psalm cxx. 

I HAVE lifted up mine 
eyes unto the hills, 
from whence my help shall 
come. 

My help is from the Lord, 
Who made heaven and earth. 

Let Him not suffer thy 
foot to be moved; neither 
let Him slumber that keepeth 
thee. 

Behold, He that keepeth 
Israel, shall neither slumber 
nor sleep. 

The Lord is thy keeper: 
the Lord is thy defence upon 
thy right hand. 

The sun shall not burn 
thee by day, nor the moon 
by night. 

The Lord keepeth thee 
from all evil: may the Lord 
keep thy soul. 

May the Lord keep thy 
coming in, and thy going out, 
from this time forth for ever- 
more. 

Glory be, etc. 



Officium Parvum Bealce Mar ice, Virginis, 837 



psalm, cxxi. 

"IPC STATUS sum in his 
m quae dicta sunt mihi : * 
In domum Domini ibimus. 

Stantes erant pedes nostri * 
in atriis tuis, Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem, quae aedifica- 
tur ut ci vitas,* cujus parti- 
cipate ejus in idipsum. 

I Hue enim ascenderunt tri- 
bus, tribus Domini,* testi- 
monium Israel ad confiten- 
dum nomini Domini. 

Quia illic sederunt sedes 
in judicio,* sedes super do- 
mum David. 

Rogate quae ad pacem sunt 
Jerusalem,* et abundantia 
diligentibus te. 

Fiat pax in virtute tua, * 
et abundantia in turribus tu- 
is. 

Propter fratres meos, et 
proximos meos, * loquebar 
pacem de te. 

Propter domum Domini 
Dei nostri,* quaesivi bona tibi, 

Gloria Patri, etc. 
/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Maria Virgo assumpta 
est ad aethereum thalamum, 
in quo Rex regum stellato 
sedet solio. 

77 In Adventu. 
Ant. Ave, Maria, gratia 
plena: Dominus tecum: be- 
nedicta tu in mulieribus, 
Alleluia. 



psalm cxxi. 

I WAS glad at the things 
that were said unto me : 
We will go into the house of 
the Lord. 

Our feet were standing 
within thy courts, O Jeru- 
salem. 

Jerusalem, which is built 
as a city, that is compact 
together. 

For thither the tribes went 
up, the tribes of the Lord: 
an ordinance for Israel, to 
give thanks to the name 
of the Lord. 

For there are set up 
thrones of judgment, the 
thrones of the house of David. 

Pray ye for the things that 
are for the peace of Jerusa- 
lem; and plenty be to them 
that love Thee. 

Let peace be in Thy strong- 
hold, and plenty in Thy 
towers. 

For my brethren and my 
neighbors' sake I spake peace 
concerning thee. 

For the sake of the house 
of the Lord our God I have 
sought good things for thee. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 

Advent. 
Ant. The Virgin Mary is 
taken up into the heavenly 
bride-chamber, wherein the 
King of kings sitteth on His 
starry throne 

During Advent. 
Ant. Hail, Mary, full of 
grace, the Lord is with thee; 
blessed art thou amongst 
women, Alleluia. 



838 Officium Parvum Beatcz Mar ice Virginis. 



III. Post Adventum 

Ant. Quando natus es in- 
effabiliter ex Virgine, tunc 
impletae sunt Scripturae: si- 
cut pluvia in vellus descen- 
disti, ut salvum faceres ge- 
nus humanum ; te laudamus, 
Deus noster. 

/, III. Extra et post 
Ad-centum. 

CAPITULUM. 

Eccli. xxrc. 

Et sic in Sion firma- 
ta sum, et in civitate sancti- 
ficata similiter requievi, et 
in Jerusalem potestas mea. 

R. Deo gratias. 

//. hi Adventu. 

CAPITULUM. 

Isa. xi. 

Egredietur virga de radice 
Jesse, et flos de radice ejus 
ascendet : et requiescet 
super eum Spiritus Domini. 



R. Deo gratias. 

V. Diffusa est gratia in 
labiis tuis. 

R. Propterea benedixit te 
Deus in seternum. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

Christe, eleison. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 



From Christinas until Candle- 
mas. 

Ant. When Thou wert won- 
drously born of a Virgin, then 
were the Scriptures fulfilled: 
Thou earnest down like the 
rain upon the fleece, that 
Thou mightest save mankind. 
We praise Thee, Our God. 

From Christmas until 
Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 
Ecclus. xxiv. 

And so was I established 
in Sion, and in the holy 
city likewise I rested; and 
my power was in Jerusalem, 

R. Thanks be to God. 

During Advent. 
LITTLE CHAPTER. 

Isa. xi. 

There shall come forth a 
rod out of the root of Jesse, 
and a flower shall rise up out 
of his root, and the Spirit 
of the Lord shall rest upon 
him. 

R Thanks be to God. 

V. Grace is poured forth 
upon thy lips. 

R. Wherefore God hath 
blessed thee for ever. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 



Officium Parvum Beatcz Marice Virginis. 839 



/, III. Extra et post 
Adventum. 

Oremus. 

Deus, qui salutis aeternae, 
beatae Mariae virginitate fe- 
cund a, humano generi prae- 
mia praestitisti : tribue quae- 
sumus; ut ipsam pro nobis 
intercedere sentiamus, per 
quam meruimus auctorem 
vitae suscipere Dominum nos- 
trum Jesum Christum Filium 
tuum: qui tecum vivit et 
regnat in unitate Spiritus 
sancti Deus, per omnia sae- 
cula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 

II. In Adventu. 

Oremus. 

Deus, qui de beatae Mariae 
Virginis utero, Verbum 
tuum.. angelo nuntiante, 
carnem suscipere voluisti : 
praesta supplicibus tuis: ut 
qui vere earn Genitricem Dei 
credimus, ejus apud te inter- 
cessionibus adjuvemur. Per 
eumdem Dominum nostrum 
Jesum Christum Filium 
tuum: qui tecum vivit et 
regnat in unitate Spiritus 
sancti Deus, per omnia 
saecula saeculorum. 



R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus *ad te 
veniat. 

V. Benedicamus Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Fidelium animae per 



From Christmas until 
Advent. 

Let us pray. 

O God, Who, by the fruit- 
ful virginity of blessed Mary, 
hast given to mankind the 
rewards of eternal salva- 
tion: grant, we beseech 
Thee, that we may experi- 
ence her intercession for us, 
by whom we deserved to 
receive the Author of life, 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy 
Son. Who liveth and 
reigneth with Thee in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, 
world without end. 

R. Amen. 

During Advent. 
Let us pray. 

O God, Who didst will 
that Thine eternal Word 
should take flesh in the 
womb of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, when the angel de- 
livered his message: grant 
that Thy petitioners, who 
verily believe her to be the 
Mother of God, may be 
assisted by her intercession 
with Thee. Through the 
same Jesus Christ, Thy Son 
our Lord, Who liveth and 
reigneth with Thee, in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, 
God, world without end. 

R. Amen. 

V . O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the 



840 Officium Parvum Beatoz Maria Virginis. 



misericordiam Dei requies- faithful, through the mercy 
cant in pace. of God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. R Amen. 



AT SEXT. 



Ave Maria, etc. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me festina. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Alleluia, vel Laus tibi, 



Hail, Mary, etc. 
V. O God, hasten to mine 
aid. 

R. O Lord, make haste 
to help me. 
Glory be, etc. 
Alleluia, or Praise be to 



Domine, rex aeternae gloriae. Thee, O Lord, King of ever- 
lasting glory. 



HYMNUS. 

EMENTO, rerum Condi- 
tor, 

Nostri quod olim corporis, 
Sacrata ab alvo Virginis 
Nascendo, formam sumpseris. 

Maria, Mater gratiae, 
Dulcis parens clementiae, 
Tu nos ab hoste protege, 
Et mortis hora suscipe. 



Jesu tibi sit gloria, 
Qui natus es de Virgine, 
Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, 
In sempiterna saecula. Amen. 



I. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. In odorem. 

77. In Adventu. 
Ant. Ne timeas Maria. 



HYMN. 

*f£> EMEMBER, O Creator 
A Lord, 

That in the Virgin's sacred 
womb 

Thou wast conceived, and of 
her flesh 
Didst our mortality assume. 

Mother of grace! O Mary 
blest! 

To thee, sweet fount of life, 
we fly; 

Shield us through life, and take 
us hence, 
To thy dear bosom, when .we 
die. 

O Jesu! born of Virgin bright, 
Immortal glory be to Thee, 

Praise to the Father infinite, 
And Holy Ghost eternally. 

Amen. 

From Candlemas until 
A dvent. 

Ant. After the sweet smell. 

During Advent. 
Ant. Fear not, O Mary. 




Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



841 



777. Post Adventum. 
Ant. Rubum quern viderat. 

PSALM, cxxn. 

D te levavi oculos me- 
os, * qui habitas in 
coelis. 

Ecce sicut oculi servorum * 
in manibus dominorum suo- 
rum: 

Sicut oculi ancillae in mani- 
bus dominae suae ; * ita oculi 
nostri ad Dominum Deum 
nostrum, donee misereatur 
nostri. 

Miserere nostri, Domine, 
miserere nostri, * quia 
multum repleti sumus despec- 
tione. 

Quia multum repleta est 
anima nostra, * opprobrium 
abundantibus, et despectio 
superbis. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

psalm. CXXIII. 

*~p^ISI quia Dominus erat 
in nobis, dicat nunc 
Israel,* nisi quia Dominus 
erat in nobis, 

Cum exurgerent homines 
in nos,* forte vivos deglutis- 
sent nos: 

Cum irasceretur furor eo- 
rum in nos, * forsitan aqua 
absorbuisset nos. 

Torrentem per transivit 
anima nostra ; * forsitan per- 
transisset anima nostra 
aquam intolerabilem. 

Benedictus Dominus,* qui 



From Christmas until 
Candlemas 

Ant. The bush which he 
saw. 

psalm cxxn. 

NTO Thee have I lifted 
up mine eyes, O Thou 
that dwellest in the heavens. 

Behold, as the eyes of 
slaves are on the hands of 
their masters; 

As the eyes of a hand- 
maid are on the hands of 
her mistress, so are our 
eyes unto the Lord our 
God, until He have mercy 
upon us. 

Have mercy upon us, 
O Lord, have mercy upon 
us; for we are greatly 
filled with contempt. 

Yea, our soul is greatly 
filled: we are the reproach 
of the rich, the contempt 
of the proud. 
Glory be, etc. 

PSALM CXXIII. 

IF the Lord had not 
been with us, now 
may Israel say: If the 
Lord had not been with us, 
When men rose up against 
us, peradventure they had 
swallowed us up alive; 

When their fury was en- 
kindled against us, per- 
chance the waters had swal- 
lowed us up. 

Our soul hath passed 
through a torrent: per- 
adventure our soul would 
have passed through over- 
whelming waters. 

Blessed be the Lord, Who 




842 Officium Parvum Beatce Marice Virginis. 



non dedit nos in captionem 
dentibus eorum. 

Anima nostra sicut passer 
erepta est * de laqueo venan- 
tium. 

Laqueus contritus est,* et 
nos liberati sumus. 

Adjutorium nostrum in 
nomine Domini,* qui fecit 
coelum et terram. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

psalm, cxxiv. 

QUI confidunt in Domino, 
sicut mons Sion : * non 
commovebitur in aeternum, 
qui habi.at in Jerusalem. 

Montes in circuitu ejus; et 
Dominus in circuitu populi 
sui,* ex hoc nunc et usque 
in saeculum. 

Quia non relinquet Do- 
minus virgam peccatorum 
super sortem justorum,* ut 
non extendant justi ad ini- 
quitatem manus suas. • 

Benefac, Domine, bonis,* 
et rectis corde. 



Declinantes autem in obli- 
gations, adducet Dominus 
cum operantibus iniquita- 
tem;* pax super Israel. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 
L Extra Adventum. 

Ant. In odorem unguen- 
torum tuorum currimus : 
adolescentulae dilexerunt te 
nimis. 



hath not given us up to be 
a prey unto their teeth. 

Our soul hath been de- 
livered as a sparrow out 
of the snare of the fowlers. 

The snare is broken, and 
we are delivered. 

Our help is in the name 
of the Lord, Who made 
heaven and earth. 

Glory be, etc. 

psalm cxxiv. 

HEY that trust in the 
Lord shall be as 
Mount Sion: he shall not be 
moved for ever that dwelleth 
in Jerusalem. 

The hills stand round 
about her: even so is the 
Lord round about His 
people from this time forth 
for evermore. 

For the Lord will not leave 
the rod of sinners over the 
lot of the just: that the 
just may not stretch forth 
their hands unto wickedness. 

Do well, O Lord, unto 
those that are good, and 
unto them that are right 
of heart. 

But such as turn aside 
unto deceits, the Lord shall 
number with the workers 
of iniquity; but peace shall 
be upon Israel. 
Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. We run after the 
sweet smell of Thine oint- 
ments: maidens have loved 
Thee exceedingly. 



Officium Parvum Beatoz Maria Vtrginis, 843 



II. hi Adventu. 

Ant. Xe timeas, Maria: 
invenisti gratiam apud Do- 
minum : ecce concipies et pa- 
ries Filium, Alleluia. 



III. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Rub urn quern viderat 
Moyses in combustum, con- 
servatam agnovimus tuam 
laudabilem virginitatem : Dei 
Genitrix, intercede pro nobis. 

/, III. Extra et post 
Adventum. 

C API TULTIM . 

Eccli. xxiv. 
Et radicavi in populo 
honorificato, et in parte Dei 
mei haereditas illius, et in 
plenitudine Sanctorum de- 
tentio mea. 

R. Deo gratias. 

//. In Adventu. 
capitulum. 
Luc. i 

Dabit illi Dominus Deus 
sedem David patris ejus, 
et regnabit in domo Jacob 
in aeternum, et regni ejus 
non erit finis. 

R. Deo gratias. 
V. Benedicta tu in mulieri- 
bus. 

R. Et benedictus fructus 
ventris tui. 
Kyrie, eleison. 
Christ e, eleison. 
Kyrie, eleison 



During Advent. 

Ant. Fear not, O Mary: 
thou hast found grace before 
the Lord: behold, thou shalt 
conceive, and shalt bring 
forth a Son, Alleluia. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. The bush which 
Moses saw unconsumed, we 
acknowledge to be thine 
admirable virginity, which 
thou didst keep inviolate: 
Mother of God, plead for us. 

From Christmas until 
Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 
Ecclus. xxiv. 
And I took root in an 
honorable people, and in 
the portion of my God, 
His inheritance: and my 
abode is in the full assembly 
of saints. 
R. Thanks be to God. 

During Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTER. 

Luke i. 

The Lord God shall give 
Him the throne of David 
His father; and He shall 
reign in the house of Jacob 
for ever, and of His kingdom 
there shall be no end. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V Blessed art thou 
amongst women. 

R. And blessed is the 
fruit of thy womb. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 



£44 Officium Parvum Beata Maria Virginis. 



V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Or emus. 

OONCEDE, misericors 
Deus, fragilitati no- 
stra praesidum: ut, qui 
sanctae Dei Genitricis memo- 
riam agimus, intercessionis 
ejus auxilio, a nostris iniqui- 
tibus resurgamus. Per eum- 
dem Dominum nostrum 
Jesum Christum Filium 
tuum: qui tecum vivet et 
regnat in unitate Spiritus 
Sancti Deus, per omnia sae- 
cula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 

77. In Adventu. 

Or emus. 

Deus, qui de beatae Mariae 
Virginis utero, Verbum tuum, 
Angelo nuntiante, carnem 
suscipere voluisti : praesta 
supplicibus tuis: ut qui vere 
€am Genitricem Dei credi- 
mus, ejus apud te interces- 
sionibus adjuvemur. Per 
eumdem Dominum nostrum 
Jesum Christum Filium tuum : 
qui tecum vivit et regnat 
in unitate Spiritus Sancti 
Deus, per omnia saecula 
saeculorum. 



R. Amen. 



V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Let us pray 

OMOST merciful God, 
grant succor unto our 
frailty; that as we cele- 
brate the memory of the 
holy Mother of God, so 
by the help of her inter- 
cession we may rise again 
from our transgressions. 
Through the same Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, 
Who liveth and reigneth 
with Thee in the unity of 
the Holy Ghost, God, world 
without end. 
R. Amen. 

During Advent. 
Let us pray. 

O God, Who didst will that 
Thine eternal Word should 
take flesh in the womb 
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
when the angel delivered 
his message; grant that 
Thy petitioners, who verily 
believe her to be the Mother 
of God, may be assisted by 
her intercession with Thee. 
Through the same Jesus 
Christ our Lord, Who 
liveth and reigneth with 
Thee, in the unity of the 
Holy Ghost, God, world 
without end. 

R. Amen. 



Officium Parvum Beatcz Mar ice Virginis. 845 



777. Post Adventum. 

Oremus. 
Deus, qui salutis aeternse, 
beatae Mariae virginitate 
fecunda, humano generi 
praemia praestitisti : tribue, 
quaesumus; ut ipsam pro 
nobis intercedere sentiamus, 
per quam meruimus aucto- 
rem vitas suscipere Dominum 
nostrum Jesum Christum Fi- 
lium tuum: qui tecum vivit 
et regnat in unitate Spiritus 
Sancti Deus, per omnia sae- 
cula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Domine exaudi, ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Kt clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Benedicamus Dotnino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Fidelium animse per 
misericordiam Dei requie- 
scant in pace. 

R. Amen. 



From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Let us pray. 

O God, Who, by the fruit- 
ful virginity of blessed 
Mary, hast given to man- 
kind the rewards of eternal 
salvation; grant, we beseech 
Thee ; that we may ex- 
perience her intercession for 
us, by whom we deserved 
to receive the Author of 
life, Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
Thy Son, Who liveth ana 
reigneth with Thee in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, 
God, world without end. 

R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the 
faithful through the mercy 
of God rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



AT NONE. 



Ave, Maria, etc. 

V. Deus, in adjutorium 
meum intende. 

R. Domine, ad adjuvan- 
dum me f est in a. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

Alleluia, vel Laus tibi Do- 
mine, Rex aeternae gloriae. 



HYMNUS. 

EMENTO, rerum Condi- 
tor, 

Nostri quod olim Corporis, 



Hail, Mary, etc. 
V. O God, hasten to mine 
aid. 

R. O Lord, make haste 
to help me. 

Glory be, etc. 

Alleluia, or Praise be 
to Thee, O Lord, King of 
everlasting glory. 

HYMN. 

EMEMBER, O Creator 
Lord, 

That in the Virgin's sacred 
womb 





846 Officium Parvum Beatcz Marice Virginis. 



S aetata ab alvo Virginis 
Nascendo, formam sumpseris. 

Maria, Mater gratiae, 
Dulcis parens clementiae, 
Tu nos ab hoste protege, 
Et mortis hora suscipe. 



Jesu tibi sit gloria. 
Qui natus es de Virgine, 
Cum Patre, et almo Spiritu, 
In sempiterna saecula. Amen. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Ant. Pulchra es. 

77. In Adventu. 
Ant. Bcce ancilla Domini. 

777. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Kcce Maria. 
psalm, exxv. 

IN convert endo Dominus 
captivitatem Sion,* 
facti sumus sicut consolati. 

Tunc repletum est gaudio 
os nostrum,* et lingua 
nostra exultatione. 

Tunc dicent inter gentes : * 
Magnificavit Dominus facere 
cum eis. 

Magnificavit Dominus fa- 
cere nobiscum;* facti sumus 
lsetantes. 



Thou wast conceived, and of 
her flesh 
Didst our mortality assume. 

Mother of grace! O Mary 
blest! 

To thee, sweet fount of life, 
we fly; 

Shield us through life, and 
take us hence 
To thy dear bosom, when we 
die. 

O Jesu! born of Virgin bright. 
Immortal glory be to Thee; 

Praise to the Father infinite, 
And Holy Ghost eternally. 

Amen. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. Thou art fair. 

During Advent. 
Ant. Behold the hand- 
maid of the Lord 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. Behold, Mary. 

PSALM CXXV. 

HEN the Lord turned 
again the captivity 
of Sion, we became like 
men consoled. 

Then was our mouth 
filled with gladness, and 
our tongue with joy. 

Then shall they say 
among the Gentiles: The 
Lord hath done great things 
for them. 

The Lord hath done great 
things for us : we are become 
joyful. 



Officium Parvum Beatx Maria Virginis. 847 



Converte, Domine, capti- 
vitatem nostram, * sicut 
torrens in austro. 

Qui seminant in lacrymis,* 
in exult atione metent. 

Euntes ibant et flebant,* 
mittentes semina sua. 

Venientes autem venient 
cum exult atione, * portantes 
manipulos suos. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

psalm, cxxvi. 

ISI Dominus aedifica- 
verit domum, * in 
vanum laboraverunt qui 
aedificant earn. 

Nisi Dominus custodierit 
civitatem, * frustra vigilat 
qui custodit earn. 

Vanum est vobis aute 
lucem surgere; * surgite 
postquam sederitis, qui 
manducatis panem doloris. 

Cum dederit dilectis suis 
somnum, * ecce haereditas 
Domini filii ; merces, fructus 
ventris. 

Sicut sagittae in manu 
potentis, * ita filii excusso- 
rum. 

Beatus vir qui implevit 
desiderium suum ex ipsis:* 
non confundetur cum lo- 
quetur inimicis suis in porta. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

psalm, cxxvu. 

BEATI omnes qui timent 
Dominum,* qui ambu- 
lant in viis ejus. 



Turn again our captivity, 
O Lord, as a river in the 
south. 

They that sow in tears, 
shall reap in joy. 

They went forth on their 
way and wept, scattering 
their seed. 

But returning they shall 
come with joy, bringing 
their sheaves with them. 

Glory be, etc. 

psalm cxxvi. 

NLESS the Lord build 
a house, they labor 
in vain that build it. 

Unless the Lord keep the 
city, he watcheth in vain 
that keepeth it. 

In vain do ye rise before 
the light: rise not till ye 
have rested, O ye that eat the 
bread of sorrow. 

When He giveth sleep 
to His beloved: lo, children 
are an heritage from the 
Lord, and the fruit of the 
womb a reward. 

Like as arrows in the 
hand of the mighty One, 
so are the children of the 
outcast. 

Blessed is the man whose 
desire is satisfied with them: 
he shall not be confounded 
when he speaketh with his 
enemies in the gate. 

Glory be, etc. 

psalm cxxvu. 

BLESSED are all they 
that fear the Lord, 
that walk in His ways. 




848 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



Labores manuum tuarum 
quia manducabis, * beatus 
es, et bene tibi erit. 

Uxor tua sicut vitis 
abundans, * in lateribus 
domus tuae. 

Filii tui, sicut novellae 
olivarum,* in circuit u mensae 
tuae. 

Kcce sic benedicetur 
homo * qui timet Dominum. 

Benedicat tibi Dominus 
ex Sion, * et videas bona 
Jerusalem omnibus diebus 
vitae tuae. 

Et videas filios filiorum 
tuorum, * pacem super 
Israel. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

I. Extra Adventum 

Ant. Pulchra es et decora, 
alia Jerusalem: terribilis ut 
castrorum acies ordinata 



II. In Adventu. 

Ant. Ecce ancilla Domini, 
fiat mini secundum verbum 
tuum. 



III. Post Adventum. 

Ant. Ecce Maria genuit 
nobis Salvatorem, quern 
Joannes videns exclamavit, 
dicens; Ecce Agnus Dei, 
ecce qui tollit peccata mundi, 
Alleluia. 



For thou shalt eat the 
labors of thy hands: blessed 
art thou, and it shall be well 
with thee. 

Thy wife shall be as a 
fruitful vine on the walls of 
thy house. 

Thy children as olive- 
plants, round about thy 
table. 

Behold, thus shall the 
man be blessed that feareth 
the Lord. 

May the Lord bless thee 
out of Sion, and mayest 
thou see the good things 
of Jerusalem all the davs 
of thy life. 

Mayest thou . see thy 
children's children, and peace 
upon Israel. 

Glory be, etc. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 

Ant. Thou art fair and 
comely, O daughter of 
Jerusalem : terrible as an 
army set in array. 

During Advent. 

Ant. Behold the hand- 
maid of the Lord: be it 
done unto me according 
to thy word. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Ant. Behold, Mary hath 
borne us a Saviour, Whom 
when John saw, he cried out, 
saying: Behold the Lamb 
of God, behold Him Who 
taketh aw T ay the sins of the 
world, Alleluia. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Maries Virginis. 849 



I, III. Extra et post 
A dv en turn. 

CAPITULUM. 

Eccli. xxiv. 
In plateis, sicut cinnamo- 
mum, et balsamum aroma- 
tizans odorem dedi; quasi 
myrrha electa dedi suavi- 
tatem odoris. 

R. Deo gratias. 
V. Post partum Virgo 
inviolata permansisti. 

R. Dei Genitrix, intercede 
pro nobis. 

II. In Adventu. 
CAPITULUM. 
Isa. vii. 
Ecce virgo concipiet, et 
pariet Filium, et vocabitur 
nomen ejus Emmanuel. Buty- 
rum et mel comedet, ut sciat 
reprobare malum et eligere 
bonum. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Angelus Domini nuntia- 
vit Mariae. 

R. Et concepit de Spiritu 
sancto. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

Christe, eleison. 

K}'rie, eleison. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

/. Extra Adventum. 

Oremus. 

v TT^AMULORUM tuorum 

( 1 [ quaesumus Domine, 

delictis ignosce; ut qui tibi 



From Christmas until 
Advent. 

LITTLE CHAPTBR. 

Ecclus. xxiv. 
In the ways, like cinna- 
mon and aromatic balm, 
I gave forth a sweet fra- 
grance: like the choicest 
myrrh, I yielded a sweet 
smell. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. After childbirth, O 
Virgin, thou didst remain 
inviolate. 

R. Plead for us, O Mother 
of God. 

During Advent. 
LITTLE CHAPTER. 
Isa. vii. 

Behold a virgin shall con- 
ceive, and shall bear a son; 
and His name shall be called 
Emmanuel. Butter and 
honey shall He eat, that 
He may know to refuse the 
evil, and to choose the good. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. The angel of the Lord 
declared unto Mary. 

R. And she conceived of 
the Holy Ghost. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

From Candlemas until 
Advent. 
Let us pray. 

BORGIVE, O Lord, we 
beseech Thee, the sins 
of Thy servants; so that 



8 50 Officium Parvum Beatcz Maria Virginis. 



placere de actibus nostris 
non valemus, Genitricis Filii 
tui Domini nostri interces- 
sione salvemur. Qui tecum 
vivit et regnat in unit ate 
Spiritus Sancti Deus, per 
omnia saecula saeculorum. 



R. Amen. 

77. In Adventu. 

Oremus 

Deus, qui de beatae Mariae 
Virginis utero, Verbum tuum, 
Angelo nuntiante, carnem 
suscipere voluisti: praesta 
supplicibus tuis: ut qui vere 
earn Genitricem Dei credi- 
mus, ejus apud te interces- 
sionibus adjuvemur. Per 
eumdem Dominum nostrum 
Jesum Christum Filium 
tuum: qui tecum vivit et 
regnat in unitate Spiritus 
sancti Deus, per omnia 
saecula saeculorum. 



R. Amen. 
III. Post Advenium. 

Oremus. 
Deus, qui salutis aeternae, 
beatae Mariae virginitate fe- 
cunda, humano generi prae- 
mia praestitisti : tribue, quae- 
sumus; ut ipsam pro nobis 
intercedere sentiamus, per 
quam meruimus auctorem 
vitae suscipere, Dominum 
nostrum Jesum Christum 
Filium tuum: qui tecum 



we who cannot become 
pleasing to Thee from our 
own actions, may be saved 
by the pleading of the 
Mother of Thy Son, Our 
Lord, Who liveth and 
reigneth with Thee in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, 
God, world without end. 
R. Amen. 

During Advent. 

Let us pray. 

O God, Who didst will 
that Thine eternal Word 
should take flesh in the 
womb of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, when the angel 
delivered his message : 
grant that Thy petitioners, 
who verily believe her to 
be the Mother of God, 
may be assisted by her in- 
tercession with Thee. 
Through the same Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, 
Who liveth and reigneth 
with Thee, in the unity of 
the Holy Ghost, God, world 
without end. 
R. Amen. 

From Christmas until 
Candlemas. 

Let us pray. 
O God, Who, by the 
fruitful virginity of blessed 
Mary, hast given to mankind 
the rewards of eternal salva- 
tion: grant, we beseech 
Thee, that we may ex- 
perience her intercession 
for us, by whom we deserved 
to receive the Author of 
life, Our Lord Jesus Christ, 



Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 851 



vivit et regnat in imitate 
Spiritus sancti Deus, per 
omnia saecula sa?culorum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Domine exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Benedicamus Domino. 

R. Deo gratias. 

V. Fidelium animae per 
misericordiam Dei requie- 
scant in pace. 

R. Amen. 



Thy Son. Who liveth and 
reigneth with Thee in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, 
God, world without end. 
R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. Let us bless the Lord. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

V. May the souls of the 
faithful, through the mercy 
of God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



Commemorations, 

1 *T*N this Office, when a Commemoration is made 
r-"-» of a Patron Saint, it should be at Vespers and 
Lauds, between the Prayer which follows the Antiphons 
of the Magnificat and Benedictus and the Commemoration 
of Saints, " Sancti Dei omnes," or 11 Kcce Dominus veniet." 

2. The Commemorations given for Lauds and Second 
Vespers are taken when the Commemoration of a saint, 
such as that of a founder of a Religious Order, is of daily 
occurrence. 

3. These Commemorations are from the Roman Breviary. 

Commemoration of St. Augustine. 



Ant. 



o 



AT FIRST 

DOCTOR Opti- 
me, Kcclesiae 
Sanctae lumen, beate Augus- 
tine, divinae legis amator, de- 
precare pro nobis Filium Dei. 

V. Amavit eum Dominus 
et ornavit eum. 

R. Stolam gloriae induit 
eum. 

Oremus. 

K J~T' DKSTO supplicationi- 
.^^M , bus nostris, omnipo- 
tens Deus, et quibus nduciam 



VESPERS. 

Ant. f\ THOU most ex- 
cellent Doc- 
tor and light of the holy 
Church, St. Augustine, lover 
of divine law, pray for us to 
the Son of God. 

V. The Lord loved him 
and adorned him. 

R. He clothed him with 
a robe of glory. 

Let us pray. 

^>flVE ear to our suppli- 
\& cations, Almighty 
God, and, as Thou hast 



852 Officium Parvum Beatcz Maria Virginis. 



sperandae pietatis indulges, 
intercedente beato Augustino, 
confessore tuo atque ponti- 
fice, consuetae misericordiae 
tribue benignus effect um. 
Per Dominum, etc. 



given us grace to trust in 
Thy loving kindness, so, 
by the intercession of 
blessed Augustine, Thy con- 
fessor and bishop, grant us 
of Thy goodness the fruit of 
Thy accustomed mercy. 



AT lauds. 



Ant. ^"NT^GE. serve bone 
\~J( et fidelis, quia 
in pauca fuisti fidelis, supra 
mult a te const ituam, dicit 
Dominus. 



V. Justum deduxit Do- 
minus per vias rectas. 

R Et ostendit illi regnum 
Dei. 

Oremus. 

Adesto. 



Ant. X /A | J ELL done, 
V3lA# thou good and 
faithful servant ; because 
thou hast been faithful over 
a few things, I Avill place thee 
over many things, says the 
Lord. 

V. The just the Lord 
leadeth the righteous way. 

R. And showeth him the 
kingdom of God. 

Let us pray. 

Give ear, etc. 



AT SECOND VESPERS. 



Ant. O Doctor optime, etc. 
(as at First Vespers) . 

V. Justum, etc. 
R. Et ostendit, etc. (as at 
Lauds) . 

Oremus. 
Adesto, as above. 



Ant O thou most excel- 
lent Doctor (the same as 
at First Vespers) . 

V. The just, etc. 

R. And showeth, etc. (as 
at Lauds) . 

Let us pray. 
Give ear, as above 



Commemoration of St. Benedict 

AT FIRST VESPERS. 

Ant. Q^nilLABO eum Ant. < r' LIKEN him to 

viro sapienti, the wise man, 

qui aedificavit domum suam who built his house upon a 

supra petram. rock. 

V. Amavit eum Dominus V. The Lord loved him 

et ornavit eum. and adorned him. 

R. Stolam gloriae induit R. He clothed him with 

eum. a robe of glory. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Alar ice Virginis. 853 



Oremus. 
Intercessio nos, quaesu- 
mus, Domine, beati Bene- 
dicti Abb at is commendet : 
lit quod nostris mentis non 
valemus, ejus patrocinio 
assequamur. 



Let us pray. 
Let the intercession of the 
blessed abbot, St. Benedict, 
we beseech Thee, O Lord, 
commend us unto Thee, 
that what by our own 
merits we are unworthy to 
receive, we may obtain by 
his patronage. 



AT lauds. 



Ant. 



eUGE, serve bone 
et fidelis, quia 
in pauca fuisti fidelis, supra 
mult a te constituam: intra 
in gaudium Domini tui. 



V. Justum deduxit Do- 
minus per vias rectas. 

R. Et ostendit illi regnum 
Dei. 



Ant. V vi ITELL done, thou 
\5cAi good and 



faithful servant ; because thou 
hast been faithful over a few 
things, I will place thee over 
many things : enter thou into 
the joy of thy Lord. 

V. The just the Lord 
leadeth the righteous way. 

R. And showeth him the 
kingdom of God. 
Prayer as above. 



AT SECOND VESPERS. 



Ant. 



" V~\ *C vir despiciens 
r*-G mundum, et 
terrena triumphans, divitias 
coelo condidit ore, manu. 



Ant. 



HIS man, despis- 
ing the world, 
and triumphing over terres- 
trial things, stored up treas- 
ures for heaven by word and 
deed. 



Versicle and Response as at Lauds. Prayer as above. 



Commemoration 0) Si 

AT FIRST 

Ant. QTlMILABO eum 

viro sapienti, 
qui aedificavit domum suam 
supra petram. 

V. Amavit eum Dominus 
et ornavit eum. 

R. Stolam gloriae induit 
eum. 



. Francis Seraphicus. 

VESPERS. 

Ant. V LIKEN him to 
JL, the wise man, 
who built his house upon a 
rock. 

V. The Lord loved him 
and adorned him. 

R. He clothed him with 
a robe of glory. 



854 Officium Parvum Beata Mar ice, Virginis. 



Oremus. 
Deus, qui ecclesiam tuam 
beati Francisci meritis fce- 
tu novae prolis amplificas; 
tribue nobis ex ejus imita- 
tione terrena despicere, et 
ccelestium donorum semper 
participatione gaudere. 



Let us pray. 
O God, Who, through the 
merits of blessed Francis, 
dost enlarge Thy Church by 
the progeny of a new 
spiritual family; grant unto 
us that, by imitating him, 
we may despise terrestrial 
things, and ever rejoice in 
the participation of heavenly 
gifts. 



AT U 

Ant. i^fUGE serve bone 
et fidelis, quia 
in pauca fuisti fidelis : supra 
multa te constituam, intra in 
gaudium Domini tui. 



V. Justum deduxit Do- 
minus per vias rectas. 

R. Et ostendit illi regnum 
Dei. 

Prayer 



Ant. % 7 m 7rw*VJJL done, good 
%SLK and faithful 
servant; because thou hast 
been faithful over a few 
things, I will place thee over 
many things; enter thou 
into the joy of thy Lord. 

V. The just the Lord 
leadeth the righteous way. 

R. And showeth him the 
kingdom of God. 
s above. 



AT SECOND VESPERS. 

Ant. ' 1^ IC vir, despi- Ant. /^*HIS man, de- 
c*—t> ciensmundum \z) spising the 

et terrena triumphans, divi- world and triumphing over 
tias ccelo condidit ore, the things of earth, stored 
manu. up treasures for heaven by 

word and deed. 
Versicle and Response as at Lauds. Prayer as above. 

Commemoration of St. Clara. 

AT FIRST VESPERS. 



Ant. K \7* E N I , sponsa 

V Christi, accipe 
coronam, quam tibi Domi- 
nus praeparavit in aeternum. 

V. Specie tua et pulchri- 
tudine tua. 



Ant. ^TOME, O spouse of 
Christ, accept 
the crown which the Lord 
hath prepared for thee from 
eternity. 

V. In thy comeliness and 
thy beauty. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Marice Virginis. 



855 



R. Intende, prospere pro- 
cede et regna. 

Oremus. 
Famulos tuos, qusesumus 
Domine, beatae virginis tuae 
Clarae commemorationem re- 
censentes, coelestium gaudio- 
rum sua facias interventione 
participes, et tui Unigeniti 
cohaeredes. 



R. Go forth, proceed 
prosperously, and reign. 

Let us pray. 
We beseech Thee, O 
Lord, grant to Thy servants, 
who celebrate the com- 
memoration of Thy holy 
virgin Clara, that, through 
her intercession, we may 
become partakers of the 
heavenly joys, and co-heirs 
of Thy only-begotten Son. 



AT lauds. 



Ant 



BIMILE est reg- 
num coelorum 
homini negotiatori quaerenti 
bonas margaritas : inventa 
una pretiosa, dedit omnia 
sua et comparavit earn. 

V. Diffusa est gratia in 
labiis tuis. 

R. Propterea benedixit te 
Deus in aeternum. 

Prayer 



^^HE kingdom of 



Ant. 

heaven is like 
to a merchant seeking good 
pearls, who, when he had 
found one pearl of great 
price, sold all that he had, 
and bought it. 

V. Grace is poured abroad 
in thy lips. 

R. Therefore hath God 
blessed thee for ever. 
as above. 



AT SECOND VESPERS. 



Ant. Veni sponsa Christi. Ant. Come, O Spouse of 

Christ. 
As at First Vespers. 

Versicle and Response as at Lauds. Prayer as above. 



Commemoration 



AT FIRST 



Ant. 



t ^IMILE est reg- 
num coelorum 
homini negotiatori quaerenti 
bonas margaritas ; inventa 
una pretiosa, dedit omnia 
sua et comparavit earn. 



of St. Elizabeth. 

VESPERS. 

Ant /^HE kingdom of 
V£/ heaven is like 
to a merchant seeking good 
pearls, who, when he had 
found one pearl of great 
price, sold all that he had, 
and bought it. 



856 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



V. Specie tua et pulchri- 
tudine tua. 

R. Intende, prospere pro- 
cede et regna. 

Oremus. 
Tuorum Corda fidelium, 
Deus miserator, illustra, et 
beatae Elizabeth precibus 
gloriosis fac nos prospera 
mundi despicere, et ccelesti 
semper consolatione gaudere. 



V. In thy comeliness and 
thy beauty. 

R. Go forth, proceed pros- 
perously, and reign. 

Let us pray. 
Enlighten, O God of com- 
passion, the hearts of Thy 
faithful, and, through the 
glorious prayers of blessed 
Elizabeth, cause us to 
despise the good things of 
this world, and ever to 
delight in the consolations 
of heaven. 



AT LAUDS. 

Ant. ATE ei de fructu Ant. f~>f IVE her of the 

\J manuum sua- VSiJ fruit of her 

rum, et laudent earn in por- hands and let her works 
tis opera ejus. praise her in the gates. 

V. Diffusa est gratia in V. Grace is poured abroad 
labiis tuis. in thy lips. 

R. Propterea benedixit te R. Therefore hath God 
Deus in aeternum. blessed thee for ever. 

Prayer as above. 

AT SECOND VESPERS. 

Ant. /T\ ANUM suam Ant. ^^HE hath opened 
r * aperuit inopi, J^JJ her hand to 

et palmas suas extendit ad the needy, and stretched out 
pauperem: et panem otiosa her hands to the poor; and 
non comedit. hath not eaten her bread idle. 

Versicle and Response as at Lauds. Prayer as above. 

Commemoration of St Dominic. 

AT FIRST VESPERS. 



Ant. ^IMILABO eum 
ji? viro sapienti, 
qui aedificavit domum suam 
supra pertram. 

V. Amavit eum Dominus 
et ornavit eum. 

R. Stolam gloriae induit 
eum. 



Ant. LIKEN him to 
JL» the wise man, 
who built his house upon a 
rock. 

V. The Lord loved him 
and adorned him. 

R. He clothed him with a 
robe of glory. 



Officium Parvum Beata Maria Virginis. 857 



Or em us. 
Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam 
beati Dominici confessoris 
tui illuminari dignatus es 
mentis et doctrinis ; concede, 
et ejus intercessione tempora- 
libus non destituatur auxiliis, 
et spiritualibus semper pro- 
ficiat incrementis. 



Let us pray. 
O God, Who hast vouch- 
safed to enlighten Thy Church 
by the merits and teaching 
of blessed Dominic, Thy 
confessor, grant that, through 
his intercession, it may not 
be left destitute of temporal 
assistance, and may con- 
tinually advance in spiritual 
growth. 



AT LAUDS. 



Ant. ^jfUGB, serve bone 
et fidelis, quia 
in pauca fuisti fidelis supra 
multa te constituam, intra 
in gaudium Domini tui. 



V. Justum deduxit Domi- 
nus per vias rectas. 

R. Et ostendit illi reg- 
num Dei, 



Ant. Id) \ ELL done, good 
vXA, and faithful 
servant: because thou hast 
been faithful over a few 
things, I will place thee over 
many things: enter thou 
into the joy of thy Lord. 

V. The just the Lord lead- 
eth the righteous way. 

R. And showeth him the 
kingdom of God. 



AT SECOND VESPERS. 



Ant. 



' |^ IC vir despi- 
r-I— £ ciens mun- 
dum, et terrena triumphans, 
divitias coelo condidit ore, 
manu. 



Ant. /^HIS man de- 
V*) spising the 
world and triumphing over 
terrestrial things, stored up 
treasures for heaven by word 
and deed. 



Versi le and Response as at Lauds. 



Oremus. 

Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam 
beati Dominici confessoris 
tui illuminari dignatus es 
meritis et doctrinis; concede, 
ut ejus intercessione tem- 
poralibus non destituatur 
auxiliis, et spiritualibus sem- 
per proriciat incrementis. 



Let us pray. 

O God, Who hast vouch- 
safed to enlighten Thy Church 
by the merits and teaching 
of blessed Dominic, Thy 
confessor, grant that, through 
his intercession, it may not 
be left destitute of temporal 
assistance, and may con- 
tinually advance in spiritual 
growth. 



858 Officium Parvum Beatcz Maria Virginis. 



Commemoration of St. Francis de Sales. 



AT FIRST 

Ant. DOCTOR op- 

V^J time, Ecclesiae 
sanctae lumen, beate Fran- 
cisce, divinae legis amator, 
deprecare pro nobis Filium 
Dei. 

V. Amavit eum Dominus 
et ornavit eum. 

R. Stolam gloriae induit 
eum. 

Oremus. 
Deus, qui ad animarum 
salutem beatum Franciscum 
confessorem tuum atque pon- 
tificem omnibus omnia fac- 
tum esse voluisti; concede 
propitius, ut charitatis tuae 
dulcedine perfusi, ejus diri- 
gentibus monitis, ac suffra- 
gantibus meritis, aeterna gau- 
dia consequamur. 



VESPERS 
Ant. 



THOU most ex- 



o cellent doc- 
tor and light of the holy- 
Church, St. Francis, lover of 
divine law, pray for us to 
the Son of God. 

V. The Lord loved him 
and adorned him. 

R. He clothed him with 
a robe of glory. 

Let us pray. 
O God, by Whose gracious 
will, the blessed Francis, Thy 
confessor and bishop, became 
all things unto all men for 
the saving of their souls; 
mercifully grant that, being 
filled with the sweetness of 
Thy love, we may, directed 
by his counsels, and aided 
by his merits, attain unto 
the joys of the life everlasting. 



Ant. 



€(' 



AT LAUDS. 



I UGB, serve bone 
et fidelis, quia 
in pauca fuisti fidelis, supra 
multa te constituam, dicit 
Dominus. 



V. Justum deduxit Domi- 
nus per vias rectas. 

R. Et ostendit illi regnum 
Dei. 

Prayer 



Ant. ^7JT , ELL done, good 
%JIA> and faithful 
servant; because thou hast 
been faithful over a few 
things, I will place thee over 
many, says the Lord. 

V. The just the Lord lead- 
eth the righteous way. 

R. And showeth him the 
kingdom of God. 
as above. 



AT SECOND VESPERS. 



Ant. 



O DOCTOR op- 
time, Ecclesiae 
sanctae lumen, beate Fran- 
cisce, divinae legis amator, 
deprecare pro nobis Filium 
Dei. 



Ant. r\ THOU most ex- 
\J cellent teacher, 
light of the holy Church, 
St. Francis, lover of the 
divine law, pray for us to 
the Son of God. 



Versicle and Response as at Lauds. Prayer as above. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 859 



Commemoration of St. Jane Frances Fremiot de Chantal 
AT FIRST VESPERS. 



Ant QTlMILE est reg- 
num coelorum 
homini negotiation quaerenti 
bonas margaritas : invent a 
una pretiosa, dedit omnia sua, 
et comparavit earn. 

V. Specie tua et pulchri- 
tudine tua. 

R. Intende, prospere pro- 
cede et regna. 

Oremus. 
Omnipotens et misericors 
Deus, qui beatam Ioannam 
Franciscam tuo amore suc- 
censam admirabili spiritus 
fortitudine per omnes vitae 
semitas in via perfectionis 
donasti, quique per illam 
illustrare Ecclesiam tuam no- 
va prole voluisti, eius men- 
tis et precibus concede, ut 
qui infirmitatis nostrse conscii 
de tua virtute conridimus, 
coelestis gratiae auxilio cuncta 
nobis adversantia vincamus. 



Ant. ^^HE kingdom of 
\!*y heaven is like 
to a merchant seeking good 
pearls, who, when he had 
found one pearl of great price, 
sold all that he had, and 
bought it. 

V. In thy comeliness and 
thy beauty. 

R. Go forth, proceed pros- 
perously and reign. 

Let us pray. 
Almighty and merciful 
God, Who, inflaming blessed 
Jane Frances with Thy love, 
didst endow her with a 
marvelous fortitude of spirit 
to pursue the way of per- 
fection in all the duties of 
life, and wast pleased through 
her to enrich Thy Church 
with a new family; grant, 
through her merits and in- 
tercession, that we, know- 
ing our own weakness, and 
trusting in Thy strength, 
may, by the gift of Thy 
heavenly grace, overcome all 
things that oppose us. 



AT LAUDS. 



Ant *T^V ATE ei de fructu 
<JLJ manuum sua- 
rum, et laudent earn in portis 
opera ejus. 

V. Diffusa est gratia in 
labiis tuis. 

R Propterea benedixit te 
Deus in aeternum. 

Prayer 



Ant fSIVE her of the 
\G> fruit of her 
hands, and let her works 
praise her in the gates. 

V. Grace is poured abroad 
in thv lips. 

R Therefore hath God 
blessed thee for ever. 
s above. 



86 o Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



AT SECOND VESPERS. 

Ant. i^pvANUM suam Ant. HE hath opened 
aperuit inopi, her hand to 

et palmas suas extendit ad the needy, and stretched out 
pauperem, et panem otiosa her hands to the poor, and 
non comedit. hath not eaten her bread idle. 

Versicle and Response as at Lauds. Prayer as above. 



Commemoration of St. Vincent de Paul. 

Antiphon, Versicle, and Response at First Vespers, Lauds, 
and Second Vespers are the same as for the Commem- 
oration of St. Dominic. 



Or emus. 
Deus, qui ad evangelizan- 
dum pauperibus et ecclesi- 
astici ordinis decorem pro- 
movendum beatum Vincen- 
tium apostolica virtute ro- 
borasti, praesta quaesumus, ut 
cujus pia merita veneramur, 
virtutum quoque instruamur 
exemplis. 



Let us pray. 
O God, Who didst strength- 
en blessed Vincent with apos- 
tolic power to pieach the 
Gospel to the poor, and ad- 
vance the honor of the 
ecclesiastical order; grant, 
we beseech Thee, that, as we 
venerate his merits of charity, 
so we may be instructed by 
the many examples of hi 3 
virtues. 



Commemoration of 

AT FIRST 

Ant. \r E N I spousa 
V Christi, ac- 
cipe coronam, quam tibi Do- 
minus praeparavit in seternum. 

V. Specie tua et pulchritu- 
dine tua. 

R. Intende, prospere pro- 
cede et regna. 

Oremus. 
Deus, qui novum per be- 
atam Angelam sacrarum vir- 
ginum collegium in Ecclesia 
tua florescere voluisti: da 



St. Angela Merici. 
vespers. 

Ant. /"NOME, O spouse 
^A. of Christ, ac- 
cept the crown which the 
Lord hath prepared for thee 
from eternity. 

V. In thy comeliness and 
thy beauty. 

R. Go forth, proceed pros- 
perously and reign. 

Let us pray. 
O God, Who through the 
blessed Angela didst cause 
a new community of sacred 
virgins to flourish in Thy 



Officiam Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 



861 



nobis ejus intercessione an- 
gelicis moribus vivere, ut 
terrenis omnibus abdicatis, 
gaudiis perfrui mereamur ae- 
ternis. 



Church; grant that, through 
her intercession, we may live 
in an angelic manner, and, 
renouncing all earthly things, 
be found worthy to enjoy 
those that are eternal. 



at lauds 



Ant. Simile est regnum 
coelorum homini negotiatori 
quaerenti bonas margaritas : 
inventa una pretiosa, dedit 
omnia sua et comparavit 
earn. 

V. Diffusa est gratia in 
labiis tuis. 

R. Propterea oenedixit te 
Deus in aeternum. 

Prayer 



Ant. The kingdom of 
heaven is like to a merchant 
seeking good pearls, who, 
when he had found one 
pearl of great price, sold all 
that he had, and bought it. 

V. Grace is poured abroad 
in thy lips. 

R. Therefore hath God- 
blessed thee for ever. 
as above. 



. AT SECOND VESPERS. 

Ant. Veni, sponsa, etc. Ant. Come, O spouse of 

Christ, etc. 

The same as in First Vespers. 
Versicle and Response as at Lauds.- Prayer as above. 

Commemoration of St. Ursula and her Companions. 



AT BOTH VESPERS AND LAUDS. 



Ant. 



RUDENTES vir- Ant 



vestras lampades: ecce spon- 
sus venit, exite obviam ei. 

V. Adducentur Regi vir- 
gines post earn. 

R. Proximae ejus afferentur 
tibi. 

Oremus. 

Da nobis, quaesumus, 
Domine^Deus noster, sancta- 
rum Yirginum et Martyrum 
tuarum Ursulas et Sociarum 
ejus palmas incessabili de- 
votione venerari: ut, quas 



Y 1 



E wise virgins r 
prepare your 
lamps: behold the Bride- 
groom cometh, go forth to 
meet Him. 

V. After her shall virgins 
be brought unto the King. 

R. Her companions shall 
be brought unto Thee. 

Let us pray. 
Grant us grace, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord our God, 
to commemorate with un- 
ceasing devotion the glorious 
triumphs of Thy holy 
martyrs, Ursula and her 



862 Officium Parvum Beata Maria Virginis. 



digna mente non possumus companions: that whereas, 
celebrare, humilibus saltern by the feebleness of our 
frequentemus obsequiis. nature, we can not duly 

celebrate their memory, we 
may at least honor them 
with humble service. 

Commemoration of St. Francis of Assist* 

AT FIRST AND SECOND VESPERS. 



Ant. *T^J KSPICE, beate 
Francisce, de 
excelso ccelorum habitaculo 
et deprecare pro populo tuo, 
populo, quern elegisti, ut 
serviat coram te omni tem- 
pore in ministerio Sanctuarii 
Domini. 

V. Signasti, Domine, 
servum tuum Franciscum. 

R. Signis redemptionis no- 
stras 

Oremus. 

Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam 
beati Francisci meritis foetu 
novae prolis amplificas, tribue 
nobis ex eius imitatione 
terrena despicere et cce- 
lestium donorum semper 
participation gaudere. Per 
Dominum, etc. 



Ant OOK down, St 

fJ — A Francis, from 
the blissful heights of 
heaven, and pray for thy 
people: pray for the 
children thou hast chosen, 
that they may ever serve 
before thee in the service 
of the sanctuary of the Lord. 

V. Thou hast signed, O 
Lord, Thy servant Francis; 

R. With the sign of f our 
redemption. 

Let us pray. 

O God, Who, through the 
merits of St. Francis, dost 
enlarge Thy Church by the 
progeny of a new offspring: 
grant unto us that, 
by imitating him, we may 
despise the things of this 
world, and be blessed in the 
perpetual enjoyment of Thy 
heavenly gifts. 



AT lauds. 

Ant. Perfice, Pater Sera- Ant. Perfect, O Seraphic 
phice, vineam, quam plant a- Father, the vineyard which 



* This commemoration and those that follow are peculiar to 
^ome Religious Orders, which are privileged to use them, and 
for this reason they are here inserted. They differ in special 
parts from the commemorations of the same saints, as given pre- 
viously, and as found in the Roman Breviary. 



Officium Parvum Beaioz Mar ice, Virgin is. 863 



vit dextera tua, et exaudi Thy right hand hath planted 
preces filiorum tuorum. and hear the prayers of Thy 

children. 

Versicle, Response, and Prayer as above. 
Commemoration of St. Clara. 



AT FIRST VESPERS. 



jCjf ALVE, 



Ant. 

Dei, virgo, sacra 
planta Minorum; tu vas 
munditiae, tu praevia forma 
sororum ; Clara, tuis precibus 
due nos ad regna polorum. 



V. Specie tua et pulchri- 
tudine tua. 

R. Intende, prospere pro- 
cede et regna. 

Oremus. 

Famulos tuos, quaesumus 
Domine, beatae virginis tuae 
Clarae votivam commemora- 
tionem recensentes, coeles- 
tium gaudiorum sua facias 
interventione participes et 
tui Unigeniti cohaeredes, qui 
tecum vivit, etc. 



Ant. |rv AIL, spouse of 
God, virgin, 
sacred plant of the Order of 
St. Francis, thou vessel of 
purity, thou bright model 
of the Sisters: St. Clara, 
lead us, through thy prayers, 
to the kingdom of heaven. 

V. In thy comeliness and 
thy beauty. 

R. Go forth, proceed pros- 
perously, and reign. 

Let us pray. 
We beseech Thee, O Lord, 
grant that Thy servants, 
who celebrate the commem- 
oration of Thy virgin, St. 
Clara, may, through her inter- 
cession, become partakers of 
the heavenly joys and co-heirs 
of Thy only begotten Son, 
Who liveth and reigneth, etc. 



at lauds. 



Ant. 



^p) OVUM sidus 
,J_£ emicuit, can- 
dor lucis apparuit, lux clari- 
tatis adfuit, coeli splendor 
enituit; nam lux, quae lucem 
influit, Claram clarere voluit. 



V. Diffusa est gratia in 
labiis tuis. 

R. Propterea benedixit tu 
Deus in aeternum. 



Ant. 



Vj* NEW star 
shines forth 
[sprung out], a brilliant light 
has appeared; light of bright- 
ness [clearness] came; the 
splendor of heaven burst 
forth; for the light, which 
flows in upon light, willed 
to glorify Clara. 

V. Grace is poured 
abroad in thy lips; 

R. Therefore hath God 
blessed thee for ever. 



864 Officium Parvum BeatcE Mar ice Virginis, 



AT SECOND VESPERS. 

Antiphon as at First Vespers; Versicle and Response as at 

Lauds. 

Commemoration of St. Francis de Sales. 



AT BOTH VESPERS. 



Ant. 



*J5> HPLEVIT sanc- 
{J— \$ turn Francis- 
cum Dominus spiritu intelli- 
gentiae, et ipse fluenta 
doctrinae ministravit populo 
Dei. 

V. Ora pro nobis, beate 
Pater Francisce, 

R. Ut digni efficiamur 
promissionibus Christi. 

Oremus. 
Deus, qui ad animarum 
salutem beatum Franciscum, 
confessorem tuum at que 
pontificem, omnibus omnia 
factum esse voluisti, concede 
propitius, ut caritatis tuae 
dulcedine perfusi, eius diri- 
gentibus monitis ac suffra- 
gantibus meritis aeterna 
gaudia consequamur. Per 
Dominum, etc. 



Ant. 

V£) St. Francis with 
the spirit of knowledge, and 
he himself from the fountain 
of his doctrine supplied the 
people of God. 

V. Pray for us, O blessed 
Father Francis, 

R. That we may be made 
worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 
O God, by Whose gracious 
will the blessed Francis, Thy 
confessor and bishop, became 
all things unto all men for 
the saving of their souls; 
mercifully grant that, being 
filled with the sweetness of 
Thy love, we may, through 
the guidance of his counsels 
and by the aid of his merits, 
attain unto the joys of the 
life everlasting. 



Ant. 



AT lauds. 
t OLI VA f ructif era A nt. 



0< 
in domo Dei, 

beate Francisce, ardens cari- 
tate, coruscans miraculis, fac 
nos eius qua frueris lucis 
suavitatisque participes. 



o 



FRUITFUL 
olive in the 
House of God! Blessed 
Francis, all aglow with the 
fire of charity and scintil- 
lating with the brilliancy of 
thy miracles, make us worthy 
of participating in the light 
and the sweetness, which 
thou dost enjoy. 



Versicle, Response, and Prayer as above. 



Officium Parvum Beatce Maria Virginis. 865 



Commemoration 0} St. Jane Frances de Chantal. 

AT BOTH VESPERS. 



Ant. £5[RAT haec in. 

omnibus famo- 
sissima, quoniam timebat 
Deum valde, nec erat qui 
loqueretur de ilia verbum 
malum. 

V. Complacuit Domino in 

te. 

R. Et gaudebit super te 
Deus tuus. 



Ant. C^HE was held in 
^5 the highest es- 
teem by all, because she 
feared God greatly; nor 
did any one speak an evil 
word of her. 

V. The Lord was well 
pleased in thee. 

R. And thy God rejoiced 
on account of thee. 



Oremus. Let us pray. 

Omnipotens et misericors Almighty and merciful 
Deus, qui beatam Ioannam God, Who didst bestow upon 
Franciscam tuo amore St. Jane Frances, inflamed 
succensam admirabili spiri- as she was with love of Thee, 
tus fortitudine per omnes through all the walks of her 
vitae semitas in via per- life, a wonderful fortitude 
fectionis donasti, quique per of spirit in the pursuit of 
illam illustrare Ecclesiam perfection, and didst will 
tuam nova prole voluisti, to glorify Thy Church 
ejus meritis et precibus through her by means of a 
concede, ut qui infirmitatis new spiritual family; we 
nostrae conscii de tua virtute beseech Thee, grant that 
confidimus, ccelestis gratiae through her merits and 
auxilio cuncta nobis ad- prayers, we, conscious of 
versantia vincamus : Per Do- our own weakness and 
minum, etc. Amen. relying on Thy strength, 

may, with the help of 
heavenly grace, overcome 
all obstacles to our salva- 
tion. Through Our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 



at lauds. 

Ant. *r fEClT quod pla- Ant. ^HE did what was 
t t[ cuit Deo, et pleasing to God, 

fortiter ivit in via, quam and walked courageously in 
mandavit illi propheta mag- the way which the prophet — 
nus et fidelis in conspectu the great and faithful one — 
Dei. commanded her, before the 

face of God. 



866 Officium Parvum Beatce Mar ice Virginis. 



V. Os suum aperuit sa- V. She opened her mouth 

pientiae. to wisdom. 

R. Et lex clementiae in R. And the law of mild- 
lingua ejus. ness was on her tongue. 

Prayer as above. 
For the Feast of St. Jane Frances de Chantal {August 21) 
the Antiphon, Versicle, and Response are as follows for the 
First Vespers: 

Ant. Domine, qui habes Ant. Lord, Thou dost 
omnium scientiam, tu scis possess all knowledge and 
quod nunquam laetata sit Thou knowest that Thy 
ancilla tua nisi in te, Do- servant found no other 
mine Deus. pleasure than in Thee, 

Lord God. 

V. Sitivit in te anima mea, V. For Thee my soul hath 

thirsted, 

R. Quam multipliciter tibi R. For Thee, my flesh, 
caro mea. O how many ways! 

Prayer as above. 
At Lauds: Ant. "Fecit" etc. V. " Os suum" etc. 
At Second Vespers: Ant. il Erat Juzc," etc. V. " Com- 
placuit," etc. 



BOOK IV. 



Bona /IDors Bepottons ; preparation for a 
1Cmpp2 H>eatb ; JEjammation of Conscience 
for lEjtraorbmarp ©ccasxons ; prapers for 
tbe Sick ant) H^ing ; Uhc Bfcmmtstration 
of tbe 3Last Sacraments ; anb Ube ©f fice 
for tbe 2>ea&, 

Zhc /Ifcontblg IRetreat or Da$ of IRecollection anD 
prater in preparation for a Ibappg 2>eatb, 

BESIDES the annual retreat, many Founders of Religious 
Orders have prescribed for the members of their 
Institutes other short retreats, destined to prepare them 
for the greater feasts, and at the same time to enable them 
to examine into the state of their souls. 

One day in the month is also fixed in most Religious 
Communities as a day of special recollection, and of the 
renewal of fervor and zeal in the service of God, by the 
most earnest consideration of Death and Eternity. 

In all stages of the spiritual life it is necessary for us to 
enter often into ourselves; if we are faithful, in order to per- 
severe; if lukewarm, to reanimate ourselves; if unobservant, 
to re-enter upon the duties of exact observance. 

We are viator es — travelers, journeying on toward our 
home. Love should spur us on to walk the steep, narrow, 
and rugged road that leads to eternal life — to the happy 
home of the saints. But let us ponder over St. Ignatius' 
prayer, that if love should fail, the fear of hell might help 
him not to offend God. 

The monthly day of retreat and of pondering exclusively 
on the end of man, and of special exercises in preparation 

869 



870 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



for death, will be a powerful aid to perseverance and to the 
earnest renewal of the Religious Vows. 

4 4 In all thy works, O man, remember thy last end, and 
thou wilt never sin. 

" Remember, O man, that thou art dust, and unto dust 
shalt thou return." 

Consider what death is, what its effects are in regard 
to us— to our body, which it will reduce to ashes, to our 
soul, which it will instantaneously submit to the judgment 
of infinite justice — to those objects to which we have any 
attachment, which have led us in any way or degree to 
offend Our Creator, and of which it will certainly strip us 
naked. Father Dignam says: 

"Let us face the thought: death will come; many Religious 
even procrastinate; we think when I have more time, when 
the distractions of teaching and superintending are over, 
when I can be more to myself, I will begin to live the spiritual 
life indeed. Which of us can promise himself any such 
season of quiet? who can count upon another year of life, 
nay, another day? 

"Am I ready now? What shall I wish to do if I were 
this very hour called upon to give my account for eternity? 
St. Aloysius said, if he were to be told that he should die at 
the end of recreation, he would still go to recreation. Are 
we able to say the same? Are all our duties performed 
equally to the satisfaction of our own conscience? If we 
should have to change them in order to prepare for death, 
certainly the necessity is not less now — let us be practical. 

"At our judgment we shall not be asked what sins we 
have committed, but whether we have done the known 
will of God. In how many ways is God's will made known 
to us, and without any doubt? A criminal in the dock 
listens to the examination of his case going on, he knows 
justice has to be done, there is no appeal now. Our time 
will then be past: why not do now T what we shall one day 
wish to have done, when it will be too late?" 

Reflect well upon the following words: 

"The measure of our fidelity upon earth will be the meas- 
ure of the love which God will have for us, and we for 
God, during all eternity." 



Bona Mors Devotions, 



871 



JTbougbts from St Blpboneus on Deatb anD JEternltE* 

T. Augustine was wont to call the thought of eternity 
the Great Thought. 
St. Teresa used to repeat to her spiritual daughters: 
"My children, one soul, one eternity!" She meant to say: 
"My children, we have but one soul, and if that is lost, 
all is lost; and once lost, it is lost for ever." In a word, 
upon that last breath which we draw in dying depends 
our being either happy for ever, or for ever in despair. If 
the eternity of the next life, if paradise, if hell, were mere 
opinions of literary men, and things of doubtful reality, 
even then we ought to take every care to live well, and not 
run the risk of losing our soul for ever. But no; for these 
things are not doubtful; they are certainties, they are truths 
of faith; much more certain than the things which we see 
with the eyes of the body. 

Let us, then, pray to Our Lord to give us more faith, saying 
with the apostles: "Lord, increase our faith!" For, if 
we are not strong in faith, we may become worse than Luther 
or Calvin. On the contrary, one thought of lively faith 
in the eternity that awaits us, may make us saints. 

St. Gregory says that they who meditate on eternity are 
neither puffed up by prosperity, nor cast down by adversity; 
because as they desire nothing in the world, so they fear 
nothing from the world. 

When it happens to us to suffer any infirmities or persecu- 
tions, let us remember the hell which we have deserved by 
our sins. When we do this, every cross will seem to us 
light, and we shall thank the Lord, and say: "It is the mercies 
of the Lord that we are not consumed " (Lam. hi. 22). 
Let us say with David, "Unless the Lord had been my 
helper, my soul had almost dwelt in hell" (Ps. xciii. 17). 

I MUST ONE DAY DIE. 

IT is a practice very profitable for our eternal salvation, 
to say often to ourselves: "I must one day die." The 
most precious objects which were carried by the 
anchorites to their caves were a cross and a skull: the cross 
to remind them of the love which Jesus Christ has had for 




872 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



us, and the skull to remind them of the day of their own 
death. And thus they persevered in penitential works 
till the end of their days ; and, dying in poverty in the deserts, 
they died more happy than kings who die in palaces. 

If, then, we have faith, let us believe that there is a 
death, a judgment, an eternity; and endeavor, during the 
days that yet remain for us, to live only for God. And 
therefore let us take care to live as pilgrims on this earth, 
remembering that we must speedily leave it. Let us live 
with death ever before our eyes; and in all the affairs of 
this present life let us take care to act as we should act at 
the point of death. All things upon earth either leave us, 
or we have to leave them. Let us listen to Jesus Christ, 
Who says: "Lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven, 
where neither the rust nor moth doth consume " (Matt, 
vi. 20). O Lord, if I have been foolish in the past, I will 
not be foolish any longer. Now I give myself wholly to 
Thee; do Thou receive me, and help me with Thy grace. 



PREPARATION FOR DEATH. 

*T^vBATH is certain. "It is appointed unto men once to 
m yj die" (Heb, ix. 27). On the contrary, the time and 
the manner of our death are uncertain. Therefore Jesus 
Christ exhorts us: "Be you then also ready, for at what 
hour you think not, the Son of man will come" (Luke xii. 
40). He says: " Be you ready " ; therefore, to save our souls, 
it is not sufficient to prepare ourselves to die when death 
seems to be approaching, but we must then be already pre- 
pared. It is accordingly useful for every one to repeat, at 
least once a month, the following acts. 

Behold me, O my God, ready to embrace that death 
which Thou dost destine for me. From this moment I 
accept it, and I sacrifice to Thee my life in honor of Thy 
divine Majesty, and also in penance for my sins, rejoicing that 
this my flesh, to please which I have otfended Thee so much, 
should be devoured by worms, and be reduced to dust. O 
my Jesus, I unite the pains and the agony which I must 
then suffer to the pains and agony which Thou, my Saviour, 
didst suffer in Thy death; I accept death with all the cir- 
cumstances Thou mayst appoint; I accept the time, whether 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



873 



it be after many years, or very soon; I accept the manner, 
whether in bed or out of it, whether with warning or suddenly, 
and from that sickness more or less painful as it may please 
Thee. In everything I resign myself to Thy holy will. 
Give me strength to suffer all with patience. . 

"What shall I render to the Lord for all the things that 
He hath rendered to me?" (Ps. cxv. 12.) I thank Thee, 

my God, first, for the gift of faith, protesting that I intend 
to die a child of the Holy Catholic Church. I thank Thee 
for not having caused me to die when I was in sin, and for 
having so often pardoned me with so much mercy. I thank 
Thee for so many lights and graces with which Thou hast 
sought to draw me to Thy love. I thank Thee for having 
called me to the Religious state. I pray Thee to let me 
die after receiving Thee in the holy Viaticum, so that, united 
to Thee , I may go to present myself at Thy tribunal. I do 
not deserve to hear from Thy mouth the words: "Well 
done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been 
faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things; 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord " (Matt. xxv. 21). 

1 do not deserve it, for in nothing have I been perfectly 
faithful to Thee; but Thy death gives me hope that I shall 
be admitted to heaven, to love Thee eternally and with 
all my powers, 

O my crucified Love, have mercy upon me! Look upon 
me with that love with which Thou didst look upon me from 
the cross, when dying for me. "Remember not the sins 
of my youth and my ignorances, O Lord." My sins terrify 
me, but I am comforted by that cross on which I see Thee 
dead for the love of me. "Behold the wood of the cross, 
on which hung the salvation of the world." I desire to 
end my life, that I may cease from offending Thee. Oh, 
by the blood that was shed for me, do Thou pardon me all 
my sins before death comes upon me. O blood of the 
innocent One, wash away the stains of the guilty! 

My Jesus, I embrace Thy cross, and kiss the wounds 
of Thy sacred feet, before w r hich I desire to breathe out 
my soul. Ah, do not abandon me at the last moment. 
"We beseech Thee, therefore, save Thy servants, whom 
Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood." I love 
Thee with all my heart, I love Thee more than myself, 



874 Bona Mors Devotions. 



and I repent with all my soul that I have despised Thee in 
the past. O Lord, I was lost, but Thou in Thy goodness 
hast delivered me from the world; receive, then, my soul 
from this moment for the hour when it shall leave the earth. 
Therefore I pray to Thee with St. Agatha: "O Lord, Thou 
Who hast taken from me the love of this world, receive 
my soul." "In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; I shall not 
be confounded for ever; Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord 
the God of truth." 

O holy Virgin, succor me at the moment of my death. 
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, a sinner, now 
and at the hour of my death; in thee, O Lady, have I hoped, 
I shall not be confounded for ever. St. Joseph, my pro- 
tector, obtain for me a holy death. My guardian angel, 
St. Michael the archangel, defend me in that last conflict 
with hell. My holy patrons, and all ye saints of paradise, 
succor me in that last moment. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, 
be with me at the hour of my death. 

©ffering of flbass anfc Communion for tbe /iftontblg 
IRecol lection in preparation for S>eatb* 

In connection with the Mass in honor of the Passion of Our 
Lord, the following prayers may be serviceable. 

OFFERING AT THE BEGINNING OF MASS. 

OMY God, I offer Thee this holy Mass — this sublime 
sacrifice of adoration, thanksgiving, reparation, 
and prayer — in union with the Passion of Our Lord and 
Saviour, Jesus Christ, and to obtain the grace of a happy 
death. 

Innumerable are the thanks I owe Thee, my dear Redeemer, 
for the sacrifice which Thou hast made of Thyself for me. 
I offer Thee my life in return; I offer it as a victim to honor 
Thee; may it be made worthy of Thy acceptance united 
with Thy death on the cross. Since love has made Thee die for 
me, it is but just that with a good will I accept of death 
for love of Thee. Had I a thousand lives, they would be 
too little to give Thee. I embrace death with joy; as it 
will free me from the possibility of offending Thee, I embrace 
it with resignation as the punishment due for my sins. I 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



875 



accept it at the moment, in the place, and in the manner that 
Thou wiliest; let earth return to earth, but grant that my 
soul, created to Thy image and redeemed by Thy blood, may 
return unto Thee. I now humbly thank Thee for all Thy 
benefits, as I desire to do at the last moment of my life, 
and when in my agony I shall not be able to adore, thank, 
and praise Thee, my God, I desire still to be united to all 
those who in heaven and on earth adore, praise, and thank 
Thee. I offer Thee now, for that hour, my agonies, fears, 
and sufferings to be united to the bitter agony and dolorous 
sufferings of my dying Saviour, for the remission of my 
sins, for the eternal glory of the Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, Whose name be for ever praised and whose will be 
for ever done, in me and by me for all eternity. 

MASS FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY. 

At the Offertory. 

INCE death, O my God, is the punishment Thou 
ordainest for sin, it is with a humble and submis- 
sive heart I accept Thy decree, I accept all the pains, 
trouble, and anxieties which are to accompany it, asking 
only a true spirit of resignation, an ardent love and desire 
to suffer all Thou mayest appoint, and sincere and heart- 
felt contrition. Had I but once offended Thee, it were 
still too much; but I have multiplied my sins above the 
hairs of my head — in eveiy place surrounded by Thy gifts, 
I have sinned: no day of my life which is not stained. Oh, 
that I were capable of an infinite sorrow to blot out all my 
sins! Accept, O Lord, in lieu of the grief that is wanting 
in me, the sorrow of my Saviour in the garden and upon 
the cross. If, dear Lord, I have often ceased to be 
Thy dutiful child, Thou hast never ceased to be my loving 
Father. All I can offer in satisfaction for my sins and 
ingratitude is my life, which I now offer with all my heart; 
at this very instant deprive me of it, if Thou wiliest — 
I resign it unto Thee. Yet, O my God, I am full of fears, 
my sins being so great and Thy judgments so terrible; but 
are not Thy mercies greater than all? Should I not then 
confide in Thee with a firm hope? Yes, I cast myself into 
the abyss of Thy mercies. Had I but this moment to live 




8y6 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



I would employ it in loving Thee. I fear not, under the 

cover of Thy mercy, insured to me by the blood of Jesus 
Christ, which He has shed for me, and which He is again 
about to offer on this altar. 

O dear Lord Jesus Christ, I recommend my soul into 
Thy hands: Thou hast bought it with Thy blood; it is 
Thine; I abandon it to Thy divine will, and to the judg- 
ment Thou shalt pronounce upon it, confidently hoping 
that Thou wilt save w T hat Thou hast loved unto death. 

After the Elevation. 

AIL, Jesus, sacred Victim! Who, in the moment of 
Thy Incarnation, didst accept the bitter Passion 
and death prepared for Thee, I, in union with Thy holy 
and perfect sacrifice, accept whatever death Thou hast 
ordained for me. I desire that the last act of my liberty 
may be an act of obedience to Thy divine w T ill, in union with 
Thy obedience wmen, bowing down Thy head, Thou didst 
render Thy pure soul into the hands of Thy eternal Father. 
With Thee, dear Jesus, may I say, "All is consummated;" 
and may my soul, when freed from its earthly bonds, fly 
to the bosom of Thy love, and be received by Thee into 
the kingdom of Thy glory. 

At the Communion. 

Y Saviour! my Redeemer! my sovereign Love! 
come, take possession of my heart, sanctify my 
soul, and replenish it with Thy graces. Would that I 
could die now when I shall have received Thee, that, sepa- 
rated from all earthly things, I might be for ever united to 
Thee. Jesus, my Jesus, be to me a Jesus, especially in 
my last hour, and fortify me in my departure out of this 
world against Thine enemies and mine; stay with me, O 
Lord, stay with me, for it is late, the best part of my life 
is gone by — the evening comes on, the shadows of night 
approach. Oh, guide me safely through this vale of tears — 
be my light amidst the shadows of death, be my hope and 
strength in my last struggle, and my reward for all eternity. 

Make an act of sincere contrition, a renewal of vows, and 
receive Jesus Christ as the viaticum of your soul. 





Bona Mors Devotions. 



877 



Contrition. 

OMY God I I am heartily sorry for having offended 
Thee, and I detest my sins above every other evil, 
because they displease Thee, my God, Who, for Thy infinite 
goodness, art so deserving of all my love; and I firmly resolve, 
by Thy holy grace, never more to offend Thee, and to amend 
my life. 

CONSIDERATIONS AND RENEWAL OE VOWS. 

Prayer. 

BEHOLD me, O my God, prostrate at Thy sacred 
feet, penetrated with a profound fear of Thy judg- 
ments and sorrow for my sins. Oh, cleanse my poor soul 
from its stains, and drown my imperfections in the bound- 
less ocean of Thy mercy. Give me, O gracious Lord, true 
humility of spirit, that I may perfectly understand the abyss 
of my own nothingness, and rightly comprehend the im- 
mensity of Thy goodness. Dispel my darkness, O all- 
knowing God, with Thy divine light: conduct my reason 
in the right way; confirm me in my good purpose of observ- 
ing with renewed fervor and fidelity Thy holy law, my Rule 
and Vows. I consecrate to Thee the remainder of my life, 
and bequeath into Thy hands the spirit which Thou hast 
made from nothing. I bequeath it to Jesus Christ, my 
Saviour, Who redeemed it with His precious blood, and 
to the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified it at baptism, and espoused 
it to Himself at my holy profession, protesting that when 
in my last agony I shall be unable to employ my tongue 
in praying and praising Thy divine Majesty, I desire still 
in mind and heart to be firmly united to Thee, offering my 
agony to be united to the bitter agony and suffering death 
of my Jesus, for the remission of my sins, and for His eternal 
glory, Whose name be for ever glorified, Whose praises be 
for ever celebrated, and Whose will be for ever done on earth 
as it is done in heaven. 

O incomparable Virgin Mary! Mother of Jesus! Mother 
of mercy! and my Mother! I humbly and earnestly cry to 
thee to deliver me by thy prayers from the enemies of my 
soul, to obtain for me pardon and remission of my sins, 
and to assist me in the agonies of death. 

O heavenly spirits, holy angels, and saints, pray for me. 



878 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



B IRenewal of Dow5 at /Ilbass* 

O JESUS! divine Spouse of my soul, for me Thou hast 
just renewed the great sacrifice of Calvary. What 
return shall I make to Thee for this excess of love! Ah! I 
will also renew with all my heart the sacrifice I had the happi- 
ness of offering Thee on the day of my profession. Again 
I will drive into my hands and feet the nails of my cherished 
vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty. I will consider 
myself this day as a victim unceasingly immolated to Thy 
Divine Heart, and I will accept in a spirit of love all the sac- 
rifices demanded of me for the faithful observance of my 
vows and Rules, too happy to be able, even in a small degree, 
to return Thee love for love — sacrifice for sacrifice. Amen. 

HOW TO MAKE OUR MONTHLY RECOLLECTION, TOGETHER 
W T ITH THE PREPARATION FOR DEATH.* 

HE object of this pious exercise, which is usually made 
on the first or the last Sunday of every month, is, 
first, to discover, not only our faults, but their roots and 
sources also, and to examine whether we have made any 
progress in virtue; secondly, to seek the necessary means of 
amendment and progress; and thirdly, to dispose our will 
to practice conscientiously our good resolutions. 

When thou art at leisure, go in the presence of the Blessed 
Sacrament, or else retire to thy room, kneel, and, according 
to the directions given in the following chapter, try to find 
out the state of thy soul, asking thyself and sincerely answer- 
ing the following questions: 

1. To what faults and sins am I mostly subject? 

2. How have I kept and executed my good resolutions. 
What is the occasion or source of my want of fidelity? 

3. Have I a good intention in all my actions? Am I not 
led by human respect? Have I a particular affection or 
friendship for some one? 

4. Do I punctually, conscientiously, and fervently dis- 
charge the duties of my office? 

Keep a correct account of the faults thou now disco verest 
and compare it with that of the previous month. Excite 
a hearty sorrow for these faults, and, at the next occasion, 
confess the most important ones, and consult thy confessor 



* From "Helps to a Spiritual Life": Schneider-Girardey. 



Bona Mors Devotions, 



8 79 



concerning them. At a visit to the Blessed Sacrament and 
at thy next holy communion offer thy resolutions to Our 
Lord, beg for grace to put them into practice, and recom- 
mend thyself to the Blessed Virgin and to the saints of thy 
Order. 

MEDITATION ON THE PRESENT STATE OF OUR SOUL. 

^PREPARATORY PRAYER. O my God, I firmly believe 
J— that Thou art here present, and I acknowledge that, 
because of my sins, I am wholly unworthy to appear in Thy 
holy presence. Trusting, nevertheless, in Thy infinite 
goodness and mercy, I venture to speak to Thee, to call 
upon Thy holy name, and to meditate on Thy teachings 
and commandments, in order always to know better and 
fulfil more faithfully Thy holy will. Enlighten, then, my 
understanding that I may discover what I should do or 
omit in order to promote my salvation, that I may, with 
my whole heart, repent of my sins and of my neglect and 
want of fidelity in Thy service, and resolve to perform all 
that Thou requirest of me. Grant me especially the grace 
to know Jesus Christ, my Redeemer and Guide, always 
better and better, so that I may love Him more ardently, 
and may, after His example, labor, combat, and suffer with 
generosity and self-sacrifice. 

First Prelude. Vividly imagine yourself standing before 
the throne of the divine Majesty. 

Second Prelude. Pray to God for light to appreciate the 
value of the graces and benefits hitherto received, and to 
acknowledge and repent of the malice of your past faults 
and sins, and to make appropriate resolutions. 

I. Point. Consider the benefits thou hast received this 
month (this week), and especially perseverance in thy voca- 
tion, the numerous powerful means of perfection, thy daily 
spiritual exercises — such as meditation, examens of con- 
science, spiritual reading, visit to the Blessed Sacrament, 
the frequent reception of the sacraments, the constant 
watchfulness and direction of thy Superiors, the good ex- 
ample of thy companions, the ■■■ many divine inspirations, 
preservation from grievous sins, the diminution of the num- 
ber of venial sins, the greater ease in overcoming tempta- 
tions, a more ardent love of thy vocation, increased facility 
in overcoming the difficulties and obstacles of perfection. 
"It is true, the Lord is good, and His mercy endureth for 
ever. What shall I render to the Lord for all that He has 
rendered to me?" 



88o 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



lit Point. Investigate the present state of thy soul, and 
especially how thou hast conducted thyself and what care 
thou didst bestow on thy ordinary daily exercises. 

1 . How hast thou behaved toward God 9 What courage, what 
desire didst thou feel and nourish in thyself for the attain- 
ment of perfection? How didst thou perform thy spiritual 
exercises? Didst thou experience therein greater devo- 
tion and consolation than formerly, or, at least, didst thou 
show more zeal and endurance? Or didst thou rather 
experience desolation and dryness, or even relax in fervor 
and fidelity? In keeping thy vows and rules, was thy 
motive love or fear? Hast thou not failed to make that 
progress in perfection which, with God's help, thou couldst 
have made? Reflect on some special occasions of so doing 
which presented themselves to thee. 

2. What has been thy conduct toward thy Superiors ? Didst 
thou always endeavor to consider Jesus Christ Himself in 
the person of thy Superiors? Didst thou always show them 
due respect and love? Didst thou willingly, humbly, and 
perfectly obey thy Superiors of inferior rank? And this 
without murmur, without excuse, without pretexting diffi- 
culties? Wert thou open-hearted and sincere toward thy 
Superior, or didst thou act deceitfully toward him? 

3. How hast thou conducted thyself toward thy companions 
in Religion 9 Didst thou sincerely love them all and prefer 
them to thyself? Didst thou not wound fraternal charity 
and concord? Hast thou no particular affection for some 
one ? Dost thou entertain an aversion for some one ? Didst 
thou strive by true humility, simplicity, patience, discretion, 
love, and modesty to render thyself amiable before God and 
men? Didst thou endeavor to preserve peace of heart? 
Wast thou considerate in speech and in intercourse with 
others ? 

4. How hast thou fulfilled thy personal duties 9 Didst thou 
love poverty as a mother? Didst thou cheerfully bear its 
privations? Wast thou always content to get the poorest 
in all things? Didst thou desire it? Didst thou exert 
thyself to preserve purity of body and soul? Didst thou 
at once strive to suppress all impure thoughts and repre- 
sentations? Didst thou carefully watch over thy senses? 
Didst thou, without or against the will of thy Superiors, 
exceed in acts of exterior mortification, or show thyself 
negligent therein? 

Wast thou diligent and careful in thy daily duties ? Didst 
thou rise in the morning at the very first sound of the bell ? 
Didst thou then at once raise thy thoughts to God, to the 
subject of thy particular examen, of thy meditation? Didst 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



thou endeavor to preserve recollection of mind? Didst thou 
say thy morning prayers attentively? Didst thou make 
a good meditation? Didst thou assist at holy Mass with 
reverence and devotion? Didst thou recite well thy usual 
prayers? Didst thou observe moderation at thy meals? 
Didst thou mortify thy appetite in some small thing? Didst 
thou pay attention to the reading at table? How didst 
thou spend the time of recreation? Didst thou try to keep 
up and promote therein spiritual conversation? Didst thou 
make thy spiritual reading well? Didst thou carefully 
make the tw r o examens of conscience? 

After thus examining thyself compare thy present with 
thy past state. If thou perceivest that thou hast made 
some progress, thank God for it, and resolve to be hence- 
forth as conscientious and to strive to make still greater 
progress. If, however, the contrary has been the case, 
resolve earnestly to amend and to make up for thy defi- 
ciencies. 

Finally, beseech our divine Saviour and His blessed Mother 
to deign to preserve thee in fervor. "The most effective 
means to persevere in good and to make progress in the 
spiritual life," says St. Francis de Sales, " consists in fre- 
quently calling to mind what we promised to God in the 
days of our primitive fervor after mature deliberation. If 
he who, from time to time, renews his good resolutions is 
not wholly free from faults, what will become of him who 
never, or only very seldom, renews them?" 

jBjamen on tbe IRules* 

" O mors, finis temporis, et initium aeternitatis! quam terri- 
bilis es iis quibus peccatum est jucundum." 

1. */ |"M I ready to die? Would I be satisfied at this 

moment to appear before my Judge ? 

2. Since my last examination into the state of my soul, 
have I acquired any degree of virtue, conquered any degree 
of vice? Not to advance is to go back. 

3. Do I constantly recall to mind the end of my creation, 
and the particular end of my entrance into religion? Why 
have I become a Religious? 

4. In the exercise of the active functions of my institute, 
do I take care to be animated by the spirit of the Rule ? Do 
I endeavor to acquire the virtues pointed out as essential to 
the perfection of each? Woe to me if I do the work of God 
negligently. 



882 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



5. How do I perform my spiritual duties, say my Office, 
etc. ? Am I careful in forming my intention, and in placing 
myself in the presence of God before I begin? 

6. Do I sedulously attend to the exercise of mental prayer, 
and endeavor to take my delight and comfort in it? 

7. Do I daily assist at Mass with all possible attention 
and devotion? 

8. How do I communicate ? Do I endeavor to do so with 
a lively faith, profound humility, and utmost purity? What 
profit do I draw or propose to myself to draw from each 
communion ? 

9. Do I habituate myself to offer the labors and fatigues 
of my state, and all the mortifications I undergo, with all 
my pains of mind and body, in union with all the sufferings 
of my crucified Spouse? 

10. Is Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist the con- 
stant object of my affections and devotion? Do I often 
reflect on the nfinite charity displayed for us in this Adorable 
Sacrament, and, by frequent visits during the day, pay assidu- 
ous court to my divine Spouse? 

11. In all my anxieties, fears, and afflictions, in all my 
temptations, do I seek comfort and consolation at the foot 
of the altar? 

12. Is the Sacred Heart of Jesus the object of my most 
tender love, and am I faithful in endeavoring to atone for 
the outrages suffered by Him in the Adorable Sacrament? 

13. Have I a warm and affectionate devotion toward the 
Blessed Virgin? Do I regard her in a special manner as 
my Mother and the great model I am obliged to imitate? 
Have I unlimited confidence in her, and do I recur to her in all 
my difficulties and spiritual wants ? Am I studying, by the 
imitation of her virtues, to render myself worthy of her pro- 
tection? Do I endeavor all I can to impress on the minds 
of others the greatest respect, veneration, and love for her? 

14. Do I endeavor to acquit myself of my ordinary duties — 
prayer, examen, Mass, Office, lecture, meals, recreations, etc., 
with all possible care and attention? Have I the purest in- 
tention of pleasing God in all ? Do I look on purity of inten- 
tion as an essential duty of religion; and do I carefully watch 
over myself and guard against the insinuations of self-love, 
self-complacency, and vain-glory? Do I allow myself to 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



88 3 



act through caprice or inclination, or do I try to do all as 
directed, with regularity and exactness, referring all with 
fervor to the divine honor and glory, in union with the most 
holy actions and infinite merits of Jesus Christ? Am I 
faithful in making my morning offering, and in renewing it 
during the day? Do I often recall to mind the means ap- 
pointed for acquiring this purity of intention — 1st, to keep 
myself in the presence of God; 2d, to perform each work 
as if it were the only one I had to do; 3d, to fulfil the duty 
of every day as if that day were to be the last of my mortal 
life? 

15. Do I ever indulge idleness? Do I endeavor always 
and in all places to preserve in* my deportment a gravity 
becoming a Religious? 

16. Do I observe silence in the time and manner prescribed 
in the Rule? In observing it exteriorly, do I endeavor to 
keep my mind recollected and fixed on what may tend to my 
perfection ? 

ON OBSERVANCE OF RULE. 

^-p^ AVE I a great esteem and love for our holy Rules 
r*— £ an d am I sincerely disposed to be faithful to them? 
Do I neglect the minor observances; or have I the same love 
for all? Do I fail in them through human respect? Do 
I practise those that are painful in a spirit of mortification, 
or do I try to dispense myself from them, when I can do 
it without being observed? Am I exact in all the exercises 
of the Community, and do I, at the first sound of the bell, 
leave what I have in hand to answer its call? Have I some 
attachment to particular devotions, rather than for general 
observances ? Have I the necessary zeal for the maintenance 
of regularity, and do I give bad example by my frequent 
violations of Rule? Am I faithful in following the customs 
of the Community, although not marked down in the Rules; 
and have I been disposed to seek some relaxation therein, 
by unnecessary 7 innovation or dispensations? 

ON CHARITY. 

IS charity my favorite virtue as it was that of my divine 
Master? Do I study to maintain it among the Sisters? 
Do I study in conversation, manners, and conduct to avoid 



88 4 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



whatever might in the least disturb charity? Am I solicit- 
ous to repair the smallest offence by asking pardon; and 
when others ask pardon of me, do I grant it immediately, 
without contention or reserve? Am I always willing to 
assist and help my Sisters, and do I bear with patience their 
defects, weaknesses, and imperfections ? Do I ever dispute ? 
Do I ever speak of the faults of the Sisters ? Do I carefully 
avoid all suspicious and rash judgment — all jealousy and 
envy? 

Do I sincerely love all my Sisters? Have I too marked 
a predilection for some particular Sister, which causes an 
attachment in my heart; and do I manifest it in a manner 
that does not edify? Am I obliging and accommodating 
equally to all, when an opportunity offers to render a 
service? Do I blame inconsiderately? Do I disapprove 
too easily? Do I show some repugnance to any Sister? 
Do I murmur? Do I detract? Do I point out the faults 
of Sisters? Do I exaggerate them? Do I make complaints 
imprudently ? 

ox HUMILITY. 

M I particularly attentive to the practice of humility ? 
" Learn of Me," says Jesus, " because I am meek 
and humble of Heart." 

Have I kept silence in regard to those matters which might 
gain me applause? Have I suppressed what might gain 
esteem for others, especially respecting the practice of virtue ? 
Have I received humiliation with submission and meekness, 
771th the conviction that I merited to be humbled, forgotten, 
and despised? Have I submitted to others in the spirit of 
humility, or have I depended too much on my own prudence ? 
Have I obstinately tried to carry out my own views? Have 
I acted with the view of attracting the esteem and applause 
of others? Have I better fulfilled my duty, or affected to 
appear more pious, when seen, than when not observed by 
any one? Was I not more eager ior those things which 
might gain applause, than what would pass unobserved? 
Have I, when praised, experienced satisfaction in it? Have 
I spoken to my own advantage, or, when others praised 
me, did I artfully continue the conversation? Did I think 
myself better than others, and did I dwell with complaisance 




Bona Mors Devotions. 



885 



on myself, my talents, my natural qualities, or my supposed 
spiritual excellencies? In preferring myself to others, did I 
condemn or despise them in my heart ? Have I spoken 
too much of myself, or, in depreciating myself, have I 
intended to draw on myself the praise of others, or to pass 
for one that is humble? Have I too much dreaded lest 
my faults should be known, or have I concealed or disguised 
them with too much care, lest I should be corrected or put 
in penance? When corrected, did I excuse myself, and 
give frivolous reasons, in place of candidly admitting my 
faults? In place of profiting by a reprehension, have I 
thrown the blame on others? Have I taken correction 
in bad part, shown too much sensibility, murmured, or 
attributed unkind motives to her who made it? Did I, 
on receiving a penance, make resistance, or submit to it 
with bad grace, even by looks or by murmuring? Have I 
answered with too much forwardness the Superior, my 
elders, or those whom I should respect; and have I spoken 
with pride to my equals or juniors? Has self-esteem made 
me look for special attention; have I felt jealous at others 
being preferred to me? 

ON OCCUPATIONS. 

AVE I shown a repugnance for an employment, and 
sought that which was more in accordance with 
my fancy, or avoided that which was contrary to it? Have 
I tried to acquit myself of my charge and my duties in the 
sight of God, with care, exactness, and fidelity, for the greater 
advantage of the Community, to the satisfaction of my 
Superiors, and for the consolation of the Sisters? Have I 
too easily complained of an employment because it was 
fatiguing, or because it left me no time for my private devo- 
tions? And have I preferred these private devotions to 
duties of obligation ? Have I acted in harmony with the 
companion I have had in the same office; and have I had 
for her the respect due to her, if my elder; or have I exer- 
cised the proper meekness and charity toward her, if my 
junior? Have I not put her virtue to the test by my caprices, 
my impatience, my want of condescension, and have I not 
even left the most difficult share of the employment to her, 
in order to avoid trouble? 




886 



Bona Mors Devotions, 



ON THE VOW OF OBEDIENCE. 

*1^vO I continually bear in mind that by my vow of obedience 
A*J I have for ever resigned my will to the direction of my 
Superior? Do I obey her as holding her authority from 
God? Do I comply without hesitation with all the direc- 
tions of my Superior, whether in matters of great or little 
moment, agreeable or disagreeable? Do I ever murmur? 
Do I absent myself from the common exercises without leave ? 
Do I obey the call of the bell as the voice of God and go 
quickly and joyfully to the Community exercises? What 
has been my obedience, interior and exterior, to the Rule, 
the Constitutions, and the customs of the house? Have 
I brought to each action its appropriate spirit? Have I 
observed the holy Rules through love, and have I done 
nothing through constraint? Have I been subject to all 
my Superiors alike for the love of God ? Have I fulfilled, not 
only the orders, but also the desires of my Superiors? Have 
I obeyed carefully, without forgetting anything? Promptly, 
without delay or putting off? Simply, without discourse 
or argument? Faithfully, embracing the command in its 
full extent, and not in part only? Frankly, and cordially, 
without murmur or excuse? What has been my obedience 
with regard to those over me in office, to my infirmarian, 
and to the doctor in times of illness? Have I sought my 
own satisfaction in my obedience? Am I thoroughly con- 
vinced that the essence of the religious state consists in 
obedience, based on the love of God, and has my obedience 
been full and perfect, purely for God alone? Have I made 
strong objections, excuses or urgent and persistent petitions 
to avoid an order or a charge? Have I commented in a 
frivolous, churlish, or disrespectful manner upon the orders 
of my Superiors or have I ridiculed them? Have I obeyed 
from a supernatural motive, without secondary intentions, 
such as self-interest or personal affection and esteem for 
my Superiors? Did I show myself vexed and dejected 
on receiving orders contrary to my tastes and inclinations? 
Have I interfered with the affairs of others, and by so doing 
disturbed the order of the house? Am I in the habit of 
renouncing my own will and judgment, and of bringing 
them into conformity with those of my Superiors? Do I 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



887 



obey as willingly, when I imagine I see imperfections in 
my Superiors? Are my Superiors obliged to treat me with 
care, and use words with nice discrimination in order to 
induce me to be obedient? Do I submit equally in that 
which pleases me, as in that which does not — in what is 
tiresome and inconvenient, as in that which delights me? 
Am I indifferent as regards work or rest? Silence or con- 
versation? Consolations or privations? Have I done 
anything without permission? Have I asked for leave in 
vague terms, in obscure expressions, as though I were afraid 
of being understood? Have I returned persistently to the 
charge, and thus extorted a permission which my Superiors 
were unwilling to grant me? (In general, a good Religious 
requires few permissions besides those for which the Rule 
authorizes her to ask.) Have I taken general permissions, 
which, as a rule, diminish fervor and nourish self-love? 
Have I in any way exceeded the permissions received as 
regards time, place, or circumstances? Each time that 
I have asked a permission, have I been prepared to receive 
a refusal with calmness and humility ? How have I followed 
the counsel of the apostle, to submit myself to all creatures 
for the love of God? 

IN IMITATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 

AVE I imitated the obedience of Jesus in His hidden 
life at Nazareth? Can it be said of me: " During 
the whole of her life she has been subject "? Have I always 
done, not as I knew, but as I was told? Have I imitated 
Jesus in His agony in the garden, by receiving with sub- 
mission every kind of interior suffering? Have I sought 
for consolation from all with whom I came in contact? 
Have I imitated Our Lord on Calvary? Have I delivered 
myself up generously to be contradicted, humbled, and 
crucified? Am I ready to give my very life for obedience, 
after the example of Pere Lefevre, who said, "It is not neces- 
sary to live, but it is necessary to obey"? 

ON THE VOW OF CHASTITY. 

*"|^vO I esteem nothing more precious than this heavenly 
<-LJ gift; and do I place that strict guard upon my senses 
prescribed by my Rule, lest the enemy should penetrate 




888 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



through these avenues and tarnish the purity of my soul? 
Have I always considered my body as the temple of the 
Holy Spirit? Do I hold it in honor? Am I careful to 
observe due modesty while dressing and undressing? Do 
I allow myself too much freedom when alone? Do I give 
too much liberty to my eyes? Have I cast curious or cul- 
pable glances on dangerous objects, or on such objects 
which, although indifferent in themselves, have nevertheless 
made a bad impression upon me on former occasions? 
When in the parlor, have I observed religious gravity, 
modesty, and humility? When God has permitted that I 
should be exercised with regard to this virtue, have I been 
humble, distrustful of myself, and with the fullest con- 
fidence in God, have I sought for help at once from Him? 
" Watch and pray, that you fall not into temptation." Have 
I been careful in fighting all too natural affections? Have 
I cultivated particular friendships? Have I given way 
to laziness, or sought my ease and comfort too much in 
my manner of lying and sitting and leaning against sup- 
ports ? How have I observed exterior order and cleanliness ? 
Am I temperate and polite at table? Have I given too 
much care to my exterior? Do I pray every day for the 
virtue of purity ? Do I live and breathe only for my celestial 
Spouse? Have I immolated the remembrances of the 
world, the legitimate love of my family, of my friends, etc. ? 
Have I been unable to do without the tender affection of 
my Superior or mistress? Have I not sought to be pre- 
ferred before my companions? Have I not been troubled 
and preoccupied when I imagined myself to be less loved? 
Have I had frequent recourse to my Superiors, not in order 
to receive good and useful counsel from them, but to find 
satisfaction in an affection with regard to which I was all 
the more reassured, because the object seemed to me the 
more holy? Am I too much inclined to sentimentality in 
my spiritual exercises? And to the practice of favorite 
devotions? Has my love for God been so disinterested 
and energetic that it has known the secret of self-immolation 
for His glory, the salvation of souls, and my own perfection? 
Have I easily condoned that tenderness in myself, which seeks 
only the consolations of God, and will not put up with 
the slightest interior aridity or suffering? Have I brought 



Bo?ia Mors Devotions. 



889 



myself to act with the same vigor, the same devotedness, 
the same evenness of mind, in days of darkness and 
hours of agony, as in days of serenity and consolation? 
Have I known how to appreciate the happiness of total 
self-abnegation, in which sentiment and enjoyment have 
no part: and which requires, on the part of the soul, an 
entire donation; and on the part of God, a perfect liberty 
and freedom of acting in her, unhindered by self-love? Am 
I ready to make any sacrifice in order to render my heart 
more worthy of that of a spouse of Jesus, tearing from it 
without pity every thing which is in any way contrary to 
His perfect dominion? 

Yes, O my God, I love Thee and Thee alone; I love 
Thee purely for Thyself, and not for Thy gifts. 

"One only heart, one only love, for one God alone. " 

ON THE VOW OF POVERTY. 

IN what esteem do I hold poverty? How do I observe 
my vow of poverty? Do I look upon poverty as one 
of the most important means of perfection, as the mother 
and guardian of virtues? Do I revolve in my mind how 
tenderly Jesus Christ cherished holy poverty, and am I 
endeavoring to keep myself perfectly disengaged from the 
things of this world? Am I contented with the food and 
raiment allowed me? Do I possess anything superfluous? 
Do I look upon anything as my own? Is there anything 
allowed to my use which I would find it difficult or painful 
to resign? Do I consider myself happy in being called to 
a state of utter poverty? Am I truly pleased to feel its 
effects in lodging, food, clothing, sickness? Do I trust 
implicitly in God, and have I no fear of poverty? Am I 
happy when that which is old and worn is given to me for 
"my use? What are my dispositions with regard to a change 
of house, of office, of cell, etc. ? Am I without any preference 
for anything which may fall to me? Do I waste my time, 
which is so precious? Have I received or given something 
without permission? Have I allowed anything to be wasted 
or spoiled? Do I take care of the things given me for my 
use, remembering that they are the property of the Church, 
and of Jesus Christ Himself? When in office have I given 



890 Bona Mors Devotions. 

better things to some than to others, without the consent, 
or contrary to the will of the Superior? Do I try to be really 
poor in spirit? Is my heart free from all attachment to 
the things which are given to me for my use? Should I 
feel annoyed if the Superiors were to take from me a book, 
an employment, a room, a habit, etc.? Have I nothing 
superfluous, no comforts which are not conformable to 
the religious state? Do I strive to obtain for myself what 
is most beautiful, most easy, most comfortable? Am I 
vexed and impatient when I feel the effects of holy poverty, 
forgetting what St. Philip Neri said: " Whoever attaches 
himself to the things of this world, can not sanctify him- 
self " ? Do I ask for exemptions without necessity from the 
general manner of living? In my illnesses, do I make 
exactions for having doctors, medicines, and services, accord- 
ing to my fancy? What is my interior poverty? Is my 
heart empty of all? What profit do I derive from spiritual 
poverty? How do I follow in the footsteps of Our Lord, 
by the practice of holy poverty? Oh! if we would be per- 
fect, let us make the sacrifice of all which remains in our 
possession, of all that we are and have, and we shall have 
"treasure in heaven" (Matt. xix. 20, 21). 

ON CONSTANCY IN VIRTUE AND PERSEVERANCE. 

*"p^ AVE I been changeable in my conduct, to-day under- 
r*— G taking many things, and to-morrow abandoning 
everything in discouragement? Have I been guided by 
caprice in the practice of virtue, rather than by the Spirit 
of God and the direction of confessors and Superiors ? Have 
I contented myself with an inferior degree of virtue, without 
aspiring to constant advancement in perfection? Have I 
not aimed at my perfection with a painful and scrupulous 
anxiety, which troubled and discouraged me, instead of 
laboring at it with fidelity, patience, and confidence in God? 
Do I often recall to mind my promise of perseverance, 
and, not merely looking on it as a vow to wear the habit 
until death, do I endeavor to advance persevering] y and 
steadily in the perfection of my state? It will avail me 
nothing to die a Religious if I have not lived as a true 
Religious; and I may tremble with St. Paul, lest, whilst I 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



891 



instruct others unto justice, I myself may become an out- 
cast. True, they that instruct others unto justice shall 
shine like stars for all eternity; but I must not forget that 
my own soul is my first interest, my best treasure, my chief 
care, and in vain will be all my efforts for others, if I do 
not cultivate in it the kingdom of God. In vain shall I 
have persevered in wearing the habit, if it be not exchanged 
for a robe of glory hereafter; in vain shall I have vowed to 
serve Him until death, if I serve Him not in spirit and in 
truth. "He that persevereth to the end, shall be saved." 
"No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, 
is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke ix. 62.) 

IReflecttons. 

HAT is death? A complete separation of the soul 
from the body — they must part after long years 
of close union. 

2 What will become of my body after death ? ' ' Remember, 
man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return." 

3. What will become of my soul at death? Oh! what 
will become of my soul? I know not; all is shrouded in 
impenetrable mystery — I have expired, the voice of prayer 
has sunk into silence — whilst it was yet whispering over 
my body my soul had been judged. Oh! what has become 
of it? No one knows but God and my own soul. 

4. 1 shall be judged — where? In that room, before the 
Sisters think I have breathed my last. A fear shall come 
upon them, for beside them is the tribunal, the Judge, the 
accusers, the accused ; in an instant the fate of one they have 
known is sealed for eternity: she is gone, they know not 
whither. 

5. I shall be judged — by whom? The living and eternal 
God — the great, the just, the equitable Judge! a Judge of 
justice, no longer merciful ; to Him I must render an account 
of thoughts long forgotten, of words lightly spoken, but 
faithfully registered by the accusing spirit — words perhaps 
sinful and unatoned for — works imperfect, and shrinking 
from the all-seeing, all -enlightening light of the Eternal 
eye— omissions of duty — graces neglected — inspirations de- 
spised. Oh! what an awful judgment, what an awful 
moment even for the good, for who shall be found pure 
in the light of purity itself? What a judgment — what a 
moment for the imperfect Religious? Her soul suddenly 



892 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



enlightened by the brilliant rays of eternity, embraces in a 
single glance the whole extent of her obligations, the entire 
series of graces which she has received, all the circum- 
stances attendant on her infidelities. 

6. Religious have been lost — shall I be lost ? Shall I hear 
from the lips of my Judge : Go, ye accursed, into everlasting 
fire ; that is to say, all our bonds of union are now dissolved ! 
go far from Me, strayed sheep, I am no longer thy Shep- 
herd: go far from Me, faithless spouse, I am no longer thine: 
go far from Me, unnatural child, I am no longer thy Father ; 
go, for all eternity! Alas, my God! shall this be my sen- 
tence — the sentence of her whom Thou hast chosen from 
amongst thousands, and called to be Thy spouse, and to 
stand with the Lamb upon Mount Sion, and to be of the 
one hundred and forty-four thousand having His name 
and the name of His Father written on their foreheads? 

7< I can be a saint. How? "Abide in Me," saith Our 
Lord; "I am the vine, you the branches: he that abideth 
in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit : for with- 
out Me you can do nothing." Confiding, then, in Thee, O 
my God, if I use the plenteous means afforded for sancti- 
fication, I can be a saint — a saint for all eternity, for ever 
with the saints, where God Himself shall be my God, and 
shall wipe away the tears from mine eyes, and death shall 
be no more, nor mourning; nor crying, nor sorrow, for the 
former things have passed away. Eye hath not seen, nor 
ear heard, nor hath it entered the heart of man, what 
things God hath prepared for them that love Him. Then, 
O my soul, serve Him here, and He and His angels shall 
minister unto you hereafter; live for Him in time, that you 
may live and reign with Him for all eternity. 

Fidelity the Means 0} Perseverance. 

*T — T IDELITY in the daily routine of life, as well as on 
, I 1 great occasions, is the secret of attaining to sanctity. 

Our sanctification through Jesus Christ is an edifice formed 
of grains of sand and drops of water — a glance mortified; 
a word, an ill-timed smile suppressed; a sentence inter- 
rupted ; a recollection stifled ; a cherished letter read rapidly, 
and not read again; a little impulse of nature courageously 
checked; an importunity, an annoyance gently endured; 
sarcasm, a feeling of peevishness immediately suppressed; 
a useless expense curtailed; a shade of sadness quietly 
dispelled; a too natural joy moderated, by a thought of 
the God Who dwells in our heart; a repugnance sur- 
mounted ; in a word, nothings, trifles imperceptible to human 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



893 



eyes, but admirably visible to the penetrating eye of Jesus. 
Behold what we must attend to! These are the very little 
and very great fidelities which bring down into the soul 
torrents of graces, supernatural lights, sweetness, a lasting 
and profound peace, a heavenly serenity of soul, and what 
we may term the familiar caresses of our divine Lord. 

Lord Jesus! give me this fidelity which alone can unite 
me most intimately with Thee, and make me holy even as 
Thou art holy. Amen. 

"O that men were wise, and would consider their latter 
end! " (Deut. xxxii. 29.) 

Eternity Draws Near! 

\l OU must die; be always prepared. 

You may die when you least think of it. 
You will die, and the moment of death will decide your lot 
for Eternity. 

Consider, meditate, ponder well that terrible word — Eternity. 
O Eternity, which alone deserves our care and solicitude! 
O Eternity, which alone is neglected and forgotten by the 

generality of mankind! 
AYho will give to mine eyes a fountain of tears that I may 

weep over this forgetfulness of Eternity? 
Eternity, who shall measure thy depth; who shall sound 

thy boundless abyss? 
Millions and millions of ages are nothing, when compared 

with Eternity! 

After millions and millions of years there will still remain a 

never-ending Eternity. 
Everything else passes away; but Eternity never passes 

away. 

Happy the just, who shall reign with God during a whole 
Eternity. 

AYoe to unhappy sinners ! if they die in mortal sin they shall 
suffer for all Eternity. 

Yes, my soul, after this short life thou must live for ever 
either in a state of endless happiness or of endless misery. 

Thou art now suspended between these two Eternities; one 
or the other must be thy final lot. 

Canst thou hesitate to choose between an Eternity of happi- 
ness or an Eternity of misery? 

What then wilt thou do? 

Think of death, which is the gate to Eternity. 

Think of judgment, which is to decide thy lot for Eternity. 

Think of hell, which is the abode of a miserable Eternity. 



8 94 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



Think of heaven, which is the habitation of a happy Eternity. 
Continually labor to secure the all-important concern of 
Eternity. 

Repent, watch, pray, suffer patiently all the evils of this life, 
and strive courageously for a happy Eternity. 

Lord, spare me not in time, provided Thou spare me for 

Eternity. 

Prayer. 

Y God, I have cited myself before the tribunal of my 
own conscience — and what do I read there ? O woe 
to me, miserable wretch that I am, my sins are multiplied 
beyond number! Oh, who will have pity on me, and hide 
me fronr the wrath of my offended God! Shall I dare to 
hope for pardon, or shall I fly from Thee into the dark abyss 
of despair ? No, Lord ; for hast Thou not said : "In what day 
soever the sinner shall call upon Me, I will hear him: and 
though his sins were as red as scarlet, I will make them whiter 
than snow." Oh ! in the clefts of the rock I will hide myself — 
in the wounds of my Jesus I will bury myself ; for who hath 
ever hoped in Him, and was then confounded? Hear me 
now, and pardon me for His sake. Art Thou not my Father, 
in very truth a Father of mercy? What then shall I do, 
but cast myself at Thy feet, and humbly crave Thy mercy ? 
Behold! I come to Thee blind: Thou canst give me sight. 

1 come to Thee dead: Thou canst give me life. Convert 
me unto Thee — renew my spirit — enlighten my under- 
standing — direct and conform my will — restore unto me the 
joy of my salvation — convert me, and I shall be converted — 
and though I have multiplied my evil ways, I shall still 
hope in Thee, that, through the merits of my Lord Jesus 
Christ, Thou wilt have mercy on me. Sprinkle me with 
hyssop (the precious blood of Jesus), and I shall be made 
whiter than snow. O Jesus! be Thou my help and my 
protection, and say to my soul, "I am thy salvation." I 
hope, even in spite of my manifold offences, I hope, by Thy 
merits, for nothing less than to be Thine, all Thine, with 
Thee in paradise for ever. 

Mary, Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, and my own 
dear Mother, pray to Jesus for me, that I may be faithful, 
that I may find salvation. 

Here make resolutions of serving God during this life, and 
promise to do something for Him in return for His mercies to 
you: propose to conquer at least one difficulty, or to practice, 
on certain occasions, some virtue; place your resolutions in the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus present in the tabernacle: should you 




Bona Mors Devotions. 



895 



break them, pay a special visit to Jesus on the throne of 
His love, to ask His pardon, and again renew them. Make a 
short compact with Our Lord, that everything you do during 
this month is to be an act of some virtue, especially such and 
such actions. 

Make compacts also with the ever-blessed Virgin, your guardian 
angel, and patron saint. 

The Rights of a Religious. 

ELIGIOUS having an essential duty incumbent upon 
them of tending toward perfection have, consequently, 
in all the rigor of justice, an unquestionable right to all the 
means that their Constitutions afford them for attaining 
this end. These are the real rights to which they should 
cling and to which they can lay claim. It is the duty of 
Superiors to assure them of their full, constant, and per- 
fect enjoyment. Now, here are some of the rights which 
their Constitutions secure them. 

1. A Religious has a right to humiliations. 

2. A Religious has a right to be reprimanded by her Su- 
periors. 

3. A Religious has a right that her Superior exact her 
entire submission without giving her the motive of her 
command. 

4. A Religious has a right that the Superior dispose of 
her time and of her work. 

5. A Religious has a right that the Superior dispose of 
objects she gave her permission to use. 

6. A Religious has a right to be disposed to accept re- 
fusals on the part of the Superior. 

7. A Religious has a right to suffer the effects of poverty. 

8. A Religious has a right to fraternal correction. 

9. A Religious has a right to continual mortification in 
all things. 

10. A Religious has a right to be despised and treated as 
the last of all the Sisters. 

11. A Religious has a right to works the most humbling 
and repugnant to nature. 

12. A Religious has a right to serve her Sisters. 

13. A Religious has a right that others be preferred to 
her. 

14. A Religious has a right to the last place. 

15. A Religious has a right to be looked upon and to be 
treated as a useless servant in the house. 

16. A Religious has a right to receive all kinds of public 
penances, even for faults of which she is not guilty. 



8g6 Bona Mors Devotions. 

17. A Religious has a right to rejoice when treated as a 
fool. 

18. A Religious has a right to be the crucified spouse of 
Jesus crucified. 

19. And if, by her conduct, a Religious derives profit 
from her rights, she will have the right to live and to reign 
eternally with 

Jesus Crucified. 
THE RELIGIOUS WHO WILL NEVER BE PERFECT IS: 

C>f HK who excuses herself. 

She who murmurs and finds fault with everything. 

She who complains of the food. 

She who ridicules others. 

She who is indifferent about little things. 

She who evades the vigilance of her Superiors. 

Two things of which one must never complain: clothes or 
food. 

Two prayers which one should frequently repeat: My 
God, let me be neither curious nor talkative. 

Two actions for which one must be always ready: to com- 
municate, to die. 

'tis well. 

f y^Z* IS well with clear intelligence to see 

V-J That he who says, "I, Lord, will follow Thee," 
Says in effect, "I, Lord, will humble be!" 
Then of supremest import 'tis to know: 
Humility, wherefrom all graces flow, 
Without humiliations ne'er can grow. 
As, then, humiliations are the rod 
To perfect those by whom the path is trod 
That leads thro' earthly trials up to God, 
Who that is prudent will not welcome scorn, 
And joy to see in shreds his honor torn, 
If Christ may only thus in him be born? 

A PRAYER FOR RETREAT. 

" Domine, ut Videam! " 
PART into a desert place 
My God, Thou leadest me; 
And here I ask one only grace: 

O Lord, that I may see! 
Nature and earth soft vapors raise, 

That dim my inward sight, 
Oh, scatter that deceitful haze, 
And let me see aright! 




Bona Mors Devotions. 



8 97 



It may be pain, it may be shame, 

Deep anguish it may be; 
Yet, shall my prayer be still the same, 

O Lord, that I may see! 
Show me Thy law, those precepts wise 

My every step should guide; 
Then let me view with clearest eyes 

My practice side by side. 
Show me my ron's, and let me long 

That triple bond survey, 
To see that every link is strong, 

And strengthening day by day. 
Show me my duties, one by one; 

Unshrinking let me see 
What was omitted, and what done 

For other end than Thee. 
Show me myself without disguise, 

As clearly, I entreat, 
As when death's hand shall ope my eyes 

Before Thy judgment-seat! 
But, dearest Lord, my weakness pleads, 

Let not Thy light stop there; 
The vision of my own misdeeds 

Were else too hard to bear; 
Show me Thyself, Thy tender Heart 

In all its love display, • 
One ray of heavenly light impart 

To chase earth's glare away: 
The truths of faith, the joys of love, 

And virtue's solid bliss, 
The glories of the world above, 

The hollouness of this; 
The sweetness of Thy service, Lord, 

The honor and the joy, 
Oh! how could anything be hard 

In such a proud employ! 
All this, and many a lesson more, 

Make clear and plain to me; 
Oh, I entreat Thee, o'er and o'er, 

"My God, that I may see! " 

Persevere. 

I^JERSEVERE in thoroughly conquering yourself in the small 
— daily contradictions you receive. M!ake the bulk of vour 
desires about this; know that God wishes nothing from you at 
present save that. Busy not yourself, then, in doing anything 



SgS 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



else; do not sow your desires in another's garden, but cultivate 
well your own. Do not desire not to be what you are, but desire 
to be very well what you are. Be faithful in little things; per- 
fect yourself in your present circumstances, and bear the crosses, 
little or great, you will surely meet in the daily routine of your 
duties. 



% asona /Ifcors Xitang, anD ©tber ©racers tov a 
Ibappg 2>eatb. 

*| — ' ORD, have mercy on us. 

f .l 1 Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. 

God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. 

God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. 

God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. 

Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. 

Holy Mary, 

All ye holy angels and archangels, 

Holy Abraham, 

St. John the Baptist, 

St. Joseph, 

All ye holy patriarchs and prophets, 

St. Peter, 

St. Paul, 

St. Andrew, 

St. John, 

St. Jude, 

All ye holy apostles and evangelists, 

All ye holy disciples of Our Lord, 

All ye holy innocents, 

St. Stephen, 

St. Lawrence, 

All ye holy martyrs, 

St. Sylvester, 

St. Gregory, 

St. Augustine, 

St. Basil, 

St. Ambrose, ' 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



St. Francis de Sales, 
St. Vincent de Paul, 
St. Aloysius, 
St. Stanislaus, 

All ye holy bishops and confessors, 

St. Benedict, 

St. Dominic, 

St. Francis of Assisi, 

St. Ignatius, 

St. Philip Neri, 

St. Camillus de Lellis, 

St. John of God, 

All ye holy monks, hermits, and founders of Religious 

Orders, 
St. Mary Magdalene, 
St. Lucy, 
St. Scholastica, 
St. Teresa, 
St. Catharine, 
St. Clara, 
St. Ursula, 
St. Angela Merici, 
St. Jane Frances de Chantal, 
St. Barbara, 

All ye holy virgins and widows, 

All ye saints of God, intercede for us. 

Be merciful unto us. Spare us, O Lord. 

Be merciful unto us. Hear us, O Lord. 

From Thine anger, 

From the peril of death, 

From an evil death, 

From the pains of hell, 

From all evil, 

From the power of the devil, 

By Thy nativity, 

By Thy cross and Passion, 

By Thy death and burial, 

By Thy glorious Resurrection, 

By the grace of the Holy Ghost the Comforter, 

In the day of judgment, 

We sinners, beseech Thee, hear us. 



900 



Bona Mors Devotions, 



That Thou wouldst spare us, 



That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring us unto true re- 
pentance, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant eternal rest to 

all the faithful departed, 
Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 

Let us pray. 

V I^E beseech Thy clemency, O Lord, that Thou wouldst 
VXA# vouchsafe so to strengthen Thy servants in Thy 
grace, that, at the hour of death, the enemy may not pre- 
vail over us, and that we may deserve to pass with Thy angels 
into everlasting life. 

Almighty and most gracious God, Who, for Thy thirsting 
people, didst bring forth from the rock a stream of living 
water, draw forth from the hardness of our hearts tears 
of compunction, that we may bewail our sins, and receive 
forgiveness of them from Thy mercy. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the world, behold us 
prostrate at Thy feet. With our whole heart we detest 
our sins of thought, word, and deed, and because we love 
Thee, and will love Thee above all created things, we stead- 
fastly purpose, by the help of Thy grace, never more to 
offend Thee, and rather to die than to commit one mortal 
sin. Amen. 

O Jesus, Who, during Thy prayer to the Father in the 
garden, wast so filled with sorrow and anguish that there 
came forth from Thee a bloody sweat; have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who wast betrayed by the kiss of a traitor into 
the hands of the wicked, seized and bound like a thief, and 
forsaken by Thy disciples; have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who, by the unjust council of the Jews, was 
sentenced to death, led like a malefactor before Pilate, 
scorned and derided by impious Herod; have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who wast stripped of Thy garments, and most 
cruelly scourged at the pillar; have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who wast crowned with thorns, buffeted, struck 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



901 



with a reed, blindfolded, clothed with a purple garment, 
in many ways derided, and overwhelmed with reproaches; 
have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who wast less esteemed than the murderer 
Barabbas, rejected by the Jews, and unjustly condemned 
to the death of the cross; have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who wast loaded with a cross, and led to the 
place of execution as a lamb to the slaughter; have mercy 
on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who wast numbered among thieves, blasphemed, 
and derided, made to drink of gall and vinegar, and cruci- 
fied in dreadful torment from the sixth to the ninth hour; 
have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who didst expire on the cross, Who wast pierced 
with a lance in presence of Thy holy Mother, and from 
Whose side poured forth blood and water; have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who wast taken down from the cross, and bathed 
in the tears of Thy most sorrowing Virgin Mother; have 
mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. 

O Jesus, Who wast covered with bruises, marked with the 
five wounds, embalmed with spices, and laid in the sepulcher; 
have mercy on us. 

Have mercy on us, O Lord; *have mercy on us. 

V. He hath truly borne our sorrows. 

R. And He hath carried our griefs. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who, for the redemption of the w T orld, didst 
deign to be born, to be circumcised, to be rejected 
by the Jews, and betrayed by Judas with a kiss; to be bound 
with fetters, and led like an innocent lamb to the slaughter; 
to be ignominiously brought before Annas, Caiphas, Pilate, 
and Herod; to be accused by false witnesses, to be scourged, 
buffeted, and reviled; to be spit upon, to be crowned with 
thorns, and struck with a reed; to be blindfolded, to be 
stripped of Thy garments, to be nailed to a cross and raised 



go2 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



thereon; to be numbered among thieves, to be made to 
drink of gall and vinegar, and to be pierced with a lance: 
do Thou, O Lord, by these Thy most holy sufferings, which 
we Thy servants, commemorate, and by Thy most holy 
cross and death, deliver us from the pains of hell and con- 
duct us, as Thou didst conduct the penitent thief, into Thy 
paradise. Who liveth and mgneth, world without end. 
Amen. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, we adore the sacred wound of Thy 
left foot. We thank Thee for the pain which Thou didst 
endure with so much love and charity. We condole with 
Thee in Thy sufferings, and with Thy afflicted Mother. 
We humbly beg pardon for our sins, which we deplore 
beyond all imaginable evils. Vouchsafe to convert all sin- 
ners, and to make them understand the enormity of mortal sin. 

Jesus, hear us. 

Jesus, graciously hear us. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, we adore the sacred wound of Thy 
right foot. We thank Thee for the pain which Thou didst 
endure with so much love and charity. We condole with 
Thee in Thy sufferings, and with Thy afflicted Mother. 
Grant us strength against all temptations, and prompt 
obedience in the execution of Thy holy will. Comfort, 
O Jesus, the poor, the miserable, the afflicted, and all who 
are tempted or persecuted. Most just Judge, govern those 
who administer justice, and assist all those who labor in 
the care of souls. 

Jesus, hear us. 

Jesus, graciously hear us. • 

O Lord Jesus Christ, we adore the sacred wound of Thy 
left hand. We thank Thee for the pain which Thou didst 
endure with so much love and charity. We condole with 
Thee in Thy sufferings, and with Thy afflicted Mother. 
Preserve us from the pains of hell; grant us patience in 
all the trials of this life, and conformity in all things to Thy 
blessed will. Pardon all our enemies, and all those who 
bear ill-will against us. Grant patience to the sick, and 
restore them to health; support with Thy assisting grace 
all who are in their agony, that they may not perish. 

Jesus, hear us. 

Jesus, graciously hear us. 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



9°3 



O Lord Jesus Christ, we adore the sacred wound of Thy 
right hand. We thank Thee for the pain which Thou 
didst endure with so much love and charity. We condole 
with Thee in Thy sufferings, and with Thy afflicted Mother. 
Grant us a resolute will to seek those things which concern 
our salvation, and the grace of final perseverance. Grant 
likewise, O Jesus, peace and relief to the souls in purgatory, 
and daily advance toward perfection Thy holy servants 
in this world, more especially those who are of this Con- 
fraternity. 

Jesus, hear us. 

Jesus, graciously hear us. 

O Lord Jesus Christ, we adore the sacred wound in Thy 
blessed side. We thank Thee for the infinite love manifested 
toward us at the opening of Thy Sacred Heart. Grant us 
a pure and perfect charity, that loving all things for Thy 
sake, and Thee above all things, we may breathe our last 
in the purest sentiments of divine love. Protect Thy holy 
Catholic Church, direct Thy governing Vicar upon earth, 
all ecclesiastical Orders, and all pious persons who are in- 
strumental in the conversion of souls. Preserve in Thy 
holy service all Christian kings and princes. Bring back 
into the way of salvation all those who have gone astray, 
whether through malice or ignorance; and bring under Thy 
sacred yoke all infidels, heretics, and enemies of Thy holy 
name. 

Jesus, hear us. 

Jesus, graciously hear us. 

Let us pray. 

OLORD Jesus Christ, by those five wounds which Thy 
love for us inflicted on Thee, succor Thy servants 
whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood. Amen. 

Most merciful Reedemer! we humbly beseech Thee, 
by Thy unheard-of torments, and by the grief Thou didst 
suffer when Thy soul was separated from Thy body, to secure 
for us eternal salvation, and to console us at the hour of 
our death, as Thou didst console the penitent thief, with 
the thought that we are certain to be with Thee in paradise, 
Amen. 

O merciful Redeemer, and God of infinite patience! 
great is our confusion when we appear in Thy divine presence. 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



We abhor all our sins of thought, word, and deed, not 
merely for the fear of punishment, or for the hope of reward, 
but for Thy sake, and because Thou dost infinitely detest 
them. O God of majesty and mercy! look upon the sacred 
marks -in Thy hands, feet, and side, which Thou dost still 
retain in Thy glorified body, that they may plead in our 
behalf. Strengthen our weakness, confirm our resolution 
of never more offending Thee; rather let us lose everything, 
even life itself, than lose Thy favor by mortal sin. Oh, Saviour 
of perishing mankind, Who openest Thy hand and fillest 
every creature with benediction, give us now such a blessing 
as, when ascending in triumph from the Mountain of Olives, 
Thou didst bestow on Thy beloved disciples, that we may 
live and die in these happy dispositions. Amen. 

PRAYER FOR THE FAITHFUL ' IN THEIR AGONY. 

OMOST merciful Jesus, Lover of souls: I prey Thee, 
by the agony of Thy most Sacred Heart, and by the 
sorrows of Thy immaculate Mother, cleanse in Thine own 
blood the sinners of the whole world who are now in their 
agony and to die to-day. Amen. 

Heart of Jesus, once in agony, pity the dying. 

Bevotions for tbe Sick, anD tbe Xaet ©racers, 

TIME OF SICKNESS. 

VISITATION of sickness gives an opportunity of prac- 
ticing patience, humility, and resignation to God's holy 
will. We may acquire much merit by accepting and bearing 
sickness with proper dispositions. We ought to be on our guard 
lest our spiritual enemies lead us to commit such faults as mur- 
muring, repining, impatience, petulance, selfishness, unkindness, 
and unreasonableness: thus causing us to lose much if not all, 
of the merit which we might otherwise gain. 

During our sickness we should frequently make acts of faith, 
hope, charity, and contrition; also acts of humility, resignation, 
thanksgiving, and union with Our Lord, and pray for the graces 
necessary to bear our sickness for God's glory and our own sanc- 
tification. The prayers of the "Bona Mors," might be used. 

In the "Imitation of Christ" may be found some chapters 
especially instructive and useful for the time of sickness. See 
Book I., chap, xxiii., and Book III., chaps, xlvii.-xlix. While 




Bona Mors Devotions. 



9°5 



thus disposing ourselves for our end, in case it should be according 
to God's good pleasure to call us away, let us strive to remove 
anxiety from our mind by the thought that we belong by first 
title, and by every title to God, and that He will arrange all 
things, both for us and for all who are dear to us, according to 
His infinite wisdom, love, and goodness. Let us also, in looking 
to the future, excite ourselves to fervent Christian hope. Who 
loves us as God does? He will watch over and take care of 
those whom He loves. "The souls of the just are in the hand 
of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them" (Wisd. 
iii., i). 



f~\ MY Lord and Saviour, support me in my last hour 
by the strong arms of Thy Sacraments, and the fra- 
grance of Thy consolations. Let Thy absolving words be 
said over me, and the holy oil sign and seal me; and let 
Thine own body be my food, and Thy blood my sprinkling; 
and let Thy Mother Mary come to me, and my angel whisper 
peace to me, and Thy glorious saints and my own dear 
patron smile on me, that in and through them all I may die 
as I desire to live, in Thy Church, in Thy faith, and in Thy 
love. Amen. 



ORD, I offer and consecrate to Thy glory, all that I 



* have ever suffered, all that I now suffer, and all that I 
shall suffer until death; perfect my pains with Thy love, 
and grant, O sweet Jesus, that they may be pleasing to 
Thee. I shall suffer because Thou wilt have it so — Thou 
Whom I love with my whole heart; therefore I desire 
whatever Thou wilt ! Amen. 

OLORD Jesus Christ, I receive this sickness [or, this 
affliction], with which Thou art pleased to visit me, 
as coming from Thy fatherly hand. It is Thy will, and 
therefore I submit — "Not my will, but Thine be done." 
May it be to the honor of Thy holy name, and for the good 
of my soul. I here offer myself with an entire submission 
to all Thine appointments; to suffer whatever Thou pleasest, 
as long as Thou pleasest, and in what manner Thou pleasest; 
for I am a creature, O Lord, who have often and most un- 



PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH.* 



PRAYER IN TIME OF SUFFERING. 




* By Cardinal Newinan. 



Bona Mors Devotions, 



gratefully offended Thee, and whom Thou mightest justly have 
visited with Thy severest punishments. Oh, let Thy justice 
be tempered with mercy, and let Thy heavenly grace come 
to my assistance to support me under this affliction! Con- 
firm my soul with strength from above, that I may bear with 
true Christian patience all the uneasiness, pains, disquiets, 
and troubles under which I labor; preserve me from all temp- 
tations and murmuring thoughts, that in this time of affliction 
I may in no way offend Thee; and grant that this and all 
other earthly trials may be the means of preparing my soul 
for its passage into eternity, that, being purified from all my 
sins, I may believe in Thee, hope in Thee, love Thee above 
all things, and finally, through Thy infinite merits, be ad- 
mitted into the company of the blessed in heaven, there to 
praise Thee for ever and ever. Amen. 

ACT OF RESIGNATION. 

*T""!ORD Jesus, Incarnate Son of God, Who for our salva- 
t ■ * tion didst will to be born in a stable, to endure poverty, 
suffering, and sorrow throughout Thy life and finally to die 
the bitter death of the cross, I implore Thee, in the hour of 
my death, to say to Thy diyine Father: O Father, forgive 
him [her]! Say to Thy beloved Mother: Behold thy son — 
thy child! Say tc my soul: This day shalt thou be with Me 
in paradise! O my God, my Godi forsake me not at that 
moment! I thirst! O my God! Truly my soul is athirst 
for Thee, the fountain of living water. My life has passed 
away like unto smoke; yet a little, and all is consummated. 
Therefore also, adorable Saviour, into Thy hands I com- 
mend my spirit for all eternity. Lord Jesus, receive my 
soul. Amen. 

PRAYER FOR A SICK SISTER. 

E most humbly beseech Thee, O almighty and most 
merciful God, to bless and comfort our dear Sister 
afflicted with sickness, and restore her again to health, 
that she may praise and glorify Thy holy name; grant her 
perfect resignation to Thy holy will, and graciously enable 
her to suffer without complaining whatever Thou art pleased 
to appoint. Compassionate Lord Jesus, lock upon her 



Bona Mors Devotions, 



with pity; blessed Mother of God, and all ye happy saints, 
intercede for her, that her heart and desires may remain 
in perfect and peaceable conformity with the will of God, 
and that this trial may serve to purify her, and render her 
more pleasing in His divine sight. Amen. 

WHEN RECOVERY IS HOPELESS. 

God, look down with mercy and pity on our dear 
Sister, afflicted with sickness unto death; give her 
perfect resignation to Thy divine will, and graciously enable 
her to suffer, without complaining, whatever Thou art 
pleased to appoint. Compassionate Lord Jesus, support 
and comfort her. O blessed Mother of God, and all ye 
happy saints, intercede for her, that she may gain much 
merit in passing through this time of trial and be purified 
thereby from the smallest stain, so that at the moment of 
her departure from this vale of tears, she may enter into the 
joys which God has prepared for those who love and serve 
Him, through Jesas Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PRAYER TO BE SAID DAILY DL'RING THE TIME OF SICKNESS, 

' I 'ORD, I accept this sickness from Thy hands, and en- 
m I 1 tirely resign myself to Thy blessed will, whether 
it be for life or death. Not my will, but Thine be done: 
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. 

Lord, I submit to all the pains and uneasiness of this 
my illness; my sins have deserved infinitely more. Thou 
art just, O Lord, and Thy judgment is right. 

Lord, I offer up to Thee all that I now suffer, or may 
have yet to suffer, to be united to the sufferings of my Re- 
deemer, and sanctified by His Passion. 

I adore Thee, O my God and my all, as my first begin- 
ning and last end; and I desire to pay Thee the best 
homage I am able, and to bow down all the powers of my 
soul to Thee. 

Lord, I desire to praise Thee for ever, in sickness as well 
as in health; I desire to join my heart and voice with the 
whole Church of heaven and earth, in blessing Thee for 
ever. 

I give Thee thanks from the bottom of my heart for all 
the mercies and blessings bestowed upon me, and Thy 
whole Church, through Jesus Christ Thy Son; and above 
all, for having loved me from all eternity, and redeemed me 
with His precious blood. Oh, may that blood not have been 
shed for me in vain! 



908 



Bo7ia Mors Devotions. 



Lord, I believe all those heavenly truths which Thou hast 
revealed, and which Thy holy Catholic Church believes and 
teaches. Thou art the sovereign Truth, Who canst neither 
deceive nor be deceived ; and Thou hast promised the Spirit 
of truth to guide Thy Church into all truth. In this faith 
I resolve, through Thy grace, both to live and die. O 
Lord, strengthen and increase this my faith. 

O my God, all my hopes- are in Thee ; and through Jesus 
Christ, my Redeemer, and through His Passion and death, 
I hope for mercy, grace, and salvation from Thee. In Thee, 
O Lord, have I put my trust ; O let me never be confounded ! 

sweet Jesus, receive me into Thine arms in this day of 
my distress; hide me in Thy wounds, bathe my soul in Thy 
precious blood. 

1 love Thee, O my God, with my whole heart and soul, 
above all things; at least, I desire so to love Thee. Oh, come 
now and take full possession of my whole soul, and teach 
me to love Thee for ever! 

I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. 

Oh, when will Thy kingdom come? O Lord, when wilt 
Thou perfectly reign in all hearts? When shall sin be no 
more? 

I desire to embrace every neighbor with perfect charity 
for the love of Thee. I forgive from my heart all who have 
in any way offended or injured me, and ask pardon of all 
whom I have in any way offended. 

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy ; 
and according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot 
out mine iniquity. 

Oh, who will give water .to my head, and a fountain of 
tears to mine eyes, that night and day I may weep for all 
my sins! Oh, that I had never sinned! 

I am filled with confusion when I look back upon my life; 
so little have I done to please Thee, O my God, and so often 
have I offended Thee! 

I place all my confidence in Thy boundless mercy, and 
in the infinite merits of the sufferings and death of my divine 
Redeemer. O Eternal Father, I offer Thee these saving 
merits in full satisfaction for all my sins. 

Lord, be merciful to me a sinner; sweet Jesus, Son of 
the living God, have mercy on me! 

I commend my soul to God my Creator, Who made me 
out of nothing; to Jesus Christ my Saviour, Who redeemed 
me with His precious blood; to the Holy Ghost, Who sanc- 
tified me in baptism. Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend 
my spirit. 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



909 



I renounce from this moment, and for all eternity, the 
devil and all his works; and I abhor all his suggestions and 
temptations. Oh, suffer not, O Lord, this mortal enemy 
of my soul to have any power over me, either now or at 
my last hour. Let Thy holy angels defend me from all the 
powers of darkness. 

O Heart of Jesus! full of love and compassion, comfort 
and console me. Help me to sanctify my sickness by patience 
and resignation. Lord, remember me in Thy kingdom: 
receive my soul into Thy embraces. 

Holy Mary, pray for me. 

Holy Mary, Mother of mercy, do thou defend me from 
the enemy, and receive me at the hour of death. 

O holy angel of God, who art my guardian, stand by 
me and assist me. 

O all ye blessed angels and saints of God, pray for me, a 
poor sinner. 

" Litany of the Blessed Virgin," " Act of Spiritual Communion," 
"Bona Mors Litany "The Jesus Psalter," "The Rosary," etc. 

TO MARY. 

O DEAREST Lady, sweet- Mother mine, watch the hour 
when my departing soul will lose its hold on all earthly 
things, and stand unveiled in the presence of its Creator. 
Show thyself my tender Mother then, and offer to the 
Eternal Father the precious blood of thy Son Jesus for my 
poor soul, that it may, thus purified, be pleasing in His sight. 
Plead for thy poor child at the moment of her departure 
from this world, and say to the heavenly Father: Receive 
her this day into Thy kingdom! Amen. 

PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH FOR A GOOD DEATH, 

O BLESSED Joseph, who didst yield thy last breath 
in the sweet embrace of Jesus and of Man 7 , when 
death shall close my career, come, holy father, with Jesus 
and Mary, to aid me, and obtain for me the only solace 
which I ask at that hour, to die under their protection. 
Living and dying, into your sacred hands, Jesus, Mary, 
and Joseph, I commend my soul. 



910 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



ftbe ©rfcer of BDmmtetenng 1bol# Communion 
to tbe Sick. 

The priest, on entering the sick-room with the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, says: 



V. 



AX huic domui. 



V. 



u KjEACE be to this 
, I house. 

R. Et omnibus habitanti- R. And to all who dwell 
bus in ea. therein. 

Then, placing the Holy Sacrament on the corporal, on a table 
with lighted candles f lie adores upon his knees, all present doing 
likewise: after -which he takes holy water, and sprinkles the 
sick person and the bed on which he lies y saying: 



^HOU shalt sprinkle me 
with hyssop, O Lord, 
and I shall be cleansed: 
Thou shalt wash me, and I 
shall be made whiter than 
snow. 

Ps. Have mercy on us, O 
God, according to Thy great 
mercy. 

V. Glory be, etc. 
R. As it was, etc. 
Ant. Thou shalt sprinkle 
me, etc. 

V. Our help is in the name 
of the Lord. 

R. Who hath made heaven 
and earth. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

KEAR us, O holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, 
and vouchsafe to send Thy holy angel from heaven 
to guard, cherish, protect, visit, and defend all that are 
assembled in this house. Through Christ our Lord. 
R. Amen. 



^ZJ'SPERGES, me Domine, 
hyssopo et mundabor: 
lavabis me, et super nivem 
dealbabor. 



Ps. Miserere mei Deus, se- 
cundum magnam misericor- 
diam tuam. 

V. Gloria Patri, etc. 

R. Sicut erat, etc 

Ant. Asperges mea, etc. 

V. Adjutorium nostrum in 
nomine Domini. 

R. Qui fecit caelum et ter- 
rain. 

V. Domine, exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



911 



He then approaches the sick, and, if necessary, hears her or his 

confession, after which is said the Confiteor. 

R. Confiteor Deo omnipotenti beatae Mariae semper vir- 
gini beato Michaeli Archangelo beato Joanni Baptistae Sanctis 
apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et tibi Pater, quia 
peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, et opere, mea culpa, mea 
culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam 
semper virginem, beatum Michaelum Archangelum, beatum 
Joannem Baptistam, sanctos apostolus Petrum et Paulum, 
omnes sanctos, et te, Pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum 
nostrum. 

V. Misereatur vestri omni- V. May Almighty God be 
potens Deus, et dimissis merciful unto you, and for- 
peccatis vestris, perducat vos giving you your sins, bring 
ad vitam aeternam. you to life everlasting. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 

V. Indulgentiam absolutio- V. May the Almighty and 
nem, et remissionem pecca- most merciful Lord grant us 
torum nostrorum, tribuat no- pardon, absolution, and re- 
bis omnipotens et misericors mission of our sins. 
Dominus. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 

Then, again adoring on his knees, he takes the Blessed Sacrament 
from his pyx, and elevating it, he shows it to the sick person, say- 
ing: Ecce Agnus Dei (Behold the Lamb of God, etc.) ; and re- 
peating three times: Domine, non sum dignus, etc., he says: 

Receive, sister [or brother], the Viaticum of Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, that He may preserve thee from the malignant 
enemy, and bring thee to life everlasting. Amen. 

But if Communion is not given in the way of Viaticum, he pro- 
nounces the usual words, Corpus Domine nostri. 
The priest then washes his fingers in silence, and the ablution is 
given to the sick; after which he says: 

V. Dominus vobiscum. V The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

OHOLY Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, we 
earnestly beseech Thee that the most sacred body 
of Our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, which cur sister [or 
our brother] hath now received, may be to her [or him] an 
eternal remedy both of body and soul : Who liveth and reign- 
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever 
and ever. Amen. 



912 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



These things done, if a particle of the Sacrament remains, he 
genuflects, rises, and taking the pyx with the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, he makes with it the sign of the cross over the sick person 
in silence. Returning to the church, he recites Psalm cxlviii, 
and other psalms and hymns, as time allows, also the following: 



V. Panem de ccelo praesti- 
tisti eis (Alleluia). 

R. Omne delectamentum 
in se habentem (Alleluia). 

V. Domine exaudi orati- 
onem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



V. Thou didst give them 
bread from heaven (Alleluia). 

R. Containing in itself all 
sweetness (.4 lleluia) . 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come to 
Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit 



Let us pray. 

OGOD, who under a wonderful Sacrament hast left us 
a memorial of Thy Passion; grant us the grace, we 
beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Thy 
body and blood, that we may ever feel within us the fruit 
of Thy redemption. Who livest, etc. Amen. 
If no particle of the Blessed Sacrament remains, the priest blesses 
the sick with his hand in the usual way. 



XLhc Qvbet of BDmtmetenn^ tbe Sacrament of 
Extreme Ulncttom 

On arriving at the place where the sick person lies, the priest, with 
the holy oil, entering the room, says: 

V. Pax huic domui. V. Peace be to this house. 

R. Et omnibus habitanti- R. And to all who dwell 
bus in ea. therein. 

Then, after placing the oil on a table, being vested in a surplice 
and a purple stole, he offers the sick person a crucifix to be piously 
kissed; after which he sprinkles both the chamber and the by- 
standers with holy water in the form of a cross, saying the Ag- 
perges. Then he says: 

V. Adjutorium no:trum in V. Our help is in the name 
nomine Domini. of the Lord. 

R. Qui fecit coelum et ter- R. Who hath made heaven 
ram. and earth. 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



9 J 3 



V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

*T~iET there enter, O Lord Jesus Christ, into this house, 
4 ■ k in consideration of our humility, everlasting lelicity, 
divine prosperity, serene gladness, fruitful charity, per- 
petual health : let the approach of devils be deflected from 
this place, let the angels of peace be present herein, and let 
all malignant discord depart from this house. Magnify, O 
Lord, upon us Thy holy name, and bless *i* our conversa- 
tion: sanctify the beginning of our humility, who art holy 
and good and abidest with the Father and the Holy Ghost 
for ever and ever. Amen. 

Let us pray and beseech Our Lord Jesus Christ, that 
blessing He may bless this tabernacle, and all who dwell 
therein, and give unto them a good angel for a guardian, 
and make them serve Him, that they may consider the 
wonderful things of His law. May He avert from them all 
adverse powers; may He deliver them from all fear and 
from all disquiet, and vouchsafe to keep them in health in 
this tabernacle. Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
liveth and reigneth God for ever and ever. Amen. 

Let us pray. 

EAR us, O holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, 
and vouchsafe to send Thy holy angel from heaven, to 
guard, cherish, protect, visit, and defend all that are assem- 
bled in this house. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

{These prayers, if time will not permit, may be either wholly or 
in part omitted.) After which is said the Confiteor, etc. Be- 
fore the priest begins to anoint the sick person, he admonishes 
the bystanders to pray for her [him]; and when it is convenient 
to do so, they recite for her [him] the Penitential Psalms, with 
Litanies or other prayers, whilst the priest is administering 
the holy unction. Then he says: 

IN the name of the Father *h, and of the Son and of 
the Holy *h Ghost, may all the power of the devil be 
extinguished in thee, by the imposition of our hands, and 
by the invocation of all the holy angels, archangels, patriarchs, 
prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all the 
saints. Amen. 




914 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



Then, dipping his thumb in the holy oil, he anoints the sick 
person in the form of a cross on the parts mentioned below, 
applying the words of the form, as follows: 

On the eyes. 

Through this holy unction and through His most 
tender mercy, may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins 
thou hast committed by seeing. Amen. 

After every unction he wipes the anointed parts with cotton wool. 
On the ears. 

Through this holy unction *fc and through His most 
tender mercy, may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou 
hast committed by hearing. Amen. 

On the nostrils. 

Through this holy unction *h and through His most 
tender mercy, may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou 
hast committed by smelling. Amen. 

On the mouth, the lips being closed. 

Through this holy unction 4* and through His most 
tender mercy, may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou 
hast committed by taste and speech. Amen. 

On the hands. 

Through this holy unction *i* and through His most 
tender mercy, may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou 
hast committed by touch. Amen. 

On the feet. 

Through this holy unction 4- and through His most 
tender mercy, may the Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou 
hast committed by walking. Amen. 

Which being done, the priest says: 

Kyrie, eleison. Lord, have mercy. 

Christe, eleison. Christ have mercy. 

Kyrie, eleison. Lord, have mercy. 

Pater Noster, secreto. Our Father, secretly. 

V. Et ne nos inducas in V. And lead us not into 

tentationem. temptation. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. R. But deliver us from 

evil. 



Bona Mors Devotions, 



9i5 



V. Salvum fac servum tu- 
um. 

R. Deus meus, sperantem 
in te 

V. Mitte ei, Domine, aux- 
ilium de sancto. 

R. Et de Sion tuere eum. 

V. Esto ei, Domine, turris 
fortitudinis. 

R. A facie inimici. 

V. Nihil proficiat inimicus 
in eo. 

R. Et films iniquitatis non 
apponat nocere ei. 

V. Domine, exaudi orati- 
onem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



V. Save Thy servant. 

R. Who hopeth in Thee, O 
my God. 

V. Send her help, O Lord, 
from the sanctuary. 

R. And defend her out of 
Sion. 

V. Be unto her, O Lord, a 
tower of strength. 

R. From the face of the 
enemy. 

V. Let not the enemy 
prevail against her. 

R. Nor the son of iniquity 
approach to hurt her. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 



Let us pray. 

*"| * ORD God almighty, Who hast spoken by Thine apostle 
fM — A James, saying: "Is any man sick among you? Let 
him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray 
over him. anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man; and the 
Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be 
forgiven him:" cure, we beseech Thee, O Our Redeemer, 
by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the languors of this Thy 
servant who is sick; heal her wounds, and forgive her sins; 
drive out from her all pains of body and mind, and merci- 
fully restore to her full health, inwardly and outwardly, 
that being recovered by the help of Thy mercy, she may 
return to her former duties. Who, with the Father and the 
Holy Ghost, livest and reignest God, world without end. 
Amen. 

Let us pray. 

t Tp~* 00K down, O Lord, we beseech Thee, upon Thy servant 

r J i N. , fainting in the infirmity of her body, and refresh the 

soul which Thou hast created, that, being bettered by 
chastisements, she may feel herself saved by Thy medicine. 
Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



Let us pray. 

OHOLY Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, Who, 
by pouring the grace of Thy blessing upon sick bodies, 
dost preserve, by Thy manifold goodness, the work of Thy 
hands, graciously draw near at the invocation of Thy name, 
that, delivering Thy servant from sickness, and bestowing 
health upon her, Thou mayest raise her up by Thy right 
hand, strengthen her by Thy might, defend her by Thy 
power, and restore her to Thy holy Church, with all desired 
prosperity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

IRltus 3&eneblct\ome Bpostoltcaz ttt Brticuio /Ifcortte. 
(Bpostolic ffienebiction anfc plenary Indulgence at 
tbe 1bour of Deatb-) 

(If Viaticum and Extreme Unction are not given just before 
the Apostolic Blessing, Pax hide domui, etc., and Asperges me, 
etc., are first said.) 

OMY Lord and God, I now humbly ask for the remis- 
sion of all temporal punishment, for the plenary 
indulgence which Thy holy Church grants at the hour of 
death. 

my God, I believe in Thee; I hope in Thee; I love 
Thee with my whole heart. 

1 am heartily sorry for all the sins and faults of my whole 
life. I forgive all that have injured me, and ask pardon 
of all whom I have injured. O my God, I am ready to 
accept and bear all pains and sufferings, and even death 
itself with resignation to Thy divine will and in punishment 
for my sins. O my Jesus, I unite my sufferings to Thy 
most bitter torments. O Lord, here burn, here cut; but 
spare me for eternity. My Jesus, mercy! 

Holy Virgin, my Mother Mary, holy Joseph, pray for me. 
V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. 
R. Qui fecit ccelum et terram. 

Ant. Ne reminiscaris, Domine, delicta famuli tui (vel 
ancillae tuae), neque vindictam sumas de peccatis ejus. 
Kyrie, eleison. Christe, eleison. Kyrie, eleison. Pater 

noster. 

T\ Et ne nos inducas in tentationem. 
R. Sed libera nos a malo. 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



V. Salvum fac servum tuum ivel ancillam tuam, et sic 
deinceps). 

R. Deus meus, sperantem in te. 
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. 
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. 
V. Dominus vobiscum. 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

Let us pray. 

OMOST gracious God, Father of mercies and God of 
all consolation, Whose desire is that none should perish 
who believeth and trusteth in Thee, according to the multi- 
tude of Thy tender mercies, look favorably upon Thy servant, 
N., whom the true faith and hope of Christ commend unto 
Thee. Visit her in Thy saving power, and through the 
Passion and death of Thine only-begotten Son, graciously 
grant unto her pardon and remission of all her sins, that 
her soul, at the hour of its departure, may find Thee a most 
merciful Judge, and cleansed from every stain in the blood 
of the same, Thy Son, may be found worthy to pass to life 
everlasting through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Then the Confiteor, Misereatur, etc., are recited. 

May Our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who 
gave tc His blessed apostle, Peter, the power of binding and 
loosing, in His most loving mercy, receive thy confession, 
and restore to thee the first robe which thou didst receive in 
Baptism; and I, by the power given to me by the Apostolic 
See, grant thee a plenary indulgence and remission of all 
thy sins. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Through the most sacred mysteries of man's redemption, 
may God almighty remit unto thee all the punishments of the 
present and the future life, open to thee the gates of para- 
dise, and lead thee to everlasting joys. Amen. 

May God almighty bless thee; the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Ghost, Amen. 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



STJSPIRIA PRO MORIBUNDIS. (ASPIRATIONS FOR THE 
DYING). 

(These may be recited with other prayers from this book by the 
attendants at the sick-bed.) 

AVE mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great 
mercy. 

In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped: let me never be con- 
founded. 

Incline unto mine aid, O God; O Lord, make haste to 
help me. 

O heavenly Father, be merciful to me. O Jesus, have 
mercy on me. O Holy Ghost, be merciful to me. O my 
good God, do not abandon me. O merciful God, assist 
me; show me Thy goodness and mercy. Not my will, but 
Thine be done. 

O sweetest Jesus, be gracious to me, be merciful to me, 
pardon me my sins! 

O my Jesus, I believe in Thee, because Thou art infallible 
truth. In this holy faith I will live and die. 

O my Jesus, all my hopes are in Thee. In Thy goodness, 
O Lord, I put my trust. 

O my Jesus, I love Thee with my whole heart and soul 
above all things. O my good God take full possession of 
my whole soul, and teach me to love Thee for ever. 

Infinitely good and loving God, I am sorry for having 
offended Thee by my sins. I will rather lose everything 
than offend Thee again. Pardon me, sweet Jesus, and 
through Thy painful death blot out all my sins. 

O Jesus, may Thy blood not have been shed in vain for 
me! 

my dearest Jesus, how much Thou hast suffered for 
me! Behold, I willingly suffer for love of Thee. 

1 confide in Thy bitter sufferings and death. 
I offer up to Thee Thy pains and torments. 

I offer to Thee Thy tears and bloody sweat. 
I offer to Thee Thy precious blood and bitter death. 
O Jesus, strengthen me through Thy Passion and death, 
and grant me a happy end. 




Bona Mors Devotions. 



919 



Hide me, dear Jesus, in Thy wounds; bathe my soul in 
Thy precious blood. 

O Fountain of mercy, have mercy on me. 

O let nothing in life or death ever separate me from Thee. 

O my Jesus, I live for Thee; • my Jesus, I die for Thee; 
my Jesus, I am Thine in life and in death. 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me; Holy Mary, 
assist me. Mother of God, do not abandon me! 

O dear Mother, O good Mother, O compassionate Mother, 
help me. Show now that thou art my Mother. 

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, assist me at 
the hour of my death. 

O holy Joseph, pray for me, that I may obtain mercy 
and grace with Jesus. Do not forsake me in my necessity. 

My dear guardian angel, my holy patron, and all ye holy 
angels and saints, assist me that I may die happily, and gain 
my salvation. 

" Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my 
soul. 

" Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony. 

" Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul 
in peace with you." 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time, for all three together. — Pius 
VII , Aug. 26, 1814. 

"My Jesus, mercy!" 

Indulgence of 100 days, each time. — Pius IX.. Sept 24, 1846. 

" My sweetest Jesus, be not my Judge, but my Saviour." 

Indulgence of 50 dayr, each time. — Pius IX., Aug. 11, 185 1. 

O Sacred Heart of my Jesus, which suffered the pangs 
of death, have mercy on me. 

O Jesus, my Saviour, into Thy hands I commend my 
spirit! 

IRecommenfcatton of a Soul 5>epartma* 

*TT"! ORD, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us 

<J— * Lord, have mercy on us. 

Holy Mary, pray for her {or him). 

All ye angels and archangels, pray for her {or him). 



020 



Bona Mors Devotions, 



Holy Abel, 

All ye choirs of the just, 
Holy Abraham, 
St. John the Baptist, 
St. Joseph, 

All ye patriarchs and prophets, 
St. Peter, 
St. Paul, 
St. Andrew, 
St. John, 

All ye holy apostles and evangelists, 
All ye holy disciples of Our Lord, 
All ye holy innocents, 
St. Stephen, 
St. Lawrence, 
All ye holy martyrs, 
St. Sylvester, 
St. Gregory, 
St. Augustine, 

All ye holy bishops and confessors, 
St. Benedict, 
St. Francis, 

All ye holy monks and hermits, 
St. Mary Magdalen, 
St. Lucy, 

All ye holy virgins and widows, 

All ye saints of God, make intercession for her {or him). 
Be merciful, spare her {or him), O Lord. 
Be merciful, deliver her {or him), O Lord. 
Be merciful, receive her {or him), O Lord. 
From Thy anger, 
From the danger of death, ^ 
From an ill end, |^ 
From the pains of hell, ^ 
From all evil, 

From the power of the devil, 
Through Thy nativity, |" 
Through Thy cross and Passion, 
Through Thy death and burial, 
Through Thy glorious Resurrection, 
Through Thine admirable Ascension, 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



921 



Through the grace of the Holy Ghost the Com- \ 



In the day of judgment, 
We sinners, beseech Thee to hear us. 
That Thou spare her, we beseech Thee to hear us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 



^l^VHPART then, Christian soul, out of this miserable 
JLJ world, in the name of God the Father almighty, Who 
created thee; in the name of God the Son, Who suffered for 
thee ; in the name of the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified thee ; 
in the name of the angels, archangels, thrones, dominations, 
cherubim, and seraphim ; in the name of the patriarchs and 
prophets, of the holy apostles and evangelists, of the holy 
martyrs and confessors, of the holy monks and hermits, of 
the holy virgins, and of all the saints of God — let thy place 
be this day in peace, and thy abode in holy Sion; through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

God of clemency! God of goodness! O God, Who, accord- 
ing to the multitude of Thy mercies, forgivest the sins of 
such as repent, and graciously remittest the guilt of their 
past offences, mercifully regard this Thy servant, N., and 
grant her a full discharge from all her sins, who most earnestly 
begs it of Thee. Purify, O merciful Father, whatever is 
corrupt in Iter through human frailty, or by the snares of 
the enemy; make her a true member of the Church, and 
let her partake of the fruit of Thy redemption. Have com- 
passion, O Lord, on Iwr sighs, have pity on her tears; and 
admit her to the sacrament of Thy reconciliation, who has 
no hope but in Thee ; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

I recommend thee, dear sister (or brother) to almighty 
God, and commit thee to His mercy, Whose creature Thou 
art ; that, having paid the common debt of nature, thou 
mayest surrender thy soul to thy Maker, Who formed thee 
out of the earth. May, therefore, the noble company of 
angels meet thy soul at its departure. May the court of 
the apostles receive thee. May the triumphant army of 
glorious martyrs conduct thee. May the crowds of joyful 
confessors encompass thee. May the choir of blessed virgins 
go before thee; and may a happy rest be thy portion in the 
company of the patriarchs. May Jesus Christ appear to 
thee with a mild and cheerful countenance, and give thee a 



forter, 




Let us pray. 



922 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



place amongst those who are to dwell in His presence for 
ever. Mayest thou be a stranger to all who are condemned 
to darkness, chastised with flames, or punished with torments. 
May God command thy wicked enemy, with all his evil spirits, 
to depart from thee. May the infernal spirits tremble at 
thy approach, encompassed by angels, and retire into the 
horrid confusion of eternal night. May thy God arise, 
and thy enemies be put to flight. May all who hate Him 
fly before His face. Let them vanish like smoke, or as 
wax before the fire; so let sinners perish in the sight of 
God. But as to the just, let them rejoice and be happy 
in His presence. May all the ministers of hell be filled 
with confusion and shame, and let no evil spirit dare to stop 
thy course to heaven. May Christ Jesus, Who was crucified 
for thee, be thy deliverer; may He deliver thee from death, 
Who for thy sake vouchsafed to die. May Christ Jesus, the 
Son of the living God, place thee in His garden of paradise; 
and may He, the true Shepherd, own thee for one of His 
flock. May He absolve thee from all thy sins, and place 
thee at His right hand in the inheritance of the elect. Oh, 
may it be thy happy lot to behold thy Redeemer face to 
face: to be ever in His presence, in the beatific vision of 
that eternal truth which is the joy of the blessed. And thus 
placed amongst those happy spirits, mayest thou be for 
ever filled with heavenly sweetness. Amen. 

Receive Thy servant, O Lord, into that place where she 
may hope for salvation from Thy mercy. 

R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant from all dangers 
of hell, and from all pain and tribulation. 
R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Enoch and Klias from the common death of the 
world. 

R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Noe from the flood. 
R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, trie soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Abraham from the midst of the Chaldeans. 
R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Job from all his afflictions. 
R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Isaac from being sacrificed by his father. 

R. Amen. 



Bona Mors Devotions, 



9 2 3 



Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Lot from Sodom, and the flames of fire. 
R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Moses from the hands of Pharao, King of Egypt. 
R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Daniel from the lions* den. 
R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver the three children from the fiery furnace, and from 
the hands of an unmerciful king. 

R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver David from the hands of Saul and Goliath. 
R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Susanna from her false accusers. 
R. Amen. 

Deliver, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant, as Thou didst 
deliver Peter and Paul out of prison. 
R. Amen. 

And as Thou deliveredst that blessed virgin and martyr, 
St. Thecla, from most cruel torments, vouchsafe to deliver 
the soul of this Thy servant, and bring it to the participation 
of Thy heavenly joys. 

R. Amen. 

Let us pray. 

E commend to Thee, O Lord, the soul of this Thy ser- 
vant, and beseech Thee, O Jesus Christ, Redeemer of the 
world, that as in Thy mercy to her Thou becamest man, so 
now Thcu wouldst vouchsafe to admit her into the number of 
the blessed. Remember, O Lord, that she is Thy creature, 
not made by strange gods, but by Thee, the only true and 
living God, for there is no other God but Thee, none that 
can work Thy wonders. Let her soul find comfort in Thy 
sight, and remember not her former sins, nor any of those 
excesses into which she has fallen, through the violence of 
passion and corruption. For although she hath sinned, 
yet she has retained a true faith in Thee, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost: she has had a zeal for Thy honor, and faith- 
fully adored Thee her God, and the Creator of all things. 

Remember not, O Lord, the sins of ignorance of her youth, 
but, according to Thy great mercy, be mindful of her in Thy 
eternal glory. Let the heavens be opened to her, and the 



924 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



angels rejoice with her. May St. Michael, the archangel, 
the chief of the heavenly host, conduct her. May blessed 
Peter, the apostle, to whom were given the keys of the 
kingdom of heaven, receive her. May holy Paul, the apostle 
and chosen vessel of election, assist her. May St. John, the 
beloved disciple, to whom was revealed the secrets of heaven, 
intercede for her. May all the chosen servants and martyrs 
of God, who in this world have suffered torments for the 
sake of Christ, intercede for her, that, being delivered from 
this body of corruption, she may be admitted into the king- 
dom of heaven, through the assistance and merits of Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with the Father 
and the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen. 

// the dying person continue in her {or his) senses, the following 
Acts may be made. 

An Act of Thanksgiving. 

OMY God! Thou hast created, redeemed, and sanctified 
me. Thou hast preserved me in many dangers both 
of body and soul. Thou hast fed me with Thy most blessed 
body and blood. Thou hast shown immense patience in 
bearing with my repeated crimes, and often called me to 
repentance. For these and all other blessings bestowed on 
me, a most ungrateful sinner, I offer Thee innumerable 
thanks. 

An Act of Resignation. 

OMY God ! I cheerfully receive the certain summons of 
my death. It is a greater happiness to fulfil Thy will 
than to enjoy ten thousand lives. O happy news of my 
departure! I shall soon hear the choirs of angels sing Thy 
eternal praises. Let death hasten his pace, that dying I 
may no more offend Thee, but live with Thee, and love Thee 
eternally. 

An Act of Contrition. 

I AM truly and heartily sorry for all my sins, not for the 
fear of hell, nor for the hope of reward; but for the 
love of Thee, my God, my only good ! And were I beginning 
instead of ending my life, I would not offend Thee for a 
thousand worlds. . . . O my God ! despise not a contrite and 
humble heart. Amen. 

Tfie soul being now departed, the following Responsory is said: 

aOME to her assistance, all you saints of God ; meet her 
all you angels of God ; receive h-eY soul, and present it 
now before its Lord. May Jesus Christ receive thee, and 



Bona Mors Devotions. 



925 



the angels conduct thee to thy place of rest; may they 
receive thy soul, and present it now before its Lord. 

V. Eternal rest grant her, O Lord. 

R. And let perpetual light shine upon her. 

May the angels present her now before the Lord. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Our Father. 

V. And lead us not into temptation 

R. But deliver us from evil. 

V. Eternal rest grant her, O Lord. 

R. And let perpetual light shine on her. 

V. From the gates of hell, 

R. Deliver Jier soul, O Lord. 

VI May she rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come unto Thee. 

Let us pray. 

BSOLVE, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the soul of Thy 
servant, N., that being dead to this world, she may 
live to Thee; and whatever sins site has committed through 
human frailty, we beseech Thee in Thy goodness mercifully 
to pardon. Through Christ our Lord.' Amen. 




926 



The Office of the Dead. 



TLhc ©flice of tbe H>eat>>* 

When the whole Office is said, it is recited in the manner of a 
Double, viz., the Vespers on the Eve, and the Matins and Lauds 
on the following morning, concluding with the appropriate 
prayers; but at Vespers the Ps. Lauda anima, and at Lands 
the De profundis, are omitted on the commemoration of All 
Souls, and on the day of decease or burial. On other occasions 
(when only one of the Nocturns and the Lauds are recited) 
there is but a word or two of the Antiphon before each Psalm 
recited, and the whole Antiphon at the end thereof. 

VESPERS. 

Ant. Placebo Domino in Ant. I will please the Lord 
regione vivorum. in the land of the living. 

psalm cxiv. 



BILEXI, quoniam exau- 
diet Dominus vocem 
orationis meae. 

Quia inclinavit aurem su- 
am mihi et in diebus meis in- 
vocabo. 

Circumdederunt me dolo- 
res mortis; et pericula inferni 
invenerunt me. 

Tribulationem et dolorem 
inveni, et nomen Domini 
invocavi. 

O Domine, libera animam 
meam ; misericors Dominus 
et justus, et Deus noster mi- 
seretur 

Custodiens parvulos Do- 
minus; humiliatus sum, et 
liberavit me. 

Convertere, anima mea, in 
requiem tuam, quia Domi- 
nus benefecit tibi. 



I HAVE loved, because 
the Lord will hear the 
voice of my prayer. 

Because He has inclined 
His ear to me, and in my 
days I will call to Him. 

The sorrows of death have 
surrounded me ; and the dan- 
gers of hell are come upon me. 

I have found tribulation 
and sorrow; and I have in- 
voked the name of the Lord. 

O Lord, deliver my soul: 
the Lord is merciful and 
just: and Our God shows 
mercy. 

The Lord keeps the little 
ones; I was humbled, and 
He delivered me. 

Return, my soul, into thy 
rest; because the Lord has 
done good to thee. 



* The Antiphons are duplicated, i.e., they are said in full both 
at the beginning and at the end of the psalms, when the entire 
Office of the Dead is recited (Vespers, three Nocturns at Matins, 
and Lauds), as, for instance, on All Souls* day and on the day of 
burial. Vide Note before Matins. 



The Office of the Dead. 



Quia eripuit animam me- 
am de morte, oculos meos a 
lacrymis, pedes meos a lapsu. 

Placebo Domino in regione 
vivorum. 

Requiem aeternam dona 
eis, Domine: 

Et lux perpetua luceat eis. 

Ant. Placebo Domino in 
regione vivorum. 

Am. Hei mini, Domine, 
quia incolatus meus pro- 
longatus est. 



Because Pie has delivered 
my soul from death, my eyes 
from tears, and my feet from 
slipping. 

I will please the Lord in 
the land of the living. 

Grant them eternal rest, O 
Lord: 

And let perpetual light 
shine on them. 

Ant. I will please the Lord 
in the land of the living. 

Ant. Woe is me, O Lord, 
that my abode is prolonged. 



psalm 

D Dommum cum tri- 
bularer clamavi, et 
exaudivit me. 

Domine, libera animam 
meam a labiis iniquis et a 
lingua dolosa. 

Quid detur tibi, aut quid 
apponatur tibi ad linguam 
dolosam ? 

Sagittae potentis acuta?, 
cum carbonibus desolatoriis. 

Hei mihi, quia incolatus 
meus prolongatus est, habi- 
tavi cum habitantibus Cedar; 
multum incola fuit anima 
mea. 

Cum his qui oderunt pa- 
cem eram pacificus; cum 
loquebar illis, impugnabant 
me gratis. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. 'Hei mihi, Domine, 
quia incolatus meus prolonga- 
tus est. 

Ant. Dominus, custodit te 
ab omni malo: custodit ani- 
mam tuam Dominus. 



CXIX. 

HEN I was in tribu- 
lation I cried to the 
Lord ; and He heard me. 

Lord, deliver my soul 
from unjust lips, and from 
a deceitful tongue. 

What is to be given to 
thee, or what is to be 
added to thee, to a deceitful 
tongue ? 

The sharp arrows of the 
mighty, with coals of deso- 
lation. 

Woe is me, that my abode 
is prolonged. I have dwelt 
with the inhabitants of Ce- 
dar; my soul has been long 
a sojourner. 

1 was peaceable with those 
that hated peace; when I 
spoke to them, they insulted 
me for no reason. 

Grant them eternal rest. 
Ant. Woe is me, O Lord, 
that my abode is prolonged. 

Ant. The Lord preserve 
thee from all evil: may the 
Lord keep thy soul. 




XK 



928 



The Office of the Dead. 



psalm cxx. 



EEVAVI oculos meos in 
montes, unde veniet 
auxilium mihi. 

Auxilium meum a Domi- 
no, qui fecit coelum et ter- 
rain. 

Non det in commotionem 
pedem tuam, neque dormitet 
qui custodit te. 

Ecce non dormitabit ne- 
que dormiet qui custodit Is- 
rael. 

Dominus custodit te, Do- 
minus protectio tua super 
manum dexteram tuam. 

Per diem sol non uret te, 
neque luna per noctem. 

Dominus custodit te ab 
omni malo, custodiat ani- 
mam tuam Dominus. 

Dominus custodiat intro- 
itum tuum et exitum tuum, 
ex hoc nunc et usque in sae- 
culum. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Dominus custodit te 
ab omni malo : custodiat ani- 
mam tuam Dominus. 

Ant. Si iniquitates obser- 
vaveris Domine; Domine, 
quis sustinebit? 



I LIFTED up my eyes to 
the mountains: from 
whence my help will come. 

My help is from the Lord, 
Who made heaven and earth. 

May He not suffer thy foot 
to be moved; and may He 
not slumber that keeps thee. 

Lo, He will not slumber 
nor sleep: that keeps Israel. 

Our Lord keeps thee, Our 
Lord is thy protection: on 
thy right hand. 

The sun shall iiot burn 
thee by day: nor the moon 
by night. 

The Lord preserveth thee 
from all evil; may the Lord 
keep thy soul. 

May the Lord keep thy 
coming in and thy going 
out: from henceforth, now, 
and for ever. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. The Lord preserve 
thee from all evil: may the 
Lord keep thy soul. 

Ant. If Thou wilt observe 
iniquities, O Lord; Lord, 
who shall bear it ? 



psalm cxxix. 



*T"^\B profundis clamavi ad 
JLJ te, Domine; Domine, 
exaudi vocem meam. 

Fiant aures tuae inten- 
dentes in vocem depreca- 
tionis meae. 

Si iniquitates observaveris, 
Domine, Domine, quis su- 
stinebit ? 



OUT of the depths I 
have cried unto Thee, 
O Lord : Lord, hear my voice. 

Let Thy ears be attentive: 
to the voice of my petition. 

If Thou wilt observe iniqui- 
ties, O Lord : Lord, who shall 
sustain it? 



The Office of the Dead. 



Quia apud te propitiatio 
est; et propter legem tuam 
sustinui te, Domine. 

Sustinuit anima mea in 
verbo ejus; speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 

A eustodia matutina usque 
ad noctem, speret Israel in 
Domino. 

Quia apud Dominum mi- 
sericordia; et copiosa apud 
eum redemptio. 

Et ipse redimet Israel ex 
omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Si iniquitates obser- 
vaveris Domine ; Domine, 
quis sustinebit? 

.4??/. Opera manuum tua- 
rum, Domine, ne despicias. 



Because with Thee is 
propitiation: and for Thy 
law I have expected Thee, O 
Lord. 

My soul hath relied on 
His word : my soul hath 
hoped in the Lord. 

From the morning watch 
even until night: let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord 
there is mercy: and with 
Him plentiful redemption. 

And He will redeem Israel 
from all his iniquities. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. If Thou wilt observe 
iniquities, O Lord; Lord, 
who shall bear it? 

Ant. Despise not, O Lord, 
the works of Thy hands. 



psalm c 

aONFITEBOR tibi, Do- 
mine, in toto corde 
meo, quoniam audisti verba 
oris mei. 

In conspectu angelorum 
psallam tibi, adorabo ad 
templum sanctum tuum, et 
confitebor nomini tuo. 

Super misericordia tua et 
veritate tua, quoniam mag- 
nificasti super omne nomen 
sanctum tuum. 

In quacumque die invo- 
cavero te exaudi me; mul- 
tiplicabis in anima mea vir- 
tutem. 

Confiteantur tibi, Domine, 
omnes reges terrae, quia 
audierunt omnia verba oris 
tui. 

Et cantent in viis Domini, 
quoniam magna est gloria 
Domini. 



I WILL praise Thee, O 
Lord, with all my heart : 
because Thou hast heard the 
words of my mouth. 

In the sight of the angels I 
will sing to Thee : I will adore 
in Thy holy temple, and 
praise Thy name. 

For Thy mercy and Thy 
truth; because Thou hast 
magnified Thy holy name 
above everything. 

In what day soever I shall 
call to Thee, hear me: Thou 
wilt increase strength in my 
soul. 

May all the kings of the 
earth confess Thee, O Lord; 
for they have heard all the 
words of Thy mouth. 

And let them sing in the 
ways of the Lord; because 
the glory of the Lord is great. 



93o 



The Office of the Dead. 



Quoniam excelsus Domi- 
nus, et humilia respicit, et 
alta a longe cognoscit. 

Si ambulavero in medio 
tribulationis vivificabis me ; 
et super iram inimicorum 
meorum extendisti manum 
tuam, et salvum me fecit 
dextera tua. 

Dominus retribuet pro me: 
Domine, misericordia tua in 
saeculum ; opera manuum 
tuarum ne despicias. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Opera manuum tua- 
rum, Domine, ne despicias. 

V. Audivi vocem de ccelo 
dicentem mihi : 

R. Beati mortui qui in 
Domino moriuntur. 

Ant. Omne quod dat mihi 
Pater, ad me veniet; et eum 
qui veniet ad me, non ejiciam 
foras. 



Because the Lord is high, 
and He beholds the low 
things; and the high things 
He knows afar off. 

If I shall walk in the midst 
of trouble, Thou wilt enliven 
me; and upon the wrath 
of my enemies Thou hast 
stretched Thy hand, and Thy 
right hand hath saved me. 

The Lord will repay for 
me; Thy mercy, O Lord, is 
for ever: despise not the 
works of Thy hands. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. Despise not, O Lord, 
the works of Thy hands. 

V. I heard a voice from 
heaven saying to me: 

R. Blessed are the dead 
that die in the Lord. 

Ant. All that my Father 
gives me shall come to me; 
and him that comes to me I 
will not cast out. 



CANTICLE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (Luke i). 



(T\ AGNIFICAT anima mea 
r 1 Dominum. 

Et exultavit spiritus meus, 
in Deo salutari meo. 

Quia respexit humilitatem 
ancillae suae; ecce enim ex 
hoc beatam me dicent omnes 
generationes. 

Quia fecit mihi magna qui 
potens est et sanctum nomen 
ejus. 

Et misericordia ejus a pro- 
genie in progenies timentibus 
cum. 

Fecit potentiam in brachio 
suo ; dispersit superbos mente 
cordis sui. 



/TVY soul doth magnify 
the Lord. 

And my spirit hath rejoiced 
in God my Saviour. 

Because He has regarded 
the humility of His hand- 
maid : for behold from hence- 
forth all generations shall 
call me blessed. 

Because He that is mighty 
has done great things for me 
and holy is His name. 

And His mercy is from gen- 
eration to generation: to 
them that fear Him. 

He has showed power in His 
arm: He has dispersed the 
proud in the conceit of their 
heart 



The Office of the Dead. 



Deposuit potentes de sede: 
et exaltavit humiles. 

Esurientes implevit bonis, 
et divites dimisit inanes. 

Suscepit Israel puerum 
suum, recordatusmisericordiae 
suae. 

Sicut locutus est ad patres 
nostros, Abraham, et semini 
ejus in saecula. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Omne quod dat mihi 
Pater, ad me veniet; et eum 
qui veniet ad me, non ejiciam 
foras. 



He has deposed the mighty 
from their seat: and has ex- 
alted the humble. 

He has filled the hungry 
with good things: and has 
sent the rich away empty. 

He has received Israel His 
servant : being mindful of His 
mercy. 

As He spoke to our fathers ; 
to Abraham, and his seed 
for ever. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. All that my Father 
gives me shall come to me; 
and him that comes to me I 
will not cast out. 



The following prayers are said kneeling: 

Pater noster, secreto. Our Father, in secret. 

V. Et ne nos inducas in V. And lead us not into 

tentationem. temptation. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. R. But deliver us from evil. 



The following Psalm is omitted on November 2d } and on the Day 
oj Death or Burial: 

PSALM CXLV. 



*~| — 'AUDA anima mea 

J L Dominum : laudabo 

Dominum in vita mea; 
psallam Deo meo quandiu 
fuero. 

Nolite confidere in princi- 
pibus, in filiis hominum in 
quibus non est salus. 

Exibit spiritus ejus, et re- 
vert etur in terram suam; in 
ilia die peribunt omnes cogita- 
tiones eorum. 

Beatus cujus Deus Jacob 
adjutor ejus, spes ejus in Do- 
mino Deo ipsius; qui fecit 
ccelum et terram, mare, et 
omnia quae in eis sunt. 

Qui custodit veritatem in 



RAISE the Lord, O 
my soul ; I will praise 
the Lord while I live ; I will 
sing to my God as long as I 
have being. 

Trust not in princes: in 
the sons of men, in whom 
these is no salvation. 

His spirit shall go forth, 
and he shall return into his 
earth in that day all their 
thoughts shall perish. 

Blessed is he whose helper 
is the God of Jacob : his hope 
is in the Lord his God, Who 
made heaven and earth, the 
sea, and all that are in them. 
Who keeps truth for ever, 




932 



The Office of the Dead. 



saeculum; facit judicium in- 
juriam patientibus; dat es- 
cam esurientibus. 

Dominus solvit compeditos, 
Dominus illuminat caecos. 

Dominus erigit elisos ; 
Dominus diligit justos. 

Dominus custodit ad vena s, 
pupillum et viduam suscipiet, 
et vias peccatorum disperdet. 



Regnabit Dominus in sae- 
cula, Deus tuus, Sion, in gene- 
rationem et generationem. 

Requiem aeternam. 

V. A porta inferi. 

R. Erue, Domine, animas 
eorum. 

V. Requiescant in pace. 

R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

Oremus. 

C TVEUS, qui inter apostoli- 
r-L/ cos, sacerdotes, famulos 
tuos pontificali seu sacerdot- 
ali fecisti dignitate vigere: 
praesta, quaesumus, ut eorum 
quoque perpetuo aggregentur 
consortio. 



'"f ~\EUS, veniae largitor, et 
<-L^ humanae salutis ama- 
tor ; quaesumus clementiam tu- 
am, ut nostrae Congregationis 
fratres, propinquos et bene- 



does justice for them that 
suffer wrong; gives food to 
the hungry. 

The Lord looses the fet- 
tered; the Lord enlightens 
the blind. 

The Lord lifts up the 
bruised; the Lord loves the 
just. 

The Lord keeps the stran- 
gers; He will receive the 
orphan and widow; and the 
ways of sinners He will 
destroy. 

The Lord will reign for 
ever; thy God, O Sion, from 
generation to generation. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

V. From the gates of hell. 

R. Deliver their souls, O 
Lord. 

V. May they rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

I \ O Lord, hear my prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
to Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

OGod, by Whose favor 
Thy servants were 
raised to the dignity of 
bishops or priests, and so 
honored with the apostolical 
functions; grant, we beseech 
Thee, that they may be ad- 
mitted to the eternal fellow- 
ship of Thy apostles in heaven. 

OGOD, the Giver of par- 
don, and Lover of 
human salvation, we be- 
seech Thy clemency, that 
the brethren, relations, and 



The Office of the Dead, 



933 



factores, qui ex hoc saeculo 
transierunt, beata Maria 
semper virgine intercedente, 
cum omnibus Sanctis tuis, 
ad perpetuae beatitudinis 
consortium pervenire con- 
cedas. 

BIDELIUM, Deus, omni- 
um Conditor et Redemp- 
tor, animabus famulorum fa- 
mularumque tuarum remis- 
sionem cunctorum tribue 
peccatorum : ut indulgenti- 
am, quam semper optave- 
runt, piis supplicationibus 
consequantur. Qui vivis et 
regnas in saecula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
eis, Domine. 

R. Et lux perpetua luceat 
eis. 

V, Requiescant in pace. 
R. Amen. 



benefactors of our Congrega- 
tion, who are departed this 
life, may, through the inter- 
cession of the blessed Mary, 
ever a virgin, and of all Thy 
saints, attain to the fellow- 
ship of eternal bliss. 

OGOD, the Creator and 
Redeemer of all the 
faithful, give to the souls of 
Thy servants, men and 
women, the remission of all 
their sins; that by pious 
supplications they may ob- 
tain the pardon they have 
always desired. Who livest 
and reignest world without 
end. 

R. Amen. 

V. Eternal rest give to 
them, O Lord 

R. And let perpetual light 
shine on them. 

V. May they rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



On the Day oj Commemoration of all the Dead only one Prayer is 

said: 



BIDELIUM, Deus, omni- 
um Conditor et Re- 
demptor, animabus famulo- 
rum famularumque tuarum 
remissionem cunctorum tribue 
peccatorum ; ut indulgentiam, 
quam semper optaverunt, 
piis supplicationibus conse- 
quantur. Qui vivis et regnas 
cum Deo Patri in unitate 
Spiritus Sancti Deus. 

R. Amen. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
eis, Domine. 



OGOD, the Creator and 
Redeemer of all the 
faithful, give to the souls of 
Thy servants, men and wom- 
en, the remission of their 
sins; that by pious sup- 
plications they may obtain 
the pardon they have always 
desired. Who livest and 
reignest with God the Father, 
in the unity of the Holy 
Ghost, God. 
R. Amen. 

V. Eternal rest give to 
them, O Lord. 



934 



The Office of the Dead. 



R. Et lux perpetua luceat R. And let perpetual light 

eis. shine on them. 

V. Requiescant in pace. V. May they rest in peace. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 



A Prayer on the day 

VT*BSOLVK, quaesumus, 
e^E-L, Domine, animam fa- 
muli tui (vel famulae tuae) N. 
ut defunctus (vel defuncta) 
saeculo tibi vivat: et quae 
per fragilitatem carnis hu- 
mana conversatione commi- 
sit, tu venia misericordissi- 
mae pietatis absterge: per 
Dominum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
eis, Domine. 

R. Et lux perpetua luceat 
eis. 

V. Requiescant in pace. 

R. Amen. 



of a person's decease. 

VtTBSOLVE, we beseech 
cJP^ Thee, O Lord, the 
soul of Thy servant, N., that 
being dead to the world, he 
(or she) may live to Thee, 
and whatever he (or she) 
has committed through 
human frailty, do Thou wipe 
away by the pardon of Thy 
merciful goodness, through 
Our Lord. 
R. Amen. 

V Grant them eternal rest, 
O Lord. 

R. And let perpetual light 
shine on them. 

V. May they rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

A Prayer for a Bishop or Priest deceased. When it is for a Priest, 
the word pontificali is om itted, and sacerdotali (in the parenthesis) 
is read in its stead. 



DEUS, qui inter aposto- 
licos sacerdotes, fa- 
mulum tuum N. pontificali 
(seu sacerdotali) fecisti di- 
gnitate vigere : praesta quaesu- 
mus, ut eorum quoque per- 
petuo aggregetur consortio : 
per Dominum. 

For Father and 
^f~^\ EUS, qui nos patrem et 
JLJ matrem honorare prae- 
cepisti, miserere clement er 
animabus patris ac matris 
meae, eorumque peccata di- 
mitte, meque eos in aeternae 
claritatis gaudio fac videre: 
per Dominum. 



OGOD, Who, among Thy 
apostolic priests, hast 
bestowed on Thy servant, N., 
the pontifical (or priestly) 
dignity; grant, we beseech 
Thee, that he may also be 
joined with them in per- 
petual society: through, etc. 

Mother deceased. 

OGOD, Who hast com- 
manded us to honor 
our father and mother, have 
compassion, in Thy mercy, 
on the souls of my father and 
mother, and forgive them 
their sins, and grant that we 
may meet in the joy of 
eternal bliss: through, etc. 



The Office of the Dead. 



935 



For a Father deceased. 



DEUS, qui nos patrem ho- 
norare praecepisti, mi- 
serere clementer animae pa- 
tris mei, ej usque peccata di- 
mitte, meque eum in ae teniae 
claritatis gaudio fac videre: 
per Dominum. 



OGOD, Who hast com- 
manded us to honor 
our father, have mercy, 
through Thy goodness, on 
the soul of my father, and 
forgive him his sins, and 
grant I may see him in the 
joy of eternal bliss: through, 
etc. 



For a Mother deceased. 



^T^BUS, qui nos matrem 
\_J honorare praecepisti, 
miserere clementer animae 
matris meae, ejusque peccata 
dimitte, meque earn in aeter- 
nae claritatis gaudio fac vi- 
dere: per Dominum. 



OGOD, Who hast com- 
manded us to honor 
our mother, have mercy, 
through Thy goodness, on the 
soul of my mother, and for- 
give her her sins, and grant 
that I may see her in the joy 
of eternal bliss : through, etc. 



For a Man deceased. 



INCLINA, Domine, aurem 
tuam ad preces nostras, 
quibus misericordiam tuam 
supplices deprecamur : ut 
animam famuli tui, quam de 
hoc saeculo migrare jussisti, 
in pacis ac lucis regione 
constituas : et Sanctorum tu- 
orum jubeas esse consortem : 
per Dominum. 



INCLINE. O Lord, Thy 
ear to our prayers, in 
which we humbly beseech 
Thy mercy; that Thou 
wouldst place the soul of 
Thy servant, which Thou 
hast caused to depart from 
this world, into the region of 
peace and light; and unite 
it in the fellowship of Thy 
saints: through, etc. 



For a Woman deceased. 



QtLESUMUS, Domine, 
pro tua pietate mise- 
rere animae famulae tuae; et 
contagiis mortalitatis exu- 
tam, in aeternae salvationis 
partem restitue: per Domi- 
num 



E beseech Thee, O 
Lord, for Thy good- 
ness, have mercy on the soul 
of Thy servant , and being 
freed from . the corruption of 
mortality, restore her the 
portion of eternal salvation: 
through, etc. 



93 6 



The Office of the Dead. 



On the Anniversary. If it be for one person only, it is to be said 
in the singular number. 



*~T^\EUS indulgentiarum Do- 
<jLJ mine, da animabus fa- 
mulorum famularumque tua- 
rum, quorum anniversarium 
depositionis diem commemo- 
ramus, refrigerii sedem, quie- 
tis beatitudinem, et luminis 
ciaritatem : per Dominum. 



OLORD, the God of 
pardon, give to the 
souls of Thy servants, men 
and women departed, whose 
anniversary day of decease 
we commemorate, the seat 
of refreshment, the happi- 
ness of rest, and the bright- 
ness of eternal light : through, 
etc. 



For Brethren, Relatit 

c p^vEUS, veniae largitor et 
JLJ humanae salutis ama- 
tor; quaesumus clementiam 
tuam, ut nostrae Congrega- 
tionis fratres, propinquos, et 
benefactores. qui ex hoc 
saeculo transierunt, beata Ma- 
ria semper virgine interce- 
dente, cum omnibus Sanctis 
tuis, ad perpetuae beatitu- 
dinis consortium pervenire 
concedas: per Dominum. 



ns, and Benefactors. 

OGOD, the Giver of par- 
don, and Lover of hu- 
man salvation, we beseech 
Thy clemency to grant that 
the brethren, relations, and 
benefactors of our Congre- 
gation, who are departed 
this world, may, by the in- 
tercession of the Blessed Mary, 
ever virgin, and of all Thy 
saints, attain to the fellow- 
ship of eternal beatitude: 
through, etc. 



For tlie Dea 

BIDELIUM, Deus, omni- 
um Conditor et Re- 
demptor, animabus famulo- 
rum famularumque tuarum 
remissionem cunctorum tri- 
bue peccatorum: ut indul- 
gentiam, quam semper opta- 
verunt, piis supplicationibus 
consequantur. Qui vivis et 
regnas cum Deo Patre in uni- 
tate Spiritus Sancti Deus. per 
omnia saecula saeculorum. 

R. Amen. 



I in general. 

OGOD, the Creator and 
Redeemer of all the 
faithful, give to the souls of 
Thy servants, men and 
women, the remission of all 
their sins: that by pious 
supplications they may ob- 
tain the pardon which they 
have always desired. Who 
livest and reignest with God 
the Father, in the unity of 
the Holy Ghost, one God, 
world without end. 
R. Amen. 



The Office of the Dead. 



937 



AT MATINS. 

The following Invitatory is recited on All Souls' Day, and on 
the day of burial, when the three Nocturns are said and the 
Antiphons are doubled, whereas the Office begins with the 
Antiphon of the Psalms of the Nocturn whenever only one 
Nocturn is said with the Lauds. The following order is ob- 
served: On Monday and Thursday the first Nocturn; on Tues- 
day and Friday the second Noctiirn; on Wednesday and Satur- 
day the third Nocturn is recited. 



THE IXVITATORY. 



EGEM cui omnia viyunt, 
venite ado r emus. 



Rcgem cui omnia vivunt, 
venite a dor emus. 



o? 



"OME, let us adore the 
King, to Whom all 
things live. 

Come, let us adore the 
King, to Whom all things 
live. 



PSALM XCIV. 



VEXITE, exultemus Do- 
mino; jubilemus Deo 
salutari nostro ; praeoccu- 
pemus faciem ejus in con- 
fessione, et in psalmis jubile- 
mus ei. 

Regem cui omnia vivunt, 
venite adoremus. 

Quoniam Deus magnus 
Dominus, et rex magnus 
super omnes deos; quoniam 
non repellet Dominus ple- 
bem suam. quia in manu 
ejus sunt omnes fines terrae: 
et altitudines montium ipse 
conspieit. 

.Venite adoremus. 

Quoniam ipsius est mare, 
et ipse fecit illud, et aridam 
fundaverunt manus ejus 
Venite adoremus, et proci- 
damus ante Deum : plore- 
mus coram Domino, qui fecit 
nos, quia ipse est Dominus 



a OME, let us rejoice in 
the Lord, let us joy- 
fully cry out to God our 
Saviour: let us approach 
His presence in praise, and 
let us sing joyfully in 
psalms to Him. 

Come, let us adore the 
King, to Whom all tilings live. 

Because the Lord is a 
great God, and a great King 
above all Gods: because the 
Lord repels not His people, 
for in His hands are all the 
bounds of the earth: and 
He beholds the heights of the 
mountains. 

Come, let us adore. 
Because the sea is His, and 
He made it, and His hands 
formed the dry land: come 
let us adore, and fall down 
before God: let us lament 
before the Lord that made 
us: because He is the Lord 



93^ 



The Office of the Dead. 



Deus noster: nos autem 
populus ejus, et oves pascuae 
ejus. 

Regem cui omnia vivunt, 
venite adoremus. 

Hodie si vocem ejus au- 
dieritis, nolite obdurare cor- 
da vestra, sicut in exacer- 
batione secundum diem ten- 
tationis in deserto: ubi 
tentaverunt me patres ves- 
tri, probaverunt et viderunt 
opera mea. 

Venite adoremus. 

Quadraginta annis proxi- 
mus fui generationi huic, et 
dixi, semper hi errant cor- 
de: ipsi vero non cognove- 
runt vias meas, quibus ju- 
favi in ira mea, si introibunt 
n requiem meam. 

Regem cui omnia vivunt , 
venite adoremus. 

Requiem seternam dona 
eis, Domine, et lux perpetua 
luceat eis. 

Venite adoremus. 

Regem cui omnia vivunt, 
venite adoremus. 



our God: and we are His 
people, and the sheep of His 
pasture. 

Come, let us adore the 
King, to Whom all things 
live. 

To-day, if you shall hear 
His voice, harden not your 
hearts, as in the provoca- 
tion, according to the day 
of temptation in the wilder- 
ness where your fathers 
tempted Me, they proved, 
and saw My works. 

Come, let us adore. 

Forty years was I nigh to 
this generation, and said 
they always err in their 
hearts: and have not known 
My ways, to whom I swore 
in My wrath, that they 
should not enter into My 
rest. 

Come, let us adore the 
King, to Whom all things live. 

Grant them eternal rest, 
O Lord, and let perpetual 
light shine on them. 

Come, let us adore. 

Come, let us adore the King, 
to Whom all things live. 



In the First Nocturn. 

On Monday and Thursday. 

Ant. Dirige, Domine Deus Ant. Direct, O Lord my 
meus, in conspectu tuo, Ham God, my way in Thy sight, 
meam. 

psalm v. 



VERBA mea auribus per- 
cipe, Domine ; intel- 
lige clamorem meum. 

Intende voci orationis 
meae, rex meus et Deus 
meus. 



^VlVE ear, O Lord, to my 
\& words : hearken to my 
cry. 

Attend to the voice of my 
prayer: my King and 
my God. 



The Office of the Dead. 



939 



Quoniam ad te orabo, 
Domine, mane, exaudies 
vocem meam. 

Mane astabo tibi, et vide- 
bo: quoniam non Deus vo- 
lens iniqu tatem tu es. 

Neque habitab t juxta te 
malignus, neque permane- 
bunt injusti ante oculos 
tuos 

Odisti omnes qui operan- 
tur iniquitatem ; perdes 
omnes qui loquuntur men- 
daeium. 

Yirum sanguinum et do- 
losum abominabitur Domi- 
nus; ego autem in multitu- 
dine misericordiae tuae. 

Introibo in domum tuam; 
adorabo ad templum sanc- 
tum tuum in timore tuo. 

Domine, deduc me in jus- 
titia tua; propter inimicos 
meos dirige in conspectu tuo 
viam meam. 

Quoniam non est in ore 
eorum veritos; cor eorum 
vanum est. 

Sepulcrum patens est 
guttur eorum; linguis suis 
dolose agebant, judica illos, 
Deus. 

Decidant a cogitationibus 
suis, secundum multitudi- 
nem impietatum eorum ex- 
pelle eos, quoniam irritave- 
runt te, Domine. 

Et laetentur omnes qui 
sperant in te, in aeternum 
exultabunt, et habit abis in 
eis. 

Et gloriabuntur in te 
omnes qui diligunt nomen 
tuum, quoniam tu benedices 
justo. 



Because T will pray to Thee : 

Lord, in the morning Thou 
wilt hear my voice. 

In the morning I will 
stand before Thee and will 
see: for Thou art not a 
God that wiliest iniquity. 

Neither shall the wicked 
dwell near Thee: nor the 
unjust abide before Thy 
eyes. 

Thou hatest all that work 
iniquity: Thou will destroy 
all those that speak a lie. 

The bloody and deceitful 
man the Lord will abhor: 
but I, in the multitude of 
Thy mercies. 

I will enter into Thy house. 

1 will adore at Thy holy 
temple in Thy fear. 

Conduct me, O Lord, in 
Thy justice: because of my 
enemies, direct my way in 
Thy sight. 

Because there is no truth 
in their mouth: their heart 
is vain. 

Their throat is a gaping 
sepulcher, they dealt deceit- 
fully with their tongues: 
judge them, O God. 

Let them fail in their 
designs; according to the 
multitude of their impieties 
expel them, for they have 
provoked Thee, O Lord. 

And let all be glad that 
hope in Thee; they shall re- 
joice for ever: and Thou 
wilt dwell in them. 

And all that love Thy 
name shall glory in Thee, 
because Thou wilt bless the 
just. 



The Office of the Dead, 



940 

Domine, ut scuto bonae 
voluntatis tuae coronasti nos. 

Requiem seternam. 

Ant. Dirige, Domine Deus 
meus, in eonspeetu tuo viam 
meam. 

Ant. Convert ere, Domine, 
et eripe animam meam : quo- 
niam non est in morte, qui 
memor sit tui. 



Lord, as with a shield of 
Thy good will Thou hast 
crowned us 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. Direct, O Lord, my 
God, my steps in Thy sight. 

Ant. Turn, O Lord, and 
deliver my soul: for there 
is none in death who will be 
mindful of Thee. 



PSALM VI. 



"T^vOMIXE, ne in furore tuo 
\J arguas me, neque in 
ira tua corripias me. 

Miserere mei, Domine, 
quoniam infirmus sum ; sana 
me, Domine. quoniam con- 
turbata sunt ossa mea. 

Et anima mea turbata est 
valde; sed tu, Domine, us- 
quequo ? 

Convertere, Domine, et 
eripe animam meam, sal- 
vum me fac propter miseri- 
cordiam tuam. 

Quoniam non est in mor- 
te qui memor sit tui; in 
inferno autem quis confite- 
bitur tibi? 

Laboravi in gemitu meo; 
lavabo per singulas noctes 
lectum meum ; lacrymis meis 
stratum meum rigabo. 

Turbatus est a furore ocu- 
lus meus; inveteravi inter 
omnes inimicos meos. 

Discedite a me omnes qui 
operamini iniquitatem, quo- 
niam exaudivit Dominus vo- 
cem netus mei. 

Exaudivit Dominus depre- 
cationem meam ; Dominus 
orationem meam suscepit. 



EORD, rebuke me not in 
Thy fury, nor chastise 
me in Thy wrath. 

Have mercy on me, O 
Lord, because I ?m infirm: 
heal me, O Lord, because my 
bones are disordered. 

And my soul is very much 
troubled: but Thou, O Lord, 
how long ? 

Turn, O Lord, and deliver 
my soul: save me for Thy 
mercy' s sake 

Because there is none in 
death that is mindful of 
Thee, and in hell who will 
praise Thee? 

I have labored in my 
sighing, every night I will 
wash my bed: I will water 
my couch with my tears. 

My eye is troubled with 
fury; I am grown old 
among all my enemies. 

Depart from me, all ye 
that work iniquity: because 
the Lord has heard the 
voice of my weeping. 

The - Lord has heard my 
petition: the Lord has re- 
ceived my prayer. 



The Office of the Dead, 



941 



Erubescant et conturben- 
tur vehementer omnes ini- 
mici mei; convertantur, et 
erubescant valde velociter. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Convert ere, Domine, 
et eripe animam meam : quo- 
niam non est in morte, qui 
memor sit tui. 

Ant. Ne quando rapiat ut 
leo animam meam, dum non 
est qui redimat, neque qui 
salvum faciat. 



Let all my enemies blush 
and be troubled exceedingly: 
let them be turned back and 
ashamed very speedily. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant Turn, O Lord, and 
deliver my soul: for there 
is none in death who will be 
mindful of Thee. 

Ant. Lest at any time the 
enemy snatch my soul as a 
lion, whilst there is none to 
redeem, nor to save it. 



'^T^ OMINE Deus meus, in te 
J^J speravi; salvum me fac 
ex omnibus persequentibus 
me, et libera me. 

Xe quando rapiat ut leo 
animam meam, dum non est 
qui redimat, neque qui sal- 
vum faciat. 

Domine Deus meus, si feci 
istud, si est iniquitas in mani- 
bus meis: 

Si reddidi retribuentibus 
mihi mala, decidam merito 
ab inimicis meis inanis. 

Persequatur inimicus ani- 
mam meam, et comprehen- 
dat, et conculcet in terra 
vitam meam, et gloriam 
meam in puiverem deducat. 

Exurge, Domine, in ira tua; 
et exaltare in finibus inimi- 
corum meorum. 

Et exurge, Domine Deus 
meus ; in praecepto quod man- 
dasti; et synagoga populo- 
rum circumdabit te. 

Et propter hanc in altum 
regredere. Dominus judicat 
populos. 



VII. 

OLORD, my God, I have 
hoped in Thee: save 
me from all that persecute 
me, and deliver me. 

Lest at any time he snatch 
away my soul as a lion: 
whilst there is none to re- 
deem, nor to save it. 

O Lord my God, if I have 
done this : if there be iniquity 
in my hands : 

If I have repaid to them 
that returned the evils; let 
me deservedly fall empty be- 
fore mine enemies. 

Let the enemy persecute 
my soul, and seize it, and 
tread down my life on the 
earth; and bring down my 
glory into dust. 

Arise, O Lord, in Thy 
wrath ; and be exalted in the 
borders of my enemies. 

And arise, O Lord my 
God, in the precept which 
Thou hast commanded: and 
an assembly of people shall 
encompass Thee. 

And for this return on high : 
the Lord judges the people. 



942 



The Office of the Dead. 



Judica me, Domine, secun- 
dum justitiam meam, et 
secundum innocentiam meam 
super me. 

Consumetur nequitia pec- 
catorum; et diriges justum, 
scrutans corda et renes, Deus. 



Justum adjutorium meum 
a Domino, qui salvos facit 
rectos corde. 

Deus judex justus, fortis, 
et patiens; numquid irasci- 
tur per singulos dies ? 

Nisi conversi fueritis, gla- 
dium suum vibrabit; arcum 
suum tetendit, et paravit 
ilium. 

Et in eo paravit vasa mor- 
tis; sagittas suas ardentibus 
effecit. 

Ecce parturiit injustitiam; 
concepit dolorem, et peperit 
iniquitatem. 

Lacum aperuit, et effodit 
eum; et incidit in foveam 
quam fecit. 

Convert etur dolor ejus in 
caput ejus, et in verticem 
ipsius iniquitas ejus descen- 
ded 

Confitebor Domino secun- 
dum justitiam ejus, et psallam 
nomini Domini altissimi. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Ne quando rapiat ut 
leo animam meam, dum non 
est qui redimat, neque qui 
salvum faciat. 

V. A porta inferi, 

R. Erue, Domine, animas 
eorum. 

Pater noster, secreto. 



Judge me, O Lord, accord- 
ing to my justice: and ac- 
cording to my innocence 
upon me. 

The wickedness of sinners 
shall be consumed, and Thou 
wilt direct the just: who 
searchest the hearts and 
reins, O God. 

My just help is from the 
Lord: Who saves the right 
of heart. 

God is a just Judge, strong 
and patient; is He angry 
every day? 

Except ye be converted 
He will shake His sword : He 
has bent His bow, and pre- 
pared it: 

And in it He has prepared 
weapons of death: He has 
made His arrows with fierce 
points. 

Behold he has bred in- 
justice: he has conceived 
sorrow, and brought forth 
iniquity. 

He has opened a pit and 
digged it up : and he is fallen 
into the ditch which he made. 

His sorrow shall be turned 
upon his head: and his ini- 
quity shall descend upon his 
crown. 

I will praise Our Lord ac- 
cording to His justice: and 
will sing to the name of the 
most high Lord. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. Lest at any time the 
enemy snatch my soul as a 
lion, whilst there is none to 
redeem, nor to save it. 

V. From the gates of hell, 

R. Deliver their soul. O 
Lord. 

Our Father, in secret. 



The Office of the Dead. 



943 



The First Lesson. Job vii. 



"T^ARCE 
J- nihil 



mihi, Domine, 
enim sunt dies 
mie. Quid est homo, quia ma- 
gnincas eum? aut quid ap- 
ponis erga eum cor tuum? 
Visitas earn diluculo, et su- 
bito probas ilium. Usque- 
quo non parcis mihi, nec 
dimittis me ut glutiam sali- 
vam meam? Peccavi, quid 
faciam tibi, O custos homi- 
num? Quare posuisti me 
contrarium tibi, et factus 
sum mihimetipsi gravis ? Cur 
non tollis peccatum meum? 
et quare non aufers iniquita- 
tem meam? Ecce nunc in 
pulvere dormiam, et si mane 
me quaesieris, non subsistam. 



R. Credo quod Redemptor 
meus vivit; et in novissimo 
die de terra surrecturus sum; 
et in carne mea videbo Deum 
Salvatorem meum 

V. Quern visurus sum ego 
ipse, et non alius, et oculi 
mei conspecturi sunt. Et in 
carne mea, etc. 



[ PARE me, O Lord, for my 
days are nothing. What 
is man, that Thou magnifiest 
him? or why settest Thou 
Thy heart toward him? 
Thou dost visit him early, 
and suddenly Thou provest 
him: how long dost Thou 
not spare me, nor suffer me 
to shallow my spittle? I 
have sir ned: what shall I 
do to Thee, O keeper of men? 
Why hast Thou set me con- 
trary to Thee, and I am be- 
come trrthensome to my- 
self? Why dost Thou not 
take away my sin, and why 
dost The u not take away my 
iniquity? Behold now I 
shall sleep in the dust, and 
if Thou seek me in the morn- 
ing, I shall not be. 

R. I believe that my Re- 
deemer liveth, and that in 
the last day I shall rise from 
the earth, and in my flesh I 
shall see my Saviour. 

V. Whom I myself shall 
see, and not another, and my 
eyes shall behold. And in 
my flesh, etc. 



The Second Lesson. Job x 



Vc^iEDET an i mam meam 
vitae mese, dimittam ad- 
versum me eloquium meum, 
loquar in amaritudine ani- 
mae mese. Dicam Deo: Noli 
me condemnare : indica mihi, 
cur me it a judices. Num- 
quid bonum tibi videtur, si 
calumnieris me, et opprimas 
me opus manuum tuarum, et 
consilium impiorum adjuves? 



/TfcY soul is weary of life, 
^JL? I will let go my 
speech against myself, I will 
speak in the bitterness of 
my soul. I will say to God, 
Condemn me not; show me 
why Thou judgest me so. 
Does it seem good to Thee, 
if Thou calumniate me, and 
oppress me, the work of Thy 
hands, and help the design 



944 



The Office of the Dead. 



Numquid oculi carnei tibi 
sunt : aut sicut videt homo, et 
tu videbis? Numquid sicut 
dies hominis dies tui; et anni 
tui sicut humana sunt tem- 
pora, ut quaeras iniquitatem 
meam, et peccatum meum 
scruteris? Et scias quia 
nihil impium fecerim, cum 
sit nemo qui de manu tua pos- 
sit eruere. 

R. Qui Lazarum resusci- 
tasti a monumento foetidum. 
Tu eis, Domine, dona requiem, 
et locum indulgentiae. 

V. Qui venturus es judi- 
care vivos et mortuos, et 
sseculum per ignem. Tu eis, 
Domine, etc. 



of the impious? Hast Thou 
eyes of flesh ; or as a man sees, 
shalt Thou also see ? Are Thy 
days as the days of man ; and 
are Thy years as the times of 
men, that Thou shouldst 
seek my iniquity, and search 
my sin? And Thou mayst 
know that I have done no 
impious thing ; whereas there 
is no man that can escape out 
of Thy hand. 

R. Thou Who didst raise 
Lazarus fetid from the grave. 
Thou, O Lord, give them 
rest, and a place of pardon. 

V. Who art to come to 
judge the living and the dead, 
and the world by fire Thou, 
O Lord, etc. 



The Third Lesson. Job x. 

ANUS tuae fecerunt me, /^HY hands have made me 
et plasma verunt me and framed me, wholly 

totum in circuitu: et sic round about; and dost Thou 
repente praecipitas me? Me- thus suddenly cast me down 
mento, quaeso, quod sicut lu- headlong? Remember, I be- 
tum feceris me, et in pul- seech Thee, that as clay 
verem reduces me. Nonne Thou didst make me, and 
sicut lac mulsisti me, et sicut into dust Thou wilt bring 
caseum me coagulasti ? Pelle me again. Hast Thou not 
et carnibus vestisti me: ossi- milked me like milk, and 
bus et nervis compegisti me. curdled me like cheese 3 
Vitam et misericordiam tri- With skin and flesh hast 
buisti mihi, et visitatio tua Thou clothed me : with bones 
custodivit spiritum meum. and sinews hast Thou bound 

me. Life and mercy Thou 
hast given me, and Thy visi- 
tation has kept my spirit. 
R. Domine, quando ve- R. O Lord, when Thou 
neris judicare terram, ubi me shall come to judge the earth, 
abscondam a vultu irae tuae ? where shall I hide myself from 
Quia peccavi nimis in vita the face of Thy wrath? For 
mea. I have sinned exceedingly in 

my life. 

V. Commissa mea pavesco, V. I dread my misdeeds, 
et ante te erubesco: dum and blush before Thee: do 



The Office of the Dead. 



945 



veneris judicare, noli me 
condemnare. Quia peccavi 
nimis in vita mea. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
eis, Domine, et lux perpetua 
luceat eis. Quia peccavi ni- 
mis in vita mea. 



not condemn me, when Thou 
shalt come to judge. For 
I have sinned exceedingly in 
my life. 

V. Grant them eternal rest, 
O Lord, and let perpetual 
light shine on them. For I 
have sinned exceedingly in 
my life. 

Here the Lauds are recited when the first Nocturn only is said. 

In the Second Nocturn. 

On Tuesday and Friday. 

Ant. In loco pascuae ibi me Ant. In a place of pasture, 

He has put me there. 

PSALM XXII. 



collocavit. 



*T^\OMINUS regit me, et 
JLJ nihil mihi deerit: in 
loco pascuae ibi me collocavit. 

Super aquam refectionis 
educavit me, animam meam 
convertit. 

Deduxit me super semitas 
justitiae, propter nomen su- 
um: 

Nam et si ambulavero in 
medio umbrae mortis, non 
timebo mala, quoniam tu me- 
cum es. 

Yirga tua, et baculus tu- 
us, ipsa me consolata sunt. 

Parasti in conspectu meo 
mensam, adversus eos " qui 
tribulant me. 

Impinguasti in oleo caput 
meum; et calix meus inebri- 
ans quam praeclarus est! 

Et misericordia tua sub- 
sequatur me omnibus die- 
bus vitae meae. 

Et ut inhabitem in domo 
Domini, in longitudinem die- 
rum. 



HE Lord rules me, and I 
KzJ shall want nothing: in 
a place of pasture, He has 
put me there. 

Near the refreshing waters 
He has brought me up: and 
has converted my soul. 

He has conducted me in 
the paths of justice, for His 
name's sake. 

For though I shall walk 
in midst of the shadow of 
death, I will not fear evils: 
because Thou art with me. 

Thy rod and Thy staff: 
they have comforted me. 

Thou hast prepared in 
my sight a table: against 
them that afflict me. 

Thou hast anointed my 
head with oil: and my in- 
ebriating cup, how excellent 
is it! 

And Thy mercy shall fol- 
low me: all the days of my 
life. 

And that I may dwell in 
the house of the Lord: for 
length of days. 



946 



The Office of the Dead. 



Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. In loco pascuae ibi 
me collocavit. 

Ant. Delicta juventutis 
meae, et ignorantias meas, 
ne memineris, Domine. 



Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. In a place of pasture, 
He has put me there. 

Ant. The offences of my 
youth and my ignorances, 
remember not, Lord. 



PSALM XXIV. 



D te, Domine, levavi 
animam meam. Deus 
meus, in te confido ; non eru- 
bescam. 

Neque irrideant me ini- 
mici mei; etenim universi 
qui sustinent te non con- 
fundentur. 

Confundantur omnes ini- 
qua agentes supervacue. 

Vias tuas, Domine, de- 
monstra mihi, et semitas tuas 
edoce me. 

Dirige me in veritate tua, 
et doce me, quia tu es Deus 
salvator meus, et te sustinui 
tota die. 

Reminiscere miserationum 
tuarum, Domine, et miseri- 
cordiarum tuarum quae a 
saeculo sunt. 

Delicta juventutis meae, et 
ignorantias meas ne memine- 
ris. 

Secundum misericordiam 
tuam, memento mei tu ; prop- 
ter bonitatem tuam, Domine. 

Dulcis et rectus Dominus; 
propter hoc legem dabit delin- 
quentibus in via. 

Diriget mansuetos in judi- 
cio; docebit mites vias suas. 

Universae viae Domini, mi- 



O Thee, O Lord, I have 
lifted up my soul : my 
God, in Thee I put my trust, 
let me not be ashamed. 

Neither let my enemies 
insult over me: for all that 
hope in Thee shall not be con- 
founded. 

Let all be confounded: 
who vainly do unjust things. 

Show me Thy ways, O 
Lord: and teach me Thy 
paths. 

Direct me in Thy truth, 
and teach me : because Thou 
art God my Saviour, and 
Thee I have expected all the 
day. 

Remember Thy compas- 
sions, O Lord: and Thy 
mercies that are from the 
beginning of the world. 

The sins of my youth: 
and my ignorances, remem- 
ber not. 

According to Thy mercy 
do Thou remember me: for 
Thy goodness' sake, O Lord. 

The Lord is sweet and 
righteous: for this cause He 
will give a law to them that 
sin in the way. 

He will direct the mild in 
judgment : He will teach the 
meek His ways. 

All the ways of the Lord 




(5 



The Office of the Dead, 



947 



sericordia et Veritas, requi- 
rentibus test amentum ejus et 
testimonia ejus. 

Propter nomen tuum, Do- 
mine, propitiaberis peccato 
meo ; multum est enim. 

Quis est homo qui timet 
Dominum ? Legem statuit ei 
in via, quam elegit. 

Anima ejus in bonis de- 
morabitur; et semen ejus 
hereditabit terram. 

Firmamentum est Domi- 
nus timentibus eum ; et testa- 
ment um ipsius ut manifeste- 
tur illis. 

Oculi mei semper ad Do- 
minum, quoniam ipse evel- 
let de laqueo pedes meos. 

Respice in me, et miserere 
mei; quia unicus et pauper 
sum ego. 

Tribulationes cordis mei 
multiplicatae sunt; de ne- 
cessitatibus meis erue me. 

Vide humilitatem meam et 
laborem meum, et dimitte 
universa delicta mea. 

Respice inimicos meos, cjuo- 
niam multiplicati sunt, et 
odio iniquo oderunt me. 

Custodi animam meam, et 
erue me; non erubescam, 
quoniam speravi in te. 

Innocentes et recti adhae- 
serunt mihi, quia sustinui te. 

Libera, Deus, Israel ex 
omnibus tribulationibus suis. 

Requiem aeternam. 
Ant. Delicta juventutis 
meae, et ignorantias meas, 
ne memineris Domine. 



are mercy and truth: to 
them that seek His testament 
and His testimonies. 

For Thy name, O Lord, 
Thou wilt be propitious to- 
my sin: for it is great. 

Who is the man that fears 
the Lord ? He appoints him a 
law in the way he has chosen. 

His soul shall abide in the 
good things: and his seed 
shall inherit the land. 

The Lord is a support to 
them that fear Him: and 
that His testament may be 
manifested to them. 

My eyes are always toward 
the Lord: because He will 
deliver my feet out of the: 
snare. 

Look upon me, and have 
mercy on me: because I am 
alone and poor. 

The tribulations of my 
heart are multiplied: deliver 
me from my necessities. 

See my humiliation and 
my labor: and remit all my 
sins. 

Look upon my enemies, 
for they are multiplied : and 
with unjust hatred they hated 
me. 

Keep my soul, and deliver 
me: I shall not be ashamed,, 
because I have hoped in 
Thee. 

The innocent and right- 
eous have adhered to me : be- 
cause I have expected Thee. 

Deliver Israel, O God, out 
of all his tribulations. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. The offences of my 
youth and my ignorances,, 
remember not, Lord. 



948 



The Office of the Dead. 



Ani. Credo videre bona 
Domini in terra viventium. 



psalm 

*|^v OMINUvS illuminatio mea 
«-LJ et salus mea; quern 
timebo ? 

Dominus protector vitae 
meae; a quo trepidabo? 

Dum appropiant super me 
nocentes, ut edant carnes 
meas. 

Qui tribulant me inimici 
mei, ipsi infirmati sunt et 
ceciderunt. 

Si consistant adversum me 
castra, non timebit cor me- 
um. 

Si exurgat adversum me 
praelium, in hoc ego sperabo. 

Unam petii a Domino, 
hanc requiram, ut inhabitem 
in domo Domini omnibus 
diebus vitae meae. 

Ut videam voluptatem 
Domini, et visitem tem- 
plum ejus. 

Quoniam abscondit me in 
tabernaculo suo; in die 
malorum protexit me in 
abscondito tabernaculi sui. 

In petra exaltavit me, et 
nunc exaltavit caput meum 
super inimicos meos. 

Circuivi, et immolavi in 
tabernaculo ejus hostiam 
vociferationis; cantabo, et 
psalmum dicam Domino. 

Exaudi, Domine, vocem 
meam, qua clamavi ad te; 



Ant. I believe I shall see 
the good things of the Lord 
in the land of the living. 

XXVI. 

HE Lord is my light and 
my salvation : whom 
shall I fear? 

The Lord is the protector 
of my life: who shall make 
me tremble? 

Whilst the wicked ap- 
proach to me: to devour mv 
flesh. 

My enemies that afflict me : 
themselves are weakened, and 
are fallen. 

If camps stand against me : 
my heart shall not fear. 

If battle rise up against 
me: in this will I hope. 

One thing have I asked of 
the Lord, this will I seek: 
that I may dwell in the 
house of the Lord all the 
days of my life. 

That I may see the delight 
of the Lord: and visit His 
temple. 

Because He has hid me in 
His tabernacle: in the day 
of evils He has protected me 
in the secret of His taber- 
nacle. 

On a rock He has exalted 
me; and now He hath ex- 
alted my head above my 
enemies. 

I have gone round, and 
have immolated in His taber- 
nacle a host of loud accla- 
mation : I will sing and say a 
psalm to the Lord. 

Hear my voice, O Lord, 
wherewith I have cried to 



The Office of the Dead. 



949 



miserere mei, et exaudi me. 

Tibi dixit cor meum, ex- 
quisivit te facies mea; fa- 
ciem tuam, Domine, requi- 
ram. 

Xe avertas faciem tuam a 
me; ne declines in ira a 
servo tuo. 

Adjutor meus esto; ne de- 
relinquas me, neque despicias 
me, Deus salutaris meus. 

Quoniam pater meus et 
mater mea dereliquerunt me ; 
Dominus autem assumpsit 
me. 

Legem pone mihi, Domi- 



Thee: have mercy on me, 
and hear me. 

My heart has spoken to 
Thee, my face has sought 
Thee out : Thy face, O Lord, 
I will seek. 

Hide not Thy face from 
me: turn not away in wrath 
from Thy servant. 

Be Thou my helper: for- 
sake me not, nor despise me, 
O God my Saviour. 

Because my father and 
my mother have forsaken 
me: but the Lord has 
received me. 

Set me a law, Lord, in 



ne, in via tua, et dirige me Thy way; and direct me in 



m semitam rectam propter 
inimicos meos. 

Xe tradideris me in ani- 
mas tribulantium me, quo- 
niam insurrexerunt in me 
testes iniqui, et mentita est 
iniquitas sibi. 

Credo videre bona Domi- 
ni in terra viventium. 

Expecta Dominum, viri- 
liter age, et confortetur cor 
tuum, et sustine Dominum. 

Requiem aeternam. 
Ant. Credo videre bona 
Domini in terra viventium. 



the right paths, because of 
my enemies. 

Deliver me not to the will 
of them that afflict me; be- 
cause unjust witnesses have 
risen up against me, and in- 
iquity has lied to itself. 

I believe I shall see the 
good things of the Lord in 
the land of the living. 

Expect the Lord, do man- 
fully: and let thy heart 
take courage, and expect 
thou the Lord. 

Grant them eternal rest. 
Ant. I believe I shall see 
the good things of the Lord 



in the land of the living. 
V. Collocet eos Dominus V. May the Lord place 
cum principibus. them with the princes. 

R. Cum principibus populi R. With the princes of His 
sui. people. 

Pater noster, secreto. Our Father, in secret. 



The Fourth Lesson. Job xiii. 



*~n> ESPOXDE mihi: quan- 
r-*-\s tas habeo iniquitates, 



"zj'XSWER me ; how many 
<%/r- K iniquities and sins I 



et peccata: scelera mea et have: my crimes and my 



95° 



The Office of the Dead. 



delicta ostende mihi. Cur 
faciem tuam abscondis, et 
arbitraris me inimicum tu- 
um? Contra folium, quod 
vento rapitur, ostendis po- 
tentiam tuam, et stipulam 
siccam persequeris. Scribis 
enim contra me amaritu- 
dines, et consumere me vis 
peccatis, adolescentiae meae. 
Posuisti in nervo pedem 
meum, et observasti omnes 
semitas meas, et vestigia 
pedum meorum consideras- 
ti. Qui quasi putredo con- 
sumendus sum, et quasi 
vestimentum quod comedi- 
tur a tinea. 

R. Memento mei, Deus, 
quia ventus est vita mea: 
nec aspiciat me visus ho- 
minis. 

V. De profundis clamavi 
ad te, Domine: Domine, 
exaudi vocem meam. Nec 
aspiciat, etc. 



offences show me. Why 
dost Thou hide Thy face, 
and esteem me Thy enemy? 
Against the leaf that is 
carried away with the wind, 
Thou showest Thy power, 
and pursue st a dry straw. 
For Thou writest bitter 
things against me, and hast 
a mind to consume me for 
the sins of my youth. 
Thou hast put my feet in the 
stocks, and hast observed all 
my paths, and hast con- 
sidered the steps o my 
feet. Who as rottenness 
am to be consumed, and 
as a garment that is eaten 
by the moth. 

R. Remember me, O God, 
because my life is but wind, 
nor may the sight of man 
behold me. 

V. Out of the depths I 
have cried to Thee, O Lord: 
Lord, hear my voice. Nor 
may, etc. 



The Fifth Lesson. Job xiv. 



*Tp^ OMO natus de mu- 
«-■— G Here, brevi vivens 
tempore, repletur multis 
miseriis. Qui quasi flos egre- 
ditur et conteritur, et fugit 
velut umbra, et nunquam in 
eodem statu permanet. Et 
dignum ducis super hujus- 
cemodi aperire oculos tuos, 
et adducere eum tecum in 
judicium? Quis potest fa- 
cere mundum de immundo 
conceptum semine ? Nonne 
tu, qui solus es? Breves 
dies hominis sunt, numerus 
mensium ejus apud te est. 
Constituisti terminos ejus, 



iTvAN born of a woman, 
living a short time, 
is filled with many miseries. 
Who as a flower comes forth, 
and is destroyed, and flies 
away as a shadow, and never 
abides in the same state. 
And dost Thou count it a 
worthy thing, to open Thy 
eyes on such a one, and to 
bring him with Thee into 
judgment? Who can make 
him clean that is conceived 
of unclean seed? Is it not 
Thou Who only art? The 
days of man are short, the 
number of his months is 



The Office of the Dead. 



95 1 



qui praeteriri non poterunt. 
Recede paululum ab eo, ut 
quiescat, donee optata ve- 
niat, sicut mercenarii dies 
ejus. 



R. Hei mihi, Domine, 
quia peccavi nimis in vita 
mea: quid faciam, miser, 
ubi fugiam, nisi ad te, Deus 
meus? Miserere mei dum 
veneris in novissimo die. 



V. Anima mea turbata 
est valde: sed tu, Domi- 
ne, succurre ei. Miserere 
mei. 



with Thee; Thou hast ap- 
pointed his limits, which 
can not be passed. Depart 
a little from him, that he 
may rest, till his wished-for 
day comes, even as that of 
the hired man. 

R. Woe is me, O Lord, be- 
cause I have sinned exceed- 
ingly in my life: O wretch, 
what shall I do, whither 
shall I fly but to Thee, my 
God? Have mercy on me 
when Thou comest at the 
last day. 

V. My soul is greatly 
troubled; but Thou, O Lord, 
succor it. Have mercy on 
me. 



The Sixth Lesson. Job xiv. 



QUIS mihi hoc tribuat, ut 
in inferno protegas me, 
et abscondas me, donee per- 
transeat furor tuus, et con- 
stituas mihi tempus, in quo 
recorderis mei ? Putasne 
mortuus homo rursum vi- 
vat ? Cunctis diebus, qui- 
bus nunc milito, exspecto 
donee veniat immutatio mea. 
Vocabis me, et ego respon- 
debo tibi: operi manuum 
tuarum porriges dexteram. 
Tu quidem gressus meos di- 
numerasti, sed parce peccatis 
meis. 



R Ne recorderis peccata 
mea, Domine, dum veneris 
judicare saeculum per ignem. 

V. Dirige, Domine Deus 
meus, in conspectu tuo vi- 
am meam. Dum veneris 
judicare saeculum per ignem. 



(€\ HO wil1 grant me this ' 

VJlA* that Thou mayest 
protect me in hell, and 
hide me till Thy wrath pass 
away, and appoint me a 
time wherein Thou wilt re- 
member me? Shall a man 
that is dead, thinkest Thou, 
live again? All the days 
in which I am now in war- 
fare, I expect till my change 
comes. Thou shalt call me 
and I shall answer Thee: to 
the work of Thy hands Thou 
shalt stretch out Thy right 
hand. Thou indeed hast 
numbered my steps, but 
spare my sins. 

R. Remember not my sins, 
O Lord, when Thou shalt 
come to judge the world by 
fire. 

V. Direct, Lord my 
God, my way in Thy sight. 
When Thou shalt come to 
judge the world by fire. 



95 2 



The Office of the Dead. 



V. Requiem aeternam do- 
na eis, Domine, et lux per- 
petua luceat eis: Dum ve- 
neris, etc. 



V. Grant them eternal 
rest, O Lord, and let per- 
petual light shine on them: 
When, etc. 



Here the Lands are recited, when tlie Second Nocturn 
only is said. 

In the Third Nocturn. 



On Wednesday and Saturday. 

Ant. Complaceat tibi, Do- Ant. May it please Thee, O 
mine, ut eripias me : Domine, Lord, to deliver me: Lord, 
ad adjuvandum me respice. have regard to help me. 



psalm xxxix. 



XPECTANS, expec- 
tavi Dominum, et 
intendit mihi. 

Et exaudivit preces me- 
as, et eduxit me de lacu 
miserise et de luto faecis. 

Et statuit super petram 
pedes meos, et direxit gressus 
meos. 

Et immisit in os meum 
canticum novum, carmen Deo 
nostro. 

Videbunt multi, et time- 
bunt, et sperabunt in Domino. 

Beat us vir cujus est no- 
men Domini spes ejus, et non 
respexit in vamtates et in- 
sanias falsas. 

Multa fecisti tu, Domine 
Deus meus, mirabilia tua; et 
cogitationibus tuis non est 
qui similis sit tibi. 

Annuntiavi et locutus sum, 
multiplicati sunt super nu- 
merum. 



XPECTING, I expected 
the Lord: and He 
has heard me. 

He heard my prayers, and 
brought me out of the lake 
of misery, and from the mire 
of dregs. 

And He has set my feet 
upon a rock: and has di- 
rected my steps. 

And He has put a new- 
song into my mouth: a song 
to Our God. 

Many shall see, and shall 
fear: and they shall hope in 
the Lord. 

Blessed is the man whose 
hope is the name of the Lord : 
and has not regarded vani- 
ties, and false madness. 

Thou hast done many 
wonderful things, O Lord my 
God: and in Thy thoughts 
there is none like to Thee. 

I have declared and have 
spoken: they are multiplied 
above number. 





The Office of the Dead, 



953 



Sacrificium et oblationem 
noluisti; aures autem per- 
fecisti mihi. 

Holocaustum, et pro pec- 
eato non postulasti; tunc 
dixi: Ecce venio. 

In capite libri scriptum est 
de me, lit facerem volunta- 
tem tuam. Deus meus, vo- 
lui, et legem tuam in medio 
cordis mei. 

Annuntiavi justitiam tu- 
am in ecclesia magna, ecce la- 
bia mea non prohibebo; Do- 
mine, tu scisti. 

Justitiam tuam non ab- 
scondi in corde meo; veri- 
tatem tuam et salutare tuum 
dixi. 

Non abscondi misericor- 
diam tuam et veritatem tu- 
am: a concilio multo. 

Tu autem, Domine, ne 
longe facias miserationes tuas 
a me; miserieordia tua et 
Veritas tua semper suscepe- 
runt me. 

Quoniam circumdederunt 
me mala quorum non est 
numerus ; comprehenderunt 
me iniquitates meae, et non 
potui ut viderem. 

Multiplicatae sunt super 
capillos capitis mei, et cor 
meum dereliquit me. 

Complaceat tibi, Domine, ut 
eruas me; Domine, ad adju- 
vandum me respice. 

Confundantur et revere- 
antur simul, qui quaerunt 
animam meam, ut auferant 
earn. 

Convertantur retrorsum et 
revereantur, qui volunt mi- 
hi mala. 

Ferant confestim confu- 



Sacrifice and oblation Thou 
wouldst not: but ears Thou 
hast perfected to me. 

Burnt -offering and sin- 
offering Thou didst not re- 
quire: then said I, Behold I 
come. 

In the head of the book it 
is written of me, that I shall 
do Thy will; my God, I am 
willing, and have Thy law in 
the midst of my heart. 

I have declared Thy justice 
in the church : behold I will 
not stay my lips, Lord, Thou 
hast known it. 

Thy justice I have not hid 
in my heart: Thy truth and 
Thy salvation I have spoken. 

I have not hidden Thy 
mercy and truth: from the 
great council. 

But Thou, O Lord, remove 
not Thy compassion far from 
me: Thy mercy and Thy 
truth have always received 
me. 

Because evils without num- 
ber have encompassed me: 
my iniquities have overtaken 
me, and I was not able to see. 

They are multiplied above 
the hairs of my head: and 
my heart has forsaken me. 

May it please Thee, O Lord, 
to deliver me: Lord, have 
regard to help me. 

Let them be confounded 
and ashamed together, who 
seek my soul: to take it 
away. 

Let them be turned back- 
ward, and be ashamed: who 
desire evils to me. 

Let them forthwith receive 



954 



The Office of the Dead, 



sionem suam, qui dicunt mi- 
ni; Euge, euge! 

Exult ent et laetentur su- 
per te omues quaerentes te, 
et dicant semper: Magnifi- 
cetur Dominus, qui diligunt 
salutare tuum. 

Ego autem mendicus sum, 
et pauper; Dominus sollici- 
tus est mei. 

Adjutor meus et protector 
meus tu es; Deus meus, ne 
tardaveris. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Complaceat tibi, Do- 
mine, ut eripias me : Domine, 
ad adjuvandum me respice. 

Ant. Sana, Domine, ani- 
mam meam: quia peccavi 
tibi. 



their confusion; who say to 
me, Well, Well. 

Let all that seek Thee re- 
joice and be glad in Thee: 
and let them that love Thy 
salvation say always, The 
Lord be magnified. 

But I am needy and poor: 
the Lord is careful of me. 

Thou art my helper and my 
protector: my God, do not 
delay. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. May it please Thee, O 
Lord, to deliver me: Lord, 
have regard to help me. 

Ant. Heal my soul, O Lord, 
because I have sinned against 
Thee. 



PSALM XL. 



BEATUS qui intelligit su- 
per egenum et pau- 
perem: in die mala liberabit 
eum Dominus. 

Dominus conservet eum, 
et vivificet eum, et beatum 
faciat eum in terra, et non 
tradat eum in animam ini- 
micorum ejus. 

Dominus opem ferat illi 
super lectum doloris ejus; 
universum stratum ejus ver- 
sasti in infirmitate ejus. 

Ego dixi: Domine, mi- 
serere mei; sana animam 
meam, quia peccavi tibi. 

Inimici mei dixerunt mala 
mihi: quando morietur, et 
peribit nomen ejus? 

Et si ingrediebatur ut vi- 
deret, vana loquebatur; cor 



BLESSED is the man that 
thinks on the needy 
and poor: in the evil day 
the Lord will deliver him. 

May the Lord preserve him 
and give him life, and make 
him blessed in the land : and 
deliver him not to the will of 
his enemies. 

May the Lord help him on 
his bed of sorrow: thou hast 
turned all his couch in his 
sickness. 

I said: Lord, have mercy 
on me: heal my soul, be- 
cause I have sinned against 
Thee. 

My enemies have said evil 
things to me: when shall he 
die, and his name perish ? 

And if he came in to see, 
he spoke vain things: his 



The Office of the Dead. 



955 



ejus congregavit iniquitatem 
sibi. 

Egrediebatur foras et lo- 
quebatur. 

In idipsum adversum me 
susurrabant omnes inimici 
mei; adversum me cogita- 
bant mala mihi. 

Verbum iniquum consti- 
tuerunt adversum me: num- 
quid qui dormit non adjiciet 
ut resurgat? 

Etenim homo pacis meae, 
in quo speravi, qui edebat 
panes meos magnificavit su- 
per me supplantationem. 

Tu autem, Domine, mise- 
rere mei, et resuscita me; 
et retribuam eis. 

In hoc cognovi quoniam 
voluisti me, quoniam non 
gaudebit inimicus meus su- 
per me. 

Me autem propter inno- 
centiam suscepisti; et con- 
firmasti me in conspectu tuo 
in aeternum. 

Benedictus Dominus, Deus 
Israel a saeculo, et usque in 
sasculum. Fiat, fiat. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Sana, Domine, ani- 
mam meam: quia peccavi 
tibi. 

Ant. Sitivit anima mea ad 
Deum vivum; quando ve- 
niam, et apparebo ante fa- 
eiem Domini? 



heart assembled iniquity to it- 
self. 

He went forth: and spoke 
to the same purpose. 

All my enemies whispered 
against me: they thought 
evils against me. 

They have made an unjust 
decree against me: he that 
sleeps, shall he not rise 
again ? 

For the man of my peace, 
in whom I hoped; who did 
eat my bread, has gloried in 
supplanting me. 

But Thou, O Lord, have 
mercy on me, and raise me 
up again : and I will repay 
them. 

In this I have known that 
Thou hast consented to me: 
because my enemy shall not 
rejoice over me. 

But Thou hast received me, 
because of my innocence: 
and Thou hast confirmed me 
in Thy sight for ever. 

Blessed be the Lord God of 
Israel from eternity to eter- 
nity: so be it, so be it. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. Heal my soul, Lord, 
because I have sinned against 
Thee. 

Ant. My soul has thirsted 
after the living God: when 
shall I come and appear be- 
fore the face of the Lord? 



psalm xli. 

QUEMADMODUM desi- £S"VEN as the hart thirsts 
derat cervus ad fontes after the fountains of 

aquarum, ita desiderat anima waters: so does my soul thirst 
mea ad te, Deus. after Thee, O God. 



95 6 



The Office of the Dead. 



Sitivit anima mea ad De- 
um fortem vivum; quando 
veniam, et apparebo ante fa- 
ciem Dei? 

Fuerunt mihi lacrymae meae 
panes die ac nocte, dum dici- 
tur mihi quotidie: Ubi est 
Deus tuus? 

Haec recordatus sum, et 
effudi in me animam meam, 
quoniam transibo in locum 
tabernaculi admirabilis, us- 
que ad domum Dei. 

In voce exultationis et con- 
fessionis, sonus epulantis. 

Quare tristis es, anima 
mea ? et quare conturbas me ? 

Spera in Deo, quoniam 
adhuc confitebor illi, salutare 
vultus mei, et Deus meus. 

Ad meipsum anima mea 
conturbata est ; propterea 
nemor ero tui de terra Jor- 
danis, et Hermoniim a monte 
modico. 

Abyssus abyssum invocat, 
in voce cataractarum tuarum. 

Omnia excelsa tua, et fluc- 
tus tui super me transierunt. 

In die mandavit Dominus 
misericordiam suam, et nocte 
canticum ejus. 

Apud me oratio Deo vitae 
meae; dicam Deo: Susceptor 
meus es. 

Quare oblitus es mei? et 
quare contristatus incedo, 
dum affligit me inimicus? 

Dum confringuntur ossa 
mea, exprobraverunt mihi, 
qui tribulant me inimici mei. 



My soul has thirsted after 
the mighty living God : when 
shall I come, and appear be- 
fore the face of God? 

My tears have been my 
bread day and night: whilst 
it is said to me daily: Where 
is thy God? 

These things I remem- 
bered, and have poured out 
my soul within me: because 
I shall pass to the place of a 
wonderful tabernacle, even 
to the house of God. 

In the voice of joyfulness 
and confession: the sound of 
one who feasts. 

Why art thou sorrowful, 
my soul: and why dost 
thou trouble me? 

Hope in God, for I will still 
praise Him : the salvation of 
my countenance, and my 
God. 

My soul is troubled within 
myself ; therefore I will be 
mindful of Thee, from the 
land of Jordan and Hermo- 
niim from the little moun- 
tain. 

Abyss calls upon abyss in 
the noise of Thy waterfalls. 

All Thy high things and 
Thy waves have passed over 
me. 

In the day the Lord hath 
commanded His mercy; and 
in the night His song. 

With me is prayer to the 
God of my life: I will say to 
God, Thou art my defender. 

Why hast Thou forgotten 
me, and why go I sorrowful: 
whilst my enemy afflicts me ? 

Whilst my bones are brok- 
en, my enemies that afflict 
me have upbraided me. 



The Office of the Dead. 



957 



Dum dicunt mihi per sin- 
gulos dies: Ubi est Deus 
tuus ? Quare tristis es, anima 
mea ? et quare conturbas me ? 

Spera in Deo, quoniam 
adhuc confitebor illi, salutare 
vultus mei, et Deus meus. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Sitivit anima mea ad 
Deum vivum; quando ve- 
niam, et apparebo ante fa- 
ciem Domini? 

V. Ne tradas bestiis ani- 
mas confitentes tibi. 

R. Et animas pauperum 
tuorum ne obliviscaris in 
finem. 

Pater noster, secreto. 



Whilst they said to me 
every day: Where is thy 
God? Why art thou sorrow- 
ful, O my soul, and why dost 
thou trouble me ? 

Hope in God, for I will still 
praise Him: the salvation of 
my countenance, and my 
God. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. My soul has thirsted 
after the living God: when 
shall I come and appear be- 
fore the face of the Lord? 

V. Deliver not to beasts 
the souls that praise Thee. 

R. And the souls of Thy 
poor forget not to the end. 

Our Father, in secret. 



The Seventh Lesson. Job xvii. 



^PIRITUS meus attenua- 
bitur, dies mei brevia- 
buntur, et solum mihi superest 
sepulchrum. Non peccavi : 
et in amaritudinibus moratur 
oculus meus. Libera me, 
Domine, et pone me juxta 
te, et cujusvis manus pug- 
net contra me. Dies mei 
transierunt, cogitationes meae 
dissipatse sunt, torquentes 
cor meum. Noctem verte- 
runt in diem, et rursum post 
tenebras spero lucem. Si 
sustinuero infernus domus 
mea est, et in tenebris stravi 
lectulum meum. Putredini 
dixi; pater meus es; mater 
mea, et soror mea vermibus. 
Ubi est ergo nunc praesto- 
latio mea, et patientiam 
meam, quis considerat ? 

R. Peccantem me quotidie, 
et non me pcenitentem, timor 



/T\Y spirits shall be hum- 
^.1^ bled ; my days shall be 
shortened, and the grave only 
remains for me. I have not 
sinned, and my eye abides 
in bitterness. Deliver me, 

Lord, and set me beside 
Thee, and let any man's hand 
fight against me. My days 
are passed, my thoughts are 
dissipated, tormenting my 
heart. Night they have 
turned into day, and again 
after darkness, I hope for 
light. If I shall expect, hell 
is my house, and in darkness 

1 have made my bed. I have 
said to rottenness: Thou art 
my father; my mother and 
sister, to the worms. Where 
then is now my expectation, 
and who considers my pa- 
tience ? 

R. The fear of death 
troubles me: sinning daily 



958 



The Office of the Dead. 



mortis conturbat me quia in 
inferno nulla est redemptio, 
miserere mei Deus, et salva 
me. 

V. Deus, in nomine tuo sal- 
vum me fac, et in virtute tua 
libera me: quia in inferno, 
etc. 



and not repenting: because 
in hell there is no redemp- 
tion, have mercy on me, O 
God, and save me. 

V. O God, in Thy name 
save me, and in Thy strength 
deliver me: because in hell, 
etc. 



The Eighth L 

BELLI meae, consumptis 
carnibus, adhaesit os 
meum: et derelicta sunt tan- 
tummodo labia circa dentes 
meos. Miseremini mei, mi- 
seremini mei, saltern vos 
amici mei, quia manus Do- 
mini tetigit me. Quare per- 
sequimini me sicut Deus, et 
carnibus meis saturamini ? 
Quis mihi tribuat, ut scri- 
bantur sermones mei? Quis 
mihi det, ut exarentur in 
libro stylo ferreo, et plumbi 
lamina, vel celte sculpan- 
tur in silice ? Scio enim quod 
Redemptor meus vivit, et in 
novissimo die de terra surrec- 
turus sum : et rursum circum- 
dabor pelle mea, et in carne 
mea videbo Deum salvatorem 
meum: quern visurus sum 
ego ipse, et oculi mei conspec- 
turi sunt, et non alius : repo- 
sita est hsec spes mea in sinu 
meo. 



R. Domine, secundum ac- 
tum meum noli me judicare: 
nihil dignum in conspectu 
tuo egi: ideo deprecor ma- 
jestatem tuam, ut tu, Deus, 
deleas iniquitatem meam. 

V. Amplius lava me, Do- 



\. Job xix. 

Y flesh being consumed, 
my bone has cleaved 
to my skin, and there are left 
only lips about my teeth. 
Have mercy on me, have 
mercy on me, at least you, 
my friends, because the hand 
of the Lord has touched me. 
Why do you persecuce me as 
God, and are glutted with my 
flesh? Who will grant me 
that my words may be 
written ? Who will grant me 
that they may be drawn in a 
book, with an iron pen, and 
on a plate of lead,' or else be 
graven with steel on a flint 
stone ? For I know that my 
Redeemer lives, and that in 
the last day I shall rise out of 
the earth: and I shall be 
encompassed again with my 
skin, and in my flesh I shall 
see God my Saviour, Whom I 
myself shall see, and my eyes 
shall behold, and not another : 
this my hope is laid up in my 
bosom. 

R. Judge me not, O Lord, 
according to my deeds, for I 
have done nothing worthy in 
Thy sight: therefore I be- 
seech Thy majesty, that Thou, 
God, mayest blot out my 
iniquity. 

V. Wash me, Lord, yet 




The Office of the Dead. 



959 



mine, ab injustitia mea: et 
a delicto meo munda me. Ut 
tu, Deus, etc. 



more from my injustice, and 
cleanse me from my sin. 
That, etc. 



The Ninth Lesson. Job x. 



QUARE de vulva eduxisti 
me? qui utinam con- 
sumptus essem, ne oculus me 
videret. Fuissem quasi non 
essem, de utero translatus ad 
tumulum. Numquid non 
paucitas dierum meorum 
finietur brevi? Dimitte ergo 
me, ut plangam paululum 
dolorem meum ; antequam 
vadam, et non revertar, ad 
terram tenebrosam, et oper- 
tam mortis caligine: terram 
miseriae et tenebrarum, ubi 
umbra mortis, et nullus ordo, 
sed sempiternus horror in- 
habitat. 

R. Libera me, Domine, de 
viis inferni, qui portas aereas 
confregisti; et visitasti in- 
fernum, et dedisti eis lumen, 
ut viderent te qui erant in 
pcenis tenebrarum. 

V. Clamantes et dicentes: 
Advenisti Redemptor noster. 
Qui erant, etc. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
eis, Domine, et lux perpetua 
luceat eis. Qui erant, etc. 



'(€ i HY didst ' rhou bring 

\XA» me forth out of the 
womb ? O would to God I had 
been consumed,that eye might 
not see me. I had been as if 
I were not, translated from 
the womb to the grave. Shall 
not the fewness of my days 
be shortly ended ? Suffer me 
then, that I may a little la- 
ment my sorrow; before I 
go, and return not, unto the 
dark land,_ that is covered 
with the mist of death, a land 
of misery and darkness, where 
the shadow of death, and no 
order, but everlasting horror, 
inhabits. 

R. Deliver me, O Lord, 
from the ways of hell, Who 
hast broken the brazen gates, 
and hast visited hell, gnd hast 
given light to them, that they 
might behold Thee Who were 
in the pains of darkness. 

V. Crying, and saying: 
Thou art come, O Our Re- 
deemer. Who were, etc. 

V. Grant them eternal 
rest, O Lord, and let perpet- 
ual light shine on them. 
Who were, etc. 



The above is usually said. But the following Responsory is said 
on All Souls 1 Day, and when the three Nocturns are said. 

R. *y-J IB E R A me, Do- R. V |^ELIVER me, O 

1 1 1 mine, de morte JLJ Lord, from eter- 

aeterna, in die ilia tremenda, nal death, in that dreadtul 

quando cceli movendi sunt et day, when the heavens and 



960 



The Office of the Dead. 



terra: dum veneris judicare 
saeculum per ignem. 

V. Tremens fact us sum 
ego, et timeo, dum discussio 
venerit atque ventura ira. 
Quando coeli movendi sunt 
et terra. 

V. Dies ilia, dies irae, 
ealamitatis et miseriae, dies 
magna et amara valde. 
Dum veneris judicare saecu- 
lum per ignem. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
eis, Domine, et lux perpetua 
luceat eis. 

R. Libera me, Domine, 
de morte aeterna, in die ilia 
tremenda, quando coeli mo- 
vendi sunt et terra, dum ve- 
neris judicare saeculum per 
ignem. 



earth are to be moved, when 
Thou shalt come to judge 
the world by fire. 

V. I tremble and do 
fear, while I reflect on the 
examination and wrath of 
that day, when the heavens 
and the earth are to be 
moved. 

V. That day is the day of 
anger, of calamity, and of 
misery, a great day, and very 
bitter. When Thou shalt 
come to judge the world by 
fire. 

V. Grant them eternal 
rest, O Lord, and let per- 
petual light shine on them. 

R. Deliver me, C Lord, 
from eternal death, in that 
dreadful day, when the 
heavens and earth are to be 
moved, when Thou, etc. 



AT LAUDS. 



Ant. Bxultabunt 
ossa humiliata. 



Domino Ant. The humbled bones 
shall rejoice in the Lord. 



psalm L. 



|TvISKRERE mei, Deus, 
5dL£ secundum magnam 
misericordiam tuam. 

Et secundum multitudi- 
nem miserationum tuarum, 
dele iniquitatem meam. 

Amplius lava me ab iniqui- 
tate mea, et a peccato meo 
munda me. 

Quoniam iniquitatem me- 
am ego cognosco, et pec- 
catum meum contra me est 
semper. 

Tibi soli peccavi, et ma- 



"Tp^AVE mercy on me, O 
,1 God; according to 
Thy great mercy. 

And according to the mul- 
titude of Thy tender mercies 
blot out my iniquities. 

Wash me yet more from 
my iniqaity, and cleanse me 
from my sin. 

Because I know my ini- 
quity: and my sin is always 
against me. 

To Thee only have I 



The Office of the Dead. 



961 



lum coram te feci; ut ju- 
stificeris in sermonibus tuis, 
et vincas cum judicaris. 



Ecce enim in iniquitatibus 
conceptus sum, et in pec- 
catis concepit me mater mea. 

Ecce enim veritatem di- 
lexisti; incerta et occulta 
sapientiae tuas manifestasti 
mihi. 

Asperges me hyssopo, et 
mundabor; lavabis me, et 
super nivem dealbabor. 



Auditui meo dabis gaudi- 
um et laetitiam, et exulta- 
bunt ossa humiliata. 

Averte faciem tuam a pec- 
catis meis, et omnes ini- 
quitates meas dele. 

Cor mundum crea in me, 
Deus, et spiritum rectum 
innova in visceribus meis. 

Ne projicias me a facie 
tua, et spiritum sanctum 
tuum ne auferas a me. 

Redde mihi laetitiam sa- 
int ar is tui, et spiritu prin- 
cipali confirma me. 

Docebo iniquos vias tu- 
as; et impii ad te conver- 
tentur. 

Libera me de sanguinibus, 
Deus, Deus salutis meae, 
et exultabit lingua mea ju- 
stitiam tuam. 

Domine, labia mea ape- 
ries; et os meum annunti- 
abit laudem tuam. 

Quoniam si voluisses, sa- 



sinned, and have done evil 
before Thee; that Thou 
mayest be justified in Thy 
words, and overcome when 
Thou art judged. 

For behold I was con- 
ceived in iniquities: and in 
sins my mother conceived 
me. 

For behold Thou hast 
loved truth: the uncertain 
and hidden things of Thy 
wisdom Thou hast mani- 
fested to me. 

Thou wilt sprinkle me 
with hyssop, and I shall be 
cleansed: Thou shalt wash 
me, and I shall be made 
whiter than snow. 

To my hearing Thou wilt 
give joy and gladness: and 
the humbled bones shall 
rejoice. 

Turn- away Thy face from 
my sins: and blot out all 
my iniquities. 

Create a clean heart in me, 
O God: and renew a right 
spirit within my bowels. 

Cast me not away from 
Thy face : and take not away 
Thy holy spirit from me. 

Restore to me the joy of 
Thy salvation: and confirm 
me with a perfect spirit. 

I will teach Thy ways to 
the unjust: and the impious 
shall be converted to Thee. 

Deliver me from blood, O 
God, the God of my salva- 
tion: and my tongue shall 
extol Thy justice. 

Lord, Thou wilt open my 
lips: and my mouth shall 
declare Thy praise. 

Because if Thou wouldst 



962 



The Office of the Dead. 



crificium dedissem utique ; 
holocaustis non delectaberis. 



Sacrificium Deo spiritus 
contribulatus ; cor contri- 
tum et humiliatum, Deus, non 
despicies. 

Benigne fac, Domine, in 
bona voluntate tua Sion, 
ut aedificentur muri Jerusa- 
lem. 

Tunc acceptabis sacrifi- 
cium justitiae, oblationes, et 
holocausta ; tunc imponent 
super altare tuum vitulos. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Exultabunt Domino 
ossa humiliata. 

Ant. Exaudi, Domine, ora- 
tionem meam: ad te omnis 
caro veniet 

psalm 

E decet hymnus, Deus, in 
\zJ Sion, et tibi reddetur 
votum in Jerusalem. 

Exaudi orationem meam; 
ad te omnis caro veniet. 

Verba iniquorum praeva- 
luerunt super nos; et im- 
pietatibus nostris tu propi- 
tiaberis. 

Beatus quern elegisti et 
assumpsisti ; inhabitabit in 
atriis tuis. 

Replebimur in bonis domus 
tuae; sanctum est templum 
tuum, mirabile in aequitate. 

Exaudi nos, Deus, salutaris 
noster, spes omnium finium 
terrae, et in mari longe. 

Praeparans montes in vir- 



have had sacrifice, I had 
verily given it: with holo- 
causts Thou wilt not be de- 
lighted. 

An afflicted spirit is a 
sacrifice to God: a contrite 
and humble heart, O God: 
Thou wilt not despise. 

Deal favorably, O Lord, 
in Thy good will with Sion, 
that the walls of Jerusalem 
may be built up. 

Then wilt Thou accept a 
sacrifice of justice, oblations, 
and holocausts; then shall 
they lay calves on Thy altar. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. The humbled bones 
shall rejoice in the Lord. 

Ant. Hear my prayer, O 
Lord: all flesh shall come to 
Thee. 

LXIV. 

HYMN, O God, be- 
comes Thee in Sion : 
and a vow shall be rendered 
to Thee in Jerusalem. 

Hear my prayer: all flesh 
shall come to Thee. 

The words of the wicked 
have prevailed over us; and 
Thou wilt be propitious to 
our impieties. 

Blessed is he whom Thou 
hast chosen and taken: he 
shall dwell in Thy courts. 

We shall be filled with the 
good things of Thy house, 
holy is Tny temple: wonder- 
ful in equity. 

Hear us, O God our 
Saviour: the hope of all the 
bounds of the earth, and in 
the sea afar off. 

Preparing mountains in 




The Office of the Dead. 



963 



tute tua ; accinctus potentia ; 
qui conturbas profundum 
maris, sonum fluctuum ejus. 

Turbabuntur gentes, et 
timebunt qui habitant ter- 
minos a signis tuis; exitus 
matutini, et vespere delec- 
tabis. 

Visitasti terram, et ine- 
briasti earn ; multiplicasti 
locupletare earn. 

Flumen Dei repletum est 
aquis, parasti cibum illo- 
rum; quoniam ita est prae- 
paratio ejus. 

Rivos ejus inebria, mul- 
tiplica genimina ejus; in 
stillicidiis ejus laetabitur ger- 
minans. 

Benedices coronae anni be- 
nignitati tuae, et campi tui 
replebuntur ubertate. 

Pinguescent speciosa de- 
serti, et exultatione colles 
accingentur. 

Induti sunt arietes ovium, 
et valles abundabunt fru- 
mento ; clamabunt, etenim 
hymnum dicent. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Exaudi, Domine, ora- 
tionem meam: ad te omnis 
caro veniet. 

Ant. Me suscepit dextera 
tua, Domine. 

PSALM 

"T^EUS, Deus meus, ad te 
gJL/ de luce vigilo. 



Thy strength, girded with 
power: Who troublest the 
depth of the sea and the 
sound of its waves. 

The nations shall be 
troubled, and they that 
inhabit the borders shall be 
afraid of Thy signs: the end 
of the morning and evening 
Thou shalt delight. 

Thou hast visited the 
earth, and hast inebriated it : 
Thou hast greatly enriched it. 

The river of God is replen- 
ished with waters, Thou hast 
prepared their meat: be- 
cause so is the preparation 
thereof. 

Inebriate its rivers, multi- 
ply its fruits: in its drops it 
shall rejoice springing. 

Thou wilt bless the circle 
of the year of Thy goodness: 
and Thy fields shall be filled 
with plenty. 

The beautiful places of the 
desert shall be fat, and the 
little hills encompassed with 

joy. 

The rams of the sheep are 
clothed, and the valleys shall 
abound with corn : they shall 
cry out, yes, they shall sing 
a hymn. 

Grant them eternal rest, O 
Lord. 

Ant. Hear my prayer, O 
Lord : all flesh shall come to 
Thee. 

Ant. Thy right hand, O 
Lord, has received me. 

LXII. 

OGOD, my God, to Thee 
I watch from the 
morning light. 



9 6 4 



The Office of the Dead. 



Sitivit in te anima mea; 
quam multipliciter tibi caro 
mea! 

In terra deserta, et invia, 
et inaquosa, sic in sancto 
apparui tibi, ut viderem 
virtutem tuam et gloriam 
tuam. 

Quoniam melior est mi- 
sericordia tua super vitas, 
labia mea laudabunt te. 

Sic benedicam te in vita 
mea; et in nomine tuo le- 
vabo manus meas. 

Sicut adipe et pinguedine 
repleatur anima mea, et 
labiis exultationis laudabit 
os meum. 

Si memor fui tui super 
stratum meum, in matutinis 
meditabor in te. Quia fuisti 
ad jut or meus. 

Et in velamento alarum 
tuarum exultabo. Adhaesit 
anima mea post te; me su- 
scepit dextera tua. 

Ipsi vero in vanum quae- 
sierunt animam meam, in- 
troibunt in inferiora terrae; 
tradentur in manus gladii, 
partes vulpium erunt. 



Rex vero laetabitur in Deo ; 
laudabuntur omnes qui ju- 
rant in eo, quia obstructum 
est os loquentium iniqua. 

psalm 

^T^VEUS misereatur nostri, 
JLJ et benedicat nobis; 
illuminet vultum suum super 
nos, et misereatur nostri. 



For thee my soul hath 
thirsted; for thee my flesh, 
O how many ways! 

In a desert land, inaccessi- 
ble, and without water: so 
in the holy place have I ap- 
peared to Thee, to behold Thy 
strength and glory. 

Because Thy mercy is bet- 
ter than lives: my lips shall 
praise Thee. 

So will I bless Thee in my 
life: and in Thy name will I 
lift up my hands. 

As with marrow and fat- 
ness let my soul be filled: 
and my mouth shall praise 
with lips of joyfulness. 

If I have been mindful of 
Thee on my bed, in the morn- 
ing I will meditate on Thee: 
because Thou hast been my 
helper. 

And under the cover of Thy 
wings I will rejoice; my soul 
has stuck close to Thee : Thy 
right hand has received me. 

But they have sought my 
soul in vain, they shall enter 
into the lower parts of the 
earth : they shall be delivered 
into the power of the sword, 
they shall be the portion of 
foxes. 

But the king shall rejoice 
in God; all shall be praised, 
that swear by Him : because 
the mouth of those who speak 
wicked things is stopped. 

LXVI. 

AY God have mercy on 
us, and bless us : may 
He make His countenance 
shine upon us, and have 
mercy on us. 




The Office of the Dead, 



9 6 5 



Ut cognoscamus in terra 
viam tuam, in omnibus 
gentibus salutare tuum. 

Confiteantur tibi populi, 
Deus, confiteantur tibi po- 
puli omnes. 

Laetentur et exultent gen- 
tes, quoniam judicas popu- 
los in aequitate, et gentes in 
terra dirigis. 

Confiteantur tibi populi, 
Deus, confiteantur tibi po- 
puli omnes; terra dedit fruc- 
tum suum. 

Benedicat nos Deus, Deus 
noster, benedicat nos Deus, 
et metuant eum omnes fines 
terrae. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Me suscepit dextera 
tua, Domine. 

Ant. A porta inferi erue, 
Domine, animam meam. 



That we may know Thy 
way on earth: Thy salvation 
in all the nations. 

Let people, O God, praise 
Thee : let all the people praise 
Thee. 

Let nations be glad and re- 
joice: because Thou judgest 
the people with equity, and 
directest the nations on the 
earth. 

Let people, O God, praise 
Thee; let all people, O God, 
praise Thee: the earth has 
yielded its fruit. 

May God, Our God, bless 
us, may God bless us: and 
may all the bounds of the 
earth fear Him. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. Thy right hand, O 
Lord, has received me. 

Ant. From the gate of hell 
deliver my soul, O Lord. 



The Canticle of Ezechias. Isaias xxxviii. 



GO dixi: in dimidio di- 
erum meorum vadam 
ad portas inferi. 

Quaesivi residuum annorum 
meorum. Dixi: Non vide- 
bo Dominum Deum in terra 
viventium. 

Non aspiciam hominem 
ultra et habitatorem quietis. 

Generatio mea ablata est, 
et convoluta est a me: quasi 
tabernaculum pastorum. 

Praecisa est velut a texen- 
te vita mea; dum adhuc 
ordirer, succidit me ; de mane 
usque ad vesperam finies me. 

Sperabam usque ad mane; 




HAVE said: in the 
midst of my days I 



shall go to the gates of hell. 

I have sought the residue 
of my years: I have said, I 
shall not see the Lord God 
in the land of the living. 

I shall behold man no 
more: and the inhabitant 
of nry rest. 

My generation is taken 
away, and is folded up for 
me : as the tent of shepherds. 

My life is cut off as by a 
weaver; whilst I yet began 
He cut me off: between 
morning and night Thou 
wilt make an end of me. 

I hoped until the morning : 



9 66 



The Office of the Dead. 



quasi leo sic contrivit om- 
nia ossa mea. 

De mane usque ad vespe- 
ram finies me; sicut pullus 
hirundinis sic clamabo: me- 
ditabor ut columba. 

Attenuati sunt oculi mei 
suspicientes in excelsum. 

Domine, vim patior, re- 
sponde pro me; quid di- 
cam, aut quid respondebit 
*mihi, cum ipse fecerit? 

Recogitabo tibi omnes an- 
nos meos in amaritudine 
animae meae. 

Domine, si sic vivitur, et 
in talibus vita spiritus mei, 
corripies me, et vivificabis 
me; ecce in pace amaritudo 
mea amarissima. 

Tu autem eruisti animam 
meam. ut non periret; pro- 
jecisti post tergum tuum 
omnia peccata mea. 

Quia non infernus con- 
fitebitur tibi, neque mors 
laudabit te: non expecta- 
bunt qui descendunt in la- 
cum veritatem tuam. 

\ T ivens, vivens ipse con- 
fitebitur tibi, sicut et ego 
hodie; pater filiis notam fa- 
ciet veritatem tuam. 

Domine, salvum me fac: 
et psalmos nostros canta- 
bimus cunctis diebus vitas 
nostras in domo Domini. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. A porta inferi erue, 
Domine, animam meam. 

Ant. Omnis spiritus lau- 
det Dominum. 



as a lion so has He broken 
all my bones. 

Between morning and even- 
ing Thou wilt make an end 
of me: as a young swallow 
so will I cry, I will medi- 
tate as a dove. 

My eyes are weakened: 
looking up on high. 

Lord, I suffer violence, 
answer for me; what shall I 
say, or what shall He answer 
me, whereas Himself has 
done it? 

I will relate to Thee all my 
years: in the bitterness of 
my soul. 

Lord, if man's life be such, 
and the life of my spirit in 
such things, Thou shalt chas- 
tise me and enliven me: be- 
hold, in peace is my bitterness 
most bitter. 

But Thou hast delivered 
my soul, that it should not 
perish: Thou hast cast all 
my sins behind Thy back. 

Because hell shall not 
praise Thee, neither shall 
death praise Thee: they 
that go down into the lake 
shall not expect Thy truth. 

He that lives, he that lives 
shall praise Thee, as I do this 
day: the father shall make 
Thy truth known to the chil- 
dren. 

Lord, save me: and we 
will sing our psalms all the 
days of our life in the house 
of the Lord. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. From the gate of hell 
deliver my soul, O Lord. 

Ant. Let every spirit praise 
the Lord. 



The Office of the Dead. 



967 



PSALM CXLVIII. 



•t-'AUDATE Dominum, de 

< J i coelis; laudate eum in 

excelsis. 

Laudate eum, omnes an- 
geli ejus; laudate eum omnes 
virtutes ejus. 

Laudate eum, sol et luna; 
laudate eum, omnes stellae 
et lumen. 

Laudate eum, cceli ccelo- 
rum; et aquae omnes quae 
super coelos sunt laudent no- 
men Domini. 

Quia ipse dixit, et facta 
sunt ; ipse mandavit, et crea- 
ta sunt. 

Statuit ea in aeternum, 
et in saeculum saeculi; prae- 
ceptum posuit, et non prae- 
teribit. 

Laudate Dominum, de ter- 
ra : dracones et omnes abyssi. 

Ignis, grando, nix, glacies, 
spiritus procellarum, quae fa- 
ciunt verbum ejus. 

Montes et omnes colles; 
ligna fructifera, et omnes 
cedri. 

Bestiae, et universa peco- 
ra; serpentes, et volucres 
pennatse. 

Reges terrae et omnes po- 
puli, prineipes et omnes ju- 
dices terrae. 

Juvenes et virgines, senes 
cum junioribus, laudent no- 
men Domini, quia exalta- 
tum est nomen ejus solius. 

Confessio ejus super cce- 



RAISE the Lord from 
the heavens : praise 
Him in the highest places. 

Praise ye Him all His an- 
gels; praise ye Him all His 
powers. 

Praise ye Him sun and 
moon: praise Him all ye 
stars and light. 

Praise Him ye heavens of 
heavens; and let all the 
waters that are above the 
heavens praise the name of 
the Lord. 

Because He spoke, and 
they were made; He com- 
manded, and they were cre- 
ated. 

He established them for 
ever, and world without end; 
He made a precept not to be 
annulled. 

Praise the Lord from the 
earth; ye dragons and all 
abysses. 

Fire, hail, snow, ice, tem- 
pestuous winds; which obey 
His word. 

Mountains and all hills; 
fruit -bearing trees and all 
cedars. 

Beasts and all cattle; ser- 
pents and feathered fowls. 

Kings of the earth and 
all people; princes and all 
judges of the earth. 

Youths and virgins, the 
old with the young, let them 
praise the name of the Lord; 
because His name alone is 
exalted. 

The praise of Him is above 
heaven and earth: and He 




9 68 



The Office of the Dead, 



lum et terram; et exaltavit 
cornu populi sui. 

Hymnus omnibus Sanctis 
ejus: filiis Israel, populo ap- 
propinquanti sibi! 

PSALM 

aANTATE Domino canti- 
cum novum; lausejus 
in ecclesia sanctorum. 

Laetetur Israel in eo qui 
fecit eum, et filii Sion ex- 
ult ent in rege suo. 

Laudent nomen ejus in 
choro, in tympano et psal- 
terio psallant ei. 

Quia beneplacitum est Do- 
mino in populo suo, et ex- 
altabit mansuetos in salu- 
tem. 

Exultabunt sancti in glo- 
ria, laetabuntur in cubili- 
bus suis. 

Exaltationes Dei in gut- 
ture eorum, et gladii anci- 
pites in manibus eorum. 

Ad faciendam vindictam in 
nationibus, increpationes in 
populis. 

Ad alligandos reges eorum 
in compedibus, et nobiles eo- 
rum in manicis ferreis. 

Ut faciant in eis judicium 
conscriptum: gloria haec est 
omnibus Sanctis ejus. 



has exalted the horn of His 
people. 

A hymn to all His saints: 
to the children of Israel, a 
people approaching to Him. 

CXIvIX. 

B"ING to the Lord a new 
song: let His praise be 
in the church of His saints. 

Let Israel be joyful in Him 
that made him: and let the 
children of Sion rejoice in 
their King. 

Let them praise His name 
in choir: on the timbrel and 
psalter let them sing to Him. 

Because the Lord is well 
pleased in His people: and 
He will exalt the meek to 
salvation. 

The saints shall rejoice in 
glory; they shall rejoice in 
their resting-places. 

The exaltations of God 
shall be in their mouths; 
and two-edged swords in 
their hands. 

To execute vengeance 
on nations : chastisements 
among the people. 

To bind their kings in 
fetters; and their nobles in 
iron manacles. 

That they may execute on 
them the judgment that is 
written; this glory is to all 
His saints. 



PSALM CX. 

*T~! AUDATE Dominum in *T£)RAISE the Lord in His 
*J— • Sanctis ejus; laudate <J— holy places: praise 
eum in firmament o virtutis Him in the firmament of His 
ejus. power. 



The Office of the Dead. 



969 



Laudate eum in virtutibus 
ejus; laudate eum secundum 
multitudinem magnitudinis 
ejus. 

Laudate eum in sono tu- 
bae; laudate eum in psal- 
terio et cithara. 

Laudate eum in tympano 
et choro; laudate eum in 
chordis et organo. 

Laudate eum in cymbalis 
benesonantibus, laudate eum 
in cymbalis jubilationis; 
omnis spiritus laudet Domi- 
num. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Omnis spiritus lau- 
det Dominum. 

V. Audivi vocem de ccelo 
dicentem mihi: 

R. Beati mortui qui in Do- 
mino moriuntur. 

Ant. Ego sum resurrectio 
et vita: qui credit in me, 
etiam si mortuus fuerit, vi- 
vet; et omnis qui vivit, et 
credit in me, non morietur 
in aeternum. 



Praise Him in His powers: 
praise Him according to His 
exceeding greatness. 

Praise Him in the sound 
of trumpet; praise Him on 
the psaltery and harp. 

Praise Him on the timbrel 
and in the choir; praise Him 
on strings and organs. 

Praise Him on well-sound- 
ing cymbals, praise on cym- 
bals of joyfulness: let every 
spirit praise the Lord. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. Let every spirit praise 
the Lord. 

V. I heard a voice from 
heaven saying to me: 

R. Blessed are the dead 
that die in the Lord. 

Ant. I am the Resurrec- 
tion and the Life; he that 
believes in Me, though he 
be dead, shall live; and 
every one that lives, and be- 
lieves in Me shall never die. 



The Canticle of Zachary. Luke i. 



BENEDICTUS Dominus 
Deus Israel, quia visi- 
tavit et fecit redemptionem 
plebis suae. 

Et erexit cornu salutis no- 
bis in domo David pueri 
sui. 

Sicut locutus est per os 
sanctorum, qui a saeculo 
sunt prophet arum ejus. 

Salutem ex inimicis no- 
stris, et de manu omnium, 
qui oderunt nos. 



BLESSED be the Lord 
God of Israel; be- 
cause He has visited and 
wrought the redemption of 
His people. 

And He has raised up the 
horn of salvation to us; in 
the house of David His ser- 
vant. 

As He spoke by the mouth 
of His holy prophets: that 
were from the beginning. 

Salvation from our ene- 
mies: and from the hand of 
all that hate us. 



970 



The Office of the Dead. 



Ad faciendam misericor- 
diam cum patribus nostris, 
et memorari testamenti sui 
sancti. 

Jusjurandum quod jura- 
"vit ad Abraham patrem no- 
strum, daturum se nobis. 

Ut sine timore, de manu 
inimicorum nostrorum libe- 
rati, serviamus illi. 

In sanctitate et justitia 
coram ipso omnibus diebus 
nostris. 

Et tu, puer, propheta 
Altissimi vocaberis ; praeibis 
enim ante faciem Domini, 
parare vias ejus. 

Ad dandam scientiam sa- 
lutis plebi ejus, in remissionem 
peccatorum eorum. 

Per viscera misericordiae 
Dei nostri, in quibus visita- 
vit nos oriens ex alto. 

Illuminare his qui in te- 
nebris et in umbra mortis 
sedent, ad dirigendos pedes 
nostros in viam pacis. 

Requiem aeternam. 

Ant. Ego sum resurrectio 
et vita: qui credit in me, 
etiam si mortuus fuerit, vi- 
vet; et omnis qui vivit, et 
credit in me, non morietur 
in aeternum. 



To work mercy with our 
fathers; and remember His 
holy testament. 

The oath which He swore 
to Abraham our father: that 
He would grant us. 

That being delivered from 
the hand of our enemies; we 
may serve Him without fear. 

In holiness and justice be- 
fore Him: all our days. 

And thou, child, shalt be 
called the prophet of the 
Highest: for thou shalt go 
before the face of the Lord 
to prepare His ways. 

To give the knowledge of 
salvation to His people; for 
the remission of their sins. 

By the bowels of the mer- 
cy of Our God, in which the 
Orient from on high has vis- 
ited us. 

To enlighten them that sit 
in darkness and in the shades 
of death; to direct our feet 
in the way of peace. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

Ant. I am the Resurrec- 
tion and the Life; he that 
believes in Me, though he 
be dead, shall live; and 
every one that lives, and be- 
lieves in Me shall never die. 



The following prayers are said kneeling. 

Pater noster, secreto. Our Father, in secret. 

V. Et ne nos inducas in V. And lead us not into 

tentationem. temptation. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. R. But deliver us from evil. 



The Office of the Dead. 



971 



PSALM CXXIX.* 



*T^\E profundis clamavi ad" 
r-LJ te, Domine; Domine, 
exaudi vocem meam. 

Fiant aures tuae intenden- 
tes in vocem deprecationis 
meae. 

Si iniquitates observaveris, 
Domine, Domine, quis su- 
stinebit ? 

Quia apud te propitiatio 
est; et propter legem tuam 
sustinui te, Domine. 

Sustinuit anima mea in 
verbo ejus; speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 

A custodia matutina usque 
ad noctem, speret Israel in 
Domino. 

Quia apud Dominum mi- 
sericordia, et copiosa apud 
eum redemptio. 

Et iose redimet Israel ex 
omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. 

Requiem aeternam. 

V.. A porta inferi. 

R. Erue, Domine, animas 
eorum. 

V. Requiescant in pace. 

R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor mens ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



OUT of the depths I have 
cried unto Thee, O 
Lord: Lord, hear my voice. 

Let Thy ears be attentive : 
to the voice of my petition. 

If Thou, O Lord, wilt ob- 
serve iniquities: Lord, who 
shall endure it? 

For with Thee there is pro- 
pitiation: and for Thy law 
I have expected Thee, O 
Lord. 

My soul has relied on His 
word: my soul has hoped in 
the Lord. 

From the morning watch 
even until night: let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord 
there is mercy: and with 
Him plentiful redemption. 

And He will redeem Israel 
from all his iniquities. 

Grant them eternal rest. 

V. From the gate of hell. 

R. Deliver their souls, O 
Lord. 

V. 

R. 

V. 



May they rest in peace. 
Amen. 

O Lord, hear my prayer. 



R. And let my cry come 
to Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 
The Prayer is recited as at the end of the Vespers according to the 
rank, degree, or sex of the person for the repose of whose soul 
the Ofpce has been said or sung. 



* It is omitted on the 2d of November, and on the day of Death 
or Burial. 



972 



The Office of the Dead. 



Zbc JSurlal Service* 

The Priest, meeting the Corpse and sprinkling it with Holy Water, 
recites as follows: 

Ant. ^fl iniquitates ob- Ant. *T*F Thou shalt ob- 
servaveris, Do- JL^ serve iniquities 
mine, Domine, quis sustine- O Lord, Lord, who shall en- 
bit? . dure it? 



psalm cxxix. 



OUT of the depths I have 
cried unto Thee, O 
Lord: Lord, hear my voice. 

Let Thy ears be attentive: 
to the voice of my petition. 

If Thou wilt observe ini- 
quities, O Lord, Lord, who 
shall endure it? 

Because with Thee is pro- 
pitiation: and for Thy law 
I have expected Thee, O Lord. 

My soul has relied on His 
word: my soul has hoped in 
the Lord. 

From the morning watch 
even until night: let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord 
there is mercy : and with Him 
plentiful redemption. 

And He will redeem Israel 
from all his iniquities. 

Eternal rest give to him (or 
her), O Lord. 

And let perpetual light 
shine upon him (or her). 

Am. If Thou shalt ob- 
serve iniquities, O Lord, 
Lord, who shall endure it ? 

Then, whilst the Corpse is being carried to the Church, the Priest 
thus continues: 

Ant. Exultabunt Domino Ant. The humbled bones 
ossa humiliata. shall rejoice in Our Lord. 



^p^v E profundis clamavi ad 
gjLJ te, Domine; Domine, 
exaudi vocem meam. 

Fiant aures tuae intenden- 
tes in vocem deprecationem 
meae. 

Si iniquitates observaveris, 
Domine, Domine, quis susti- 
nebit ? 

Quia apud te propitiatio 
est; et propter legem tuam 
sustinui te, Domine. 

Sustinuit anima mea in 
verbo ejus; speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 

A custodia matutina usque 
ad noctem, speret Israel in 
Domino. 

Quia apud Dominum mise- 
ricordia, et copiosa apud eum 
redemptio. 

Et ipse redimet Israel ex 
omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. 

Requiem asternam dona ei 
Domine. 

Et lux perpetua luceat ei. 

Ant. Si iniquitates observa- 
veris, Domine, Domine, quis 
sustinebit ? 



The Office of the Dead, 



973 



ISERERE mei, Deus, 
secundum magnum 
misericordium tuam. 

Et secundum multitudi- 
nem miserationum tuarum, 
dele iniquitatem meam. 

Amplius lava me ab iniqui- 
tate mea, et a peccato meo 
munda me. 

Quoniam iniquitatem me- 
am ego cognosco, et pecca- 
tum meum contra me est 
semper. 

Tibi soli peccavi, et malum 
coram te feci; ut justificeris 
in sermonibus tuis, et vincas 
cum judicaris. 



Ecce enim m iniquitatibus 
conceptus sum, et in peccatis 
concepit me mater mea. 

Ecce enim veritatem dilex- 
isti ; incerta et occulta sapien- 
tiae tuae manifestasti mihi. 



Asperges me hyssopo, et 
mundabor; lavabis me, et 
super nivem dealbabor. 



Auditui meo dabis gaudium 
et laetitiam, et exultabunt 
ossa humiliata. 

Averte faciem tuam a pec- 
catis meis, et omnes iniqui- 
tates meas dele. 

Cor mundum crea in me, 
Deus, et spiritum rectum in- 
nova in visceribus meis. 

Ne projicias me a facie tua, 
et spiritum sanctum tuum ne 
auferas a me. 



L. 

AVE mercy on me, O 
God, according to 
Thy great mercy. 

And according to the mul- 
titude of Thy tender mercies 
blot out my iniquities. 

Wash me yet more from 
my iniquity, and cleanse me 
from my sin. 

Because I know my ini- 
quity : and my sin is always 
against me. 

To Thee only have I 
sinned, and have done evil 
before Thee, that Thou may- 
est be justified in Thy words, 
and overcome when Thou art 
judged. 

For behold I was con- 
ceived in iniquities: and in 
sins my mother conceived me. 

For behold Thou hast loved 
truth: the uncertain and 
hidden things of Thy wis- 
dom Thou hast manifested 
to me. 

Thou wilt sprinkle me with 
hyssop, and I shall be 
cleansed. Thou shalt wash 
me, and I shall be made 
whiter than snow. 

To my hearing Thou wilt 
give joy and gladness: and 
the humbled bones shall 
rejoice. 

Turn away Thy face from 
my sins : and blot out all my 
iniquities. 

Create a clean heart in me, 
O God: and renew a right 
spirit within my bowels. 

Cast me not away from Thy 
face : and take not away Thy 
holy spirit from me. 





974 



The Office of the Dead. 



Redde mihi laetitiam saluta- 
ris tui, et spiritu principali 
confirma me. 

Docebo iniquos vias tuas; 
et impii ad te convertentur. 

Libera me de sanguinibus, 
Deus, Deus salutis meae, et 
exult abit lingua mea justi- 
tiam tuam. 

Domine, labia mea aperies; 
et os meum annuntiabit lau- 
dem tuam. 

Quoniam si voluisses sacri- 
ficium dedissem utique ; holo- 
caustis non delectaberis. 

Sacrificium Deo spiritus 
contribulatus ; cor contritum 
et humiliatum, Deus, non 
despicies. 

Benigne fac, Domine, in 
bona voluntate tua Sion, ut 
aedificentur muri Jerusalem. 

Tunc acceptabis sacrifi- 
cium justitiae, oblationes, et 
holocausta : tunc imponent 
super altare tuum vitulos. 

Requiem aeternam dona 
e Domine. 

Et lux perpetua luceat ei. 

Ant. Bxultabunt Domino 
ossa humiliata. 



Restore to me the joy of 
Thy salvation: and confirm 
me with a perfect spirit. 

I will teach Thy ways to 
the unjust: and the impious 
shall be converted to Thee. 

Deliver me from blood, O 
God, the God of my salva- 
tion: and my tongue shall 
extol Thy justice. 

Lord, Thou wilt open my 
lips: and my mouth shall 
declare Thy praise. 

Because if Thou wouldst 
have sacrifice, I had verily 
given it: with holocausts 
Thou wilt not be delighted. 

An afflicted spirit is a sac- 
rifice to God: a contrite 
and humble heart, O God, 
Thou wilt not despise. 

Deal favorably, O Lord, in 
Thy good will with Sion : that 
the walls of Jerusalem may 
be built up. 

Then Thou wilt accept a 
sacrifice of justice, obla- 
tions, and holocausts; then 
shall they lay calves on Thy 
altar. 

Eternal rest grant to him 
(or her), O Lord. 

And let perpetual light 
shine on him (or her). 

Ant. The humbled bones 
shall rejoice in the Lord. 



Having entered the Church, the following Responsory is said: 



Q^UBVENITE Sancti Dei, 
occurrite Angeli Domi- 
ni, suscipientes animam ejus: 
ofTerentes earn in conspectu 
Altissimi 



aOME to his (or her) 
assistance, all ye saints 
of God : meet him (or her) all 
ye angels of the Lord, receiv- 
ing his (or her) soul, present- 
ing it in the sight of the Most 
High. 



The Office of the Dead. 



975 



V. Suscipiat te Christus, 
qui vocavit te; et in sinum 
Abrahae angeli deducant te. 

Suscipientes animam ejus. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
ei Domine. 

R. Et lux perpetua luceat 

ei. 

Offerentes earn in conspec- 
tu Altissimi. 



V. May Christ receive thee, 
Who has called thee, and 
may the angels conduct thee 
into Abraham's bosom. 

Receiving his (or her), 
soul. 

V. Eternal rest give to 
him (or her), O Lord. 

R. And let perpetual light 
shine on him (or her). 

Offering it in the sight of 
the Most High. 



At the End of the Office of the Dead, after the Anthem of the 
Canticle Benedictus, I am the Resurrection, etc., the following 
is said: 



Pater noster, secreto. 
V. Et ne nos inducas in 
tentationem. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

V. A porta inferi. 
R. Erue Domine animam 
ejus. 

V. Requiescat in pace. 
R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi orati- 
onem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 

Oremus. 

BSOLVE, quaesumus 
Domine, animam fa- 
muli tui ab omni vinculo de- 
lictorum ; ut in Resurrectionis 
gloria, inter sanctos et elec- 
tos tuos, resuscitatus respiret. 
Per Christum Dominum no- 
strum. 

R. Amen. 



Our Father, in secret. 

V. And lead us not into 
temptation. 

R. But deliver us from 
evil. 

V. From the gate of hell. 

R. Deliver his (or her) 
soul, O Lord. 

V. May he (or she) rest in 
peace. 

R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
to Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 

Let us pray. 

BSOLVE, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, the 
soul of Thy servant from 
every chain of sin; that ris- 
ing again in the glory of Thy 
Resurrection, he (or she) 
may enjoy a new life amongst 
Thy saints and elect. 
Through, etc. 
R. Amen. 





976 



The Office of the Dead. 



dm 



Here Mass is said, if opportunity serves; and then the following 

Prayer: 

*T^ON intres in judicium 
cum servo tuo, Do- 
mine, quia nullus apud te 
justificabitur homo, nisi per 
te omnium peccatorum ei 
tribuatur remissio. Non er- 
go eum, quaesumus, tua judi- 
cialis sententia premat, quern 
tibi vera supplicatio fidei 
Christianas commendat : sed 
gratia tua illi succurrente, 
mereatur evadere judicium 
ultionis, qui dum viveret, in- 
signitus est signaculo sanctae 
Trinitatis: qui vivis et reg- 
nas in saecula saeculorum. 



R. Amen. 



NTER not into judg- 
ment with Thy ser- 
vant, O Lord, because no 
man shall be justified in Thy 
sight, except Thou grant 
him the remission of all his 
sins. Therefore we beseech 
Thee not to let the sentence 
of Thy judgment fall heavy 
upon him (or her), whom 
true supplication of Christian 
faith recommends to Thee: 
but may he (or she) deserve, 
by Thy assisting grace, to 
escape the sentence of con- 
demnation, who whilst he 
(or she) lived was marked 
with the image of the Holy 
Trinity: Who livest, etc. 
R. Amen. 
The Responsory. 



R. 



'IBERA 



me, Do- 
de morte 



fJ — i mine, 
aeterna, in die ilia tremenda, 
quando cceli movendi sunt et 
terra: dum veneris judicare 
saeculum per ignem. 

V. Tremens factus sum 
ego, et timeo, dum discussio 
venerit atque ventura ira. 
Quando coeli movendi sunt 
et terra. 

V. Dies ilia, dies irae, cala- 
mitatis et miserise, dies magna 
et amara valde. Dum vene- 
ris judicare saeculum per ig- 
nem. 

V. Requiem aeternam dona 
ei, Domine, et lux perpetua 
luceat ei. 



J^J Lord, from eter- 
nal death, in that dreadful 
day, when the heavens and 
earth are to be moved, when 
Thou shalt come to judge 
the world by fire. 

V. I tremble and do fear, 
whilst I reflect on the exami- 
nation and wrath of that day. 
When the heavens and the 
earth are to be moved. 

V. That day is the day of 
anger, of calamity, and of 
misery, a great day and 
very bitter, when Thou shalt 
come to judge the world by 
fire. 

V. Grant him (or her) eter- 
nal rest, O Lord, and let per- 
petual light shine on him 
(or her). 



The Office of the Dead. 



977 



R. Libera me, Domine, de 
morte seterna, in die ilia tre- 
menda, quando cceli movendi 
sunt et terra: dum veneris 
judicare saculum per ignem. 



Kyrie, eleison. 
Christe, eleison. 
Kyrie, eleison. 
Pater noster, etc., secreto.^ 
V. Et ne nos inducas in 
tentationem. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

V. A porta inferi. 
R. Erue, Domine, animam 
ejus. 

V. Requiescat in pace. 
R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 
Oremus. 

DEUS, cui proprium est 
misereri semper et par- 
cere; te supplices exoramus 
pro anima famuli tui N. 
quam hodie de hoc sseculo 
migrare jussisti: ut non tra- 
das earn in manus inimici, 
neque obliviscaris in finem, 
sed jubeas earn a Sanctis 
angelis suscipi, et ad patriam 
paradisi perduci: ut quia in 
te speravit et credidit, non 
pcenas inferni sustineat, sed 
gaudia aeterna possideat. Per 
Christum Dominum nostrum. 



R. Amen. 



R. Deliver me, O Lord, 
from eternal death, in that 
dreadful day, when the 
heavens and earth are to be 
moved, when Thou shalt 
come to judge the world by 
fire. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Our Father, etc., in secret. 

V. And lead us not into 
temptation. 

R. But deliver us from 
evil. 

V. From the gate of hell. 

R. Deliver his (or her) 
soul, O Lord. 

V. May he (or she) rest in 
peace. 

R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 
Let us pray. 

OGOD, Whose property 
it is always to have 
mercy and to spare, we 
humbly beseech Thee, for 
the soul of Thy servant N., 
which to-day Thou hast 
taken out of this world: not 
to deliver it into the hands 
of the enemy, nor to forget 
it for ever; but to command 
the holy angels to receive it, 
and to conduct it to the 
heavenly country; that since 
it has believed and hoped in 
Thee, it may not suffer the 
pains of hell, but possess 
eternal joys. Through, etc. 
R, Amen. 



978 



The Office of the Dead. 



Here the Corpse is carried to the Grave, and in the meantime is 
said the following: 

j£J^AY the angels conduct 



IN paradisum deducant te 
angeli: in tuo adventu 
suscipiant te martyres, et 
perducant te in civitatem 
sanctam Jerusalem. Chorus 
angelorum te suscipiat, et 
cum Lazaro quondam pau- 
pere aeternam habeas requiem. 



thee into paradise : 
may the martyrs receive thee 
at thy coming, and lead thee 
into the holy city of Jerusa- 
lem. May the choir of angels 
receive thee, and mayst thou 
have eternal rest with Laza- 
rus, who was formerly poor. 

Having come to the Grave, it is blessed by the following Prayer 
(which is omitted if the Cemetery be already blessed): 

Oremus 



DEUS cujus miseratione 
animae fidelium requi- 
escunt, hunc tumulum bene- 
dicere dignare, eique angelum 
tuum sanctum deputa custo- 
dem; et quorum quarumque 
corpora hie sepeliuntur, 
animas eorum ab omnibus 
absolve vinculis delictorum, 
ut in te semper cum Sanctis 
tuis sine fine laetentur. Per 
Christum Dominum nostrum. 
R. Amen. 

Here the Corpse and Grave are 
incensed; and when the Corpse 
lowing is said: 

Ant /^"f GO sum Resurrec- 
vJ[ tio, et vita: 
qui credit in me, etiam si 
mortuus fuerit, vivet; et 
omnis qui vivet, et credit in 
me, non morietur in aeternum. 



Let us pray. 

OGOD, by Whose mercy 
the souls of thefaithfui 
find rest, vouchsafe to bless 
this grave, and depute Thy 
holy angel to guard it; and 
absolve the souls of all those 
whose bodies are buried here 
from all the bonds of sin, 
that they may always rejoice 
in Thee with Thy saints for 
ever. Through, etc. 

R. Amen. 

sprinkled with Holy Water and 
is deposited in the Grave, the fol- 



Ant. 



I AM the Resurrec- 
tion and Life : 
he that believes in Me, though 
he be dead, shall live; and 
every one that lives and be- 
lieves in Me shall never die. 



The Canticle of Zachary. 

BENEDICTUS Dominus 
Deus Israel, quiavisi- 
tavit et fecit redemptionem 
plebis suae. 



Luke i. 



BLESSED be the Lord 
God of Israel; be- 



cause He has visited and 
wrought the redemption of 
His people. 



The Office of the Dead. 



979 



Et erexit cornu salutis no- 
bis in domo David pueri sui. 



Sicut locutus est per os 
sanctorum, qui a saeculo sunt, 
prophetarum ejus. 

Salutem ex inimicis nostris, 
et de manu omnium qui ode- 
runt nos. 

Ad faciendam misericor- 
diam cum patribus nostris, 
et memorari testamenti sui 
sancti. 

Jusjurandum quod juravit 
ad Abraham patrem nostrum, 
daturum se nobis. 

Ut sine timore, de manu 
inimicorum nostrorum libe- 
rati, serviamus illi. 

In sanctitate et justitia co- 
ram ipso omnibus diebus no- 
stris. 

Et tu, puer, propheta Altis- 
simi vocaberis; praeibis enim 
ante faciem Domini parare 
vias ejus. 

Ad dandam scientiam salu- 
tis plebi ejus, in remissionem 
peccatorum eorum. 

Per viscera misericordiae 
Dei nostri, in quibus visita- 
vit nos oriens ex alto. 

Illuminare his qui in tene- 
bris et in umbra mortis se- 
dent, ad dirigendos pedes 
nostros in viam pacis. 

Requiem aeternam dona 
ei Domine. 

Et lux perpetua luceat ei. 

Ant. Ego sum Resurrectio, 
et vita: qui credit in me, 
etiam si mortuus fuerit, vi- 



And He has raised up the 
horn of salvation to us; in 
the house of David His 
servant. 

As He spoke by the mouth 
of His holy prophets: that 
were from the beginning. 

Salvation from our enemies 
and from the hand of all that 
hate us. 

To work mercy with our 
fathers; and remember His 
holy testament. 

The oath which He swore 
to Abraham our father : that 
He would grant us. 

That being delivered from 
the hand of our enemies; we 
may serve Him without fear. 

In holiness, and justice be- 
fore Him; all our days. 

And thou, child, shalt be 
called the prophet of the Most 
High; for thou shalt go be- 
fore the face of the Lord to 
prepare His ways. 

To give the knowledge of 
salvation to His people; for 
the remission of their sins. 

By the bowels of the mercy 
of Our God, in which the 
Orient from on high has 
visited us. 

To enlighten them that sit 
in darkness and in the shades 
of death: to direct our feet in 
the way of peace. 

Eternal rest grant to him 
(or her), O Lord. 

And let perpetual light 
shine on him (or her). 

Ant. I am the Resurrec- 
tion and Life: he that believes 
in Me, though he be dead, 



The Office of the Dead. 



vet; et omnis qui vivit, et 
credit in me, non morietur in 
aeternum. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

Christe, eleison. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

Pater noster, etc. 



shall live ; and every one that 
lives and believes in Me shall 
never die. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Christ, have mercy on us. 

Lord, have mercy on us. 

Our Father, etc. 



In the meantime the Corpse is sprinkled with Holy Water. 



V. Et ne nos inducas in 
tentationem. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

V. A porta inferi. 
R. Brue, Domine, animam 
ejus. 

V. Requiescat in pace. 
R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



V. And lead us not into 
temptation. 

R. But deliver us from 
evil. 

V. From the gate of hell. 

R. Deliver his (or her) 
soul, O Lord. 

V. May he (or she) rest in 
peace. 

R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
to Thee. 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 



Oremus. 

HAC, qusesumus Domine, 
hanc cum servo tuo 
defunct o (vel famula tua de- 
functa) miser icordiam, ut fac- 
torum suorum in pcenis non 
recipiat vicem, qui (vel quae) 
tuam in votis tenuit volunta- 
tem; ut sicut hie eum (vel 
earn) vera fides junxit fideli- 
um turmis, ita illic eum (vel 
earn) tua miseratio societ 
angelicis choris. Per Chris- 
tum Dominum nostrum. 

R. Amen. 

V. Requiem eeternam do- 
na ei Domine. 



Let us pray. 

RANT, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, this 
mercy to Thy servant de- 
parted, that he (or she) may 
not receive the punish- 
ment due to his (or her) 
sins, who was desirous to 
hold fast Thy will; and as 
here true faith united him 
(or her) to the company of 
the faithful, so may there 
Thy mercy unite him (or 
her) to the choirs of angels. 
Through, etc. 
R. Amen. 

V. Grant him (or her) 
eternal rest, O Lord. 




The Office of the L>ead. 



R. Et lux perpetua luceat 

ei. 

V. Requiescat in pace. 
R. Amen. 

V. Anima ejus, et animae 
omnium fidelium defuncto- 
rum per misericordiam Dei, 
requiescant in pace. 

R, Amen. 



R. And let perpetual 
light shine upon him (or 
her). 

V . May he (or she) rest in 
peace. 
R. Amen. 

V. May his (or her) soul 
and the souls of all the 
faithful departed, through 
the mercy of God, rest in 
peace. 

R. Amen. 



Whilst returning from tlie Grave to the Churchy the following is said: 

Ant. C>T t iniquitates ob- Ant. "T*F Thou shalt ofo- 
servaveris, Do- JL, serve iniqui- 

mine, Domine quis sustinebit ? ties, O Lord, Lord, who shall 

endure it? 



psalm 

BE profundis clamavi 
ad te, Domine; Do- 
mine, exaudi vocem meam. 

Fiant aures tuae iritenden- 
tes in vocem deprecationis 
meae. 

Si iniquitates observave- 
ris, Domine, Domine, quis 
sustinebit ? 

Quia apud te propitiatio 
est ; et propter legem tuam 
sustinui te, Domine. 

Sustinuit anima mea in 
verbo ejus; speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 

A custodia matutina us- 
que ad noctem, speret Is- 
rael in Domino. 

Quia apud Dominum mise- 
ricordia, et copiosa apud 
eum redemptio. 

Et ipse redimet Israel 
ex omnibus iniquitatibus 
ejus. 



cxxix. 

OUT of the depths I 
have cried unto Thee, 
O Lord, Lord, hear my 
voice. 

Let Thy ears be attentive : 
to the voice of my petition. 

If Thou, O Lord, wilt ob- 
serve iniquities: Lord, who 
shall bear it? 

For with Thee there is pro- 
pitiation: and for Thy law I 
have expected Thee, O Lord. 

My soul has relied on His 
w r ord: my soul has hoped in 
the Lord. 

From the morning watch, 
even until night: let Israel 
hope in the Lord. 

Because with the Lord 
there is mercy: and with 
Him plentiful redemption. 

And He will redeem Israel 
from all his iniquities. 



982 



The Office of fhe Dead. 



Requiem aeternam dona ei 
Domine. 

Et lux perpetua luceat ei. 

Ant. Si iniquitates ob- 
servaveris Domine, Domine, 
quis sustinebit ? 



Eternal rest give to him (or 
her), O Lord. 

And let perpetual light 
shine upon him (or her). 

Ant. If Thou shalt observe 
iniquities, O Lord, Lord, who 
shall endure it? 



©rfcmarg of tbe /Ifcass for tbe BeaD** 

The Priest standing at the foot of the Altar ; and bowing down before 
it, signs himself with the sign of the Cross from the forehead to 
the breast, and says with a distinct voice: 

IN Nomine Patris, et Filii, *T*N the name of the Father, 
et Spiritus Sancti. JL* and of the Son, and of 
Amen. the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Then, joining his hands before his breast, he says: 

V. «y* NTROIBO ad al " v - T WILL go unto 

m ■ w tare Dei. JL> the altar of God. 

R. Ad Deum, qui laetifi- R. To God, Who giveth 

•cat juventutem meam. joy to my youth. 

V. Adjutorium nostrum V . Our help is in the name 

in nomine Domini. of the Lord. 

R. Qui fecit ccelum et ter- R. Who hath made heaven 

ram. and earth. 



Then, joining his hands and humbly bowing down, he says the 
Confession. 



V. y-fONFlTEOR Deo 

omnipotenti, be- 
atae Mariae semper Virgini, 
beato Michaeli Archangelo, 
beato Joanni Baptistae, Sanc- 
tis Apostolis Petro et Pau- 
lo, omnibus Sanctis, et vo- 
bis fratres, quia peccavi ni- 
mis cogitatione, verbo, et 
opere [percutit sibi pectus 
ter, dicens], mea culpa, mea 
culpa, mea maxima culpa. 
Ideo precor beatam Mari- 



V. V CONFESS to al- 
«-»-» mighty God, to 
blessed Mary ever Virgin, to 
blessed Michael the arch- 
angel, to blessed John the 
Baptist, to the holy apostles 
Peter and Paul, to all the 
saints, ?nd to you, father, 
that I have sinned exceed- 
ingly in thought, word, and 
deed [here he strikes his 
breast thrice], through my 
fault, through my fault, 



* At Low Mass the parts within brackets are to be passed over. 



The Office of the Dead. 



983 



am semper Virginem, be- v 
atum Michaelem Archange- 
lum, beatum Joannem Bap- 
tistam, sanctos apostolos 
Petrum et Paulum, omnes 
Sanctos, et vos fratres, orare 
pro me ad Dominum Deum 
nostrum. 



R. Misereatur tui .omni- 
potens Deus, et dimissis 
peccatis tuis, perducat te ad 
vitam aeternam. S. Amen. 

R. Confiteor, etc. 



through my most grievous 
fault. Therefore I beseech 
blessed Mary ever Virgin, 
blessed Michael the arch- 
angel, blessed John the 
Baptist, the holy apostles 
Peter and Paul, and all the 
saints, and you, father, 
to pray to the Lord our 
God for me. 

R. May almighty God 
have mercy upon thee, for- 
give thee thy sins, and bring 
thee to life everlasting 

R. Amen. 



Then the Priest gives the Absolution. 



V. Misereatur vestri omni- 
potens Deus, et dimissis pec- 
catis vestris, perducat vos 
ad vitam aeternam. 

R. Amen. 



V. May almighty God 
have mercy upon you, for- 
give you your sins, and 
bring you to life everlast- 
ing. 

R. Amen. 



Signing himself with the sign of the Cross, he says: 



V. Indulgentiam, absolu- 
tionem, et remissionem pec- 
catorum nostrorum tribuat 
nobis omnipotens et miseri- 
cors Dominus. 

R. Amen. 



V. May the almighty and 
merciful Lord grant us par- 
don, absolution, and re- 
mission of our sins. 

R. Amen. 



Then, bowing down, he proceeds: 



vivificabis nos. 



R. Et plebs tua laetabi- 
tur in te. 

V. Ostende nobis Domine 
misericordiam tuam. 

R. Et salutare tuum da 
nobis. 

V. Domine exaudi oratio- 
nem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 



V. 



/^HOU wilt turn 
V-J again, O God. 
and quicken us. 

R. And Thy people shall 
rejoice in Thee. 

V. Show us, O Lord, Thy 
mercy. 

R. And grant us Thy sal- 
vation. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 



9 8 4 



The Office of the Dead. 



V. Dominus vobiscum. V. 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. 



The Lord be with you. 
And with thy spirit. 



First extending and then joining his hands, he says audibly, Ore- 
mus; and ascending to the Altar, he says secretly: 



Aufer a nobis quaesumus 
Domine iniquitates nostras; 
ut ad Sancta Sanctorum pu- 
ris mereamur mentibus in- 
troire. Per Christum Do- 
minum nostrum. Amen. 



Take away from us our 
iniquities, we beseech Thee, 
O Lord; that we may be 
worthy to enter with pure 
minds into the Holy of 
holies. Through Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



Bowing down over the Altar, lie says: 



Oramus te Domine per 
merita sanctorum tuorum 
quorum reliquiae hie sunt, 
et omnium sanctorum, 
ut indulgere digneris omnia 
peccata mea. Amen. 



We beseech Thee, O Lord, 
by the merits of Thy saints 
whose relics are here, and 
of all the saints, that Thou 
wouldst vouchsafe to for- 
give me all my sins. 



Then the Priest, making the sign of the Cross over the Missal, 
reads tlie Introit. 



Int. T»EQUIEM aeter- 
r-a-\, nam dona eis 
Domine; et lux perpetua 
luceat eis. Ps. Ixiv. Te de- 
cet hymnus Deus in Sion ; et 
tibi reddetur votum in Jeru- 
salem : exaudi orationem 
meam; ad te omnis caro 
veniet. Requiem, etc. 



Int. 



V. Kyrie, eleison. 

R. Kyrie, eleison. 

V. Kyrie, eleison. 

R. Christe, eleison. 

V . Christe, eleison. 

R. Christe, eleison. 

V. Kyrie, eleison. 

R. Kyrie, eleison. 

V. Kyrie, eleison. 

The Priest kisses the Altar, and, turning to the people, says: 
V . Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 



6TERNAL rest 
give to them, 
O Lord; and let perpetual 
light shine upon them. A 
hymn, O God, becometh 
Thee in Sion; and a vow 
shall be paid to Thee in 
Jerusalem: O Lord, hear 
my prayer; all flesh shall 
come to Thee. Eternal rest, 
etc. 

Lord, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 



V. 
R. 
V. 
R. 
V. 
R. 
V. 
R. 
V. 



The Office of the Dead. 



985 



Then follow the Collects; at the end of the first and last of which 
the Acolyte answers, Amen. 



on the; day of decease or burial. 



Coll. 



*T^\EUS cni propri- 
JLJ um est mise- 
reri semper et parcere, te 
supplices exoramus pro ani- 
ma famuli tui N. quam hodie 
de hoc saeculo migrare jussi- 
sti: ut non tradas earn in 
manus inimici neque obli- 
viscaris in finem, sed jubeas 
earn a Sanctis angelis suscipi, 
et ad patriam paradisi per- 
duci; ut, quia in te speravit 
et credidit, nonpcenas inferni 
sustineat sed gaudia seterna 
possideat. Per, etc. 



The appropriate Epistle is then 
Tract, and 

'T-' ECTIO Epistolse beati 
,J — A Pauli Apostoli ad 
Ihessalonicenses. 

Epist. Fratres, nolumus 
vos ignorare de dormienti- 
bus, ut non contristemini, 
sicut et ceteri qui spem non 
habent. Si enim credimus 
quod Jesus mortuus est et 
resurrexit: ita et Deus eos 
qui dormierunt per Jesum, 
adducet cum eo. Hoc enim 
vobis dicimus in verbo Do- 
mini, quia nos qui vivimus, 
qui residui sumus in adven- 
tum Domini, non praevenie- 
mus eos qui dormierunt. 
Quoniam ipse Dominus in 



Coll. GOD, to Whom 
it ever be- 
longeth to have mercy and 
to spare, we humbly be- 
seech Thee in behalf of the 
soul of Thy servant N., 
whom Thou hast this day 
called out of this world, 
that Thou w^ouldst not de- 
liver him (or her) into the 
hands of the enemy, nor 
forget him (or her) for ever, 
but command the holy an- 
gels to take him (or her) and 
lead him (or her) to the home 
of paradise ; that as in Thee he 
(or she) put his (or her) hope 
and trust, he (or she) may not 
endure the pains of hell, but 
come to the possession of 
eternal joy. Through, etc. 

read, followed by the Gradual, 
Dies irae. 

BROM the Epistle of St. 
Paul to the Thessa- 

lonians. 

Brethren, we will not have 
you ignorant concerning 
them that are asleep, that 
you be not sorrowful, even 
as others who have no hope; 
for if we believe that Jesus 
died and rose again, even 
so them who have slept 
through Jesus will God bring 
with Him. For this we say 
unto you in the word of the 
Lord, that we who are alive, 
who remain unto the com- 
ing of the Lord, shall not 
prevent them who have 



986 



The Office of the Dead. 



voce archangeli, et in tuba 
Dei descendet de coelo: et 
mortui qui in Christo sunt, 
resurgent primi. Deinde nos 
qui vivimus, qui relinqui- 
mur, simul rapiemur cum 
illis in nubibus obviam Chri- 
sto in aera, et sic semper cum 
Domino erimus. Itaque con- 
solamini invicem in verbis 
istis. 



R. Deo gratias. 

Grad. Requiem aeternam 
dona eis Domine; et lux per- 
petua luceat eis. V. Ps. cxi. 
In memoria aeterna erit ju- 
stus ; ab auditione mala non 
timebit. 

Tract. Absolve Domine 
animas omnium fidelium de- 
functorum ab omni vinculo 
delictorum. V. Et gratia 
tua illis succurrente, merean- 
tur evadere judicium ultionis. 
V. Et lucis aeternse beatitu- 
dine perfrui. 



slept. For the Lord Him- 
self shall come down from 
heaven, with commandment, 
and with the voice of an 
archangel, and with the 
trumpet of God; and the 
dead who are in Christ shall 
rise first. Then we who 
are alive, who are left, shall 
be taken up together with 
them in the clouds to meet 
Christ, into the air, and so 
shall we be always with the 
Lord. Wherefore comfort 
ye one another with these 
words. 

R. Thanks be to God. 

Eternal rest give to 
them, O Lord; and let per- 
petual light shine upon them. 
The just shall be in everlast- 
ing remembrance; he shall 
not fear the evil hearing. 

Absolve, O Lord, the souls 
of all the faithful departed 
from every bond of sins. 
And by the help of Thy grace 
may they be enabled to escape 
the judgment of punishment. 
And enjoy the happiness of 
light eternal. 



SEQUENCE. 



*J^IES irae, dies ilia 

Solvet saeclum in favilla, 
Teste David cum Sibylla. 

Quantus tremor est futurus, 

Quando Judex est venturus, 

Cuncta stricte discussurus! 



"T^iGHER still, and still 

more nigh 
Draws the day of prophecy, 
That dissolveth earth and sky. 

O, what trembling there shall 
be, 

When the world its Judge shall 

see, 

Coming in dread majesty! 



The Office of the Dead. 



987 



Tuba minim spargens sonum 

Per sepulchra regionum, 
Coget omnes ante thronum. 

Mors stupebit et natura, 
Cum re surge t creatura, 
Judicanti responsura. 

Liber scriptus proferetur, 
In quo totum continetur, 
Unde mundus judicetur. 



Judex ergo cum sedebit, 
Quidquid latet apparebit: 
Nil inultum remanebit. 



Quid sum miser tunc dicturus ? 
Quern patronum rogaturus, 
Cum vix justus sit securus? 



Rex tremendse majestatis, 
Qui salvandos salvas gratis, 
Salve me fons pietatis. 

Recordare Jesu pie, 
Quod sum causa tuae viae, 

Ne me perdas 11a die. 

Quserens me sedisti lassus, 
Redemisti crucem passus: 
Tantus labor non sit cassus. 

Juste Judex ultionis, 

Donum fac remissionis 
Ante diem rationis. 

Ingemisco tanquam reus, 
Culpa rubet vultus meus, 

Supplicanti parce Deus. 



Hark! the trump, with thrilling 
tone, 

From sepulchral regions lone, 
Summons all before the throne: 

Time and death it doth appal 
To see the buried, ages all 
Rise to answer at the call. 

Now the books are open spread; 
Now the writing must be read, 
Which arraigns the quick and 
dead. 

■ Now, before the Judge severe, 
Hidden things must all appear; 
Nought can pass unpunish'd 
here. 

What shall guilty I then plead ? , 
Who for me will intercede, 
When the saints shall comfort 
need ? 

King of dreadful majesty, 
Who dost freely justify, 
Fount of pity, save thou me! 

Recolle'ct, O Love divine, 
'Twas for this lost sheep of 
Thine 

Thou Thy glory didst resign: 

Satest wearied seeking me: 
Sufferedst upon the tree: 
Let not vain Thy labor be. 

Judge of justice, hear my 
prayer : 

Spare me, Lord, in mercy spare. 
Ere the reckoning-day appear. 

Lo, Thy gracious face I seek; 
Shame and grief are on my 
cheek ; 

Sighs and tears my sorrow 
speak. 



988 



The Office of the Dead. 



Qui Mariam absolvisti, 

Et latronem exaudisti, 
Mihi quoque spem decHsti. 

Preces meae non sunt dignae: 

Sed tu bonus fac benigne, 
Ne perenni cremer igne. 

Inter oves locum praesta, 
Et ab hcedis me sequestra, 

Statuens in parte dextra. 

Confutatis maledictis, 

Flam mis acribus addictis, 
Voca me cum benedictis. 



Thou didst Mary's guilt for- 
give; 

Didst the dying thief receive; 
Hence doth hope within me live. 

Worthless are my prayers, I 
know ; 

Yet, O, cause me not to go 
Into everlasting woe. 

Sever'd from the guilty band, 
Make me with Thy sheep to 
stand, 

Placing me on Thy right hand. 

When the cursed in anguish 
flee 

Into flames of misery, 
With the Blest then call Thou 
me. 



Oro supplex et acclinis, 
Cor contritum quasi cinis: 

Gere curam mei finis. 



Lacrymosa dies ilia, . 
Qua resurget ex fa villa 
Judicandos homo reus. 

Huic ergo parce Deus; 

Pie Jesu Domine 

Dona eis requiem. Amen. 



Suppliant in the dust I lie; 
My heart a cinder, crushed and 
dry: 

Help me, Lord, when death is 
nigh. 

Full of tears and full of dread 
Is the day that wakes the dead, 
Calling all, with solemn blast, 

From the ashes of the past. 
Lord of mercy, Jesu blest, 
Grant the faithful light and 
rest. Amen. 



[After this, at High Mass, the D* 
pels on the Altar. Then kn 

UNDA cor meum ac la- 
bia mea omnipotens 
Deus, qui labia Isaiae pro- 
phetae calculo mundasti igni- 
to: ita me tua grata misera- 
tione dignare mundare, ut 
sanctum Evangelium tuum 
digne valeam nuntiare. Per 



aeon places the Book oj the Gos- 
eling before tlie Altar, says: 

f^LEANSE my heart and 
V->( my lips, O almighty 
God, Who didst cleanse the 
lips of the prophet Isaias 
with a burning coal: and 
vouchsafe, through Thy gra- 
cious mercy, so to purify me, 
that I may worthily pro- 




The Office of the Dead. 



Christum Dominum nostrum, claim Thy holy Gospel. 
Amen. Through Christ our Lord. 

Amen. 

Then he goes to the place where the Gospel is read, and, standing 
with his hands joined, says: 
V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

Then saying: 

V. Sequent ia sancti Evan- V. The continuation of the 
gelii secundum Joannem holy Gospel according to St. 

John 

he makes the sign of the Cross with the thumb of his right hand 
on the Gospel which he is to read, and on his forehead, mouth, 
and breast {the people doing the same), while the Minister and 
"e answer: 



R. Gloria tibi Domine. 



Gosp. 



illo tempore: 



R. Glory be to Thee, O 
Lord. 

*7T'T that time, Martha 
fvJ-*-* said to Jesus, Lord, 
if Thou hadst been here, my 
brother had not died; but 
now also I know that what- 
soever Thou wilt ask of God, 
God will give it Thee. Jesus 
saith to her, thy brother 
shall rise again. Martha 
saith to Him, I know that 
he shall rise again in the 
resurrection at the last day. 
Jesus said to her, I am 
the Resurrection and the 
Life : he that believeth in Me, 
although he be dead, shall 
live; and every one that 
liveth, and believeth in Me, 
shall not die for ever. Be- 
lievest thou this? She saith 
to Him, Yea, Lord, I have 
believed that Thou art Christ, 
the Son of the living God, 
Who art come into this world. 
After which is said: 
[R. Laus tibi, Christ e. R. Praise be to Thee, O 

Christ. 



dixit Martha 
ad Jesum: Domine si fuisses 
hie, frater meus non fuisset 
mortuus; sed et nunc scio 
quia quaecumque poposceris 
a Deo dabit tibi Deus. Dicit 
illi Jesus: Resurget frater 
tuus. Dicit ei Martha: Scio 
quia resurget in resurrec- 
tione in novissimo die. Dix- 
it ei Jesus: Ego sum resur- 
rectio et vita: qui credit in 
me, etiam si mortuus fuerit, 
vivet: et omnis qui vivet et 
credit in me non morietur in 
aeternum. Credis hoc? Ait 
illi: Utique Domine, ego 
credidi, quia tu es Christus 
Filius Dei vivi qui in hunc 
mundum venisti. 



The Office of the Dead. 



If the Priest celebrates without Deacon and Subdeacon, the book 
is carried to the other side oj the Altar, and he, bowing down 
at the middle of the Altar, with his hands joined, says, Cleanse 
my heart, etc. Then turning toward the book, with his hands 
joined, he says, V. The Lord be with you; R. And with thy 
spirit: and giving out the Continuation, etc., signs the book 
and himself, as before directed, the Minister and people say, 
Glory be to Thee, O Lord, and he reads the Gospel; which 
being ended, the Minister says, Praise be to Thee, O Christ. 

Then he kisses the Altar , and, turning to the people, says: 

V. Dominus vobiscum. V . The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 



Then he says Oremus, and reads the Offertory. 



Off. 



OLORD Jesus Christ, 
King of glory, de- 
liver the souls of all the 
faithful departed from the 
pains of hell and from the 
deep pit: deliver them from 
the mouth of the lion, that 
hell may not swallow them 
up, and they may not fall 
into darkness, but may the 
holy standard-bearer Michael 
introduce them to the holy 
light; which Thou didst 
promise of old to Abraham 
and to his seed. We offer 
to Thee, O Lord, sacrifices 
and prayers: do Thou re- 
ceive them in behalf of those 
souls whom we commem- 
orate this day. Grant them, 
O Lord, to pass from death 
to life; which Thou didst 
promise of old to Abraham 
and to his seed. 

This being finished, the Priest takes the paten with the Host [if 
it % is High Mass, the Deacon hands the Priest the paten with 
the Host], and offering it up, says: 



I^OMINE Jesu 
Christe, Rex 
gloriae, libera animas omnium 
fidelium defunctorum de pce- 
nis inferni, et de prof undo 
lacu : libera eas de ore leonis, 
ne absorbeat eas tartarus, 
ne cadant in obscurum; sed 
signifer sanctus Michael re- 
praesentet eas in lucem sanc- 
tam. Quam olim Abrahae 
promisisti, et semini ejus. 
V . Hostias et preces tibi 
Domine, laudis ofTerimus: tu 
suscipe pro animabus illis, 
quarum hodie memoriam 
facimus: fac eas Domine de 
morte transire ad vitam. 
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti, 
et semini ejus. 



& 

Deus, 



hanc immaculatam 



CCEPT, O holy Father, 
almighty, eternal 
God, this immaculate Host, 



The Office of the Dead. 



991 



Hostiam, quam ego indi- 
gnus famulus tuus offero tibi 
Deo meo vivo et vero, pro 
innumerabilibus peccatis, et 
offensionibus, et negligentiis - 
meis, et pro omnibus circum- 
stantibus ; sed et pro omnibus 
fidelibus Christianis, vivis at- 
que defunctis; ut mihi et 
illis proficiat ad salutem in 
vitam aeternam. Amen. 



which I, Thy unworthy ser- 
vant, offer unto Thee, my liv- 
ing and true God, for my in- 
numerable sins, offences, and 
negligences, and for all here 
present ; as also for all faith- 
ful Christians, both living 
and dead, that it may be 
profitable for my own ancT 
for their salvation unto life 
eternal. Amen. 



Then, making the sign of the Cross with the paten, he places the 
Host upon the corporal. The Priest pours wine and water into 
the chalice, saying: 



*T^VEUS, qui humanae sub- 
*-L/ stantiae dignitatem 



OGOD, Who, in creating 
human nature, didst 



mirabiliter condidisti, et mi- wonderfully dignify it; and 

rabilius reformasti; da no- hast still more wonderfully 

bis per hujus aquae et vini renewed it; grant that, by 

mysterium, ejus divinitatis the mystery of this water 

esse consortes, qui humani- and wine, we may be made 

tatis nostrae fieri dignatus partakers of His divinity, 

est particeps, Jesus Christus, Who vouchsafed to become 

Filius tuus, Dominus noster; partaker of our humanity, 

qui tecum vivit et regnat in Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our 

unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, Lord; Who liveth and reign- 

per omnia saecula saeculorum. eth with Thee in the unity 



Amen. 



of, etc. 



[At High Mass, the Deacon ministers the wine, the Subdeacon 
the water. 



OFFERIMUS tibi Domi- 
ne calicem salutaris, 
tuam deprecantes clementi- 
am, ut in conspectu divinae 
Majestatis tuae, pro nostra 
et totius mundi salute cum 
odore suavitatis ascendat. 
Amen. 



V/IM' B offer unto Thee, O 
vJlA, Lord, the chalice of 
salvation, beseeching Thy 
clemency, that in the sight 
of Thy divine Majesty it 
may ascend with the odor 
of sweetness, for our salva- 
tion, and for that of the 
whole world. Amen. 

Then he makes the sign of the Cross with the chalice, places it 
upon the corporal, and covers it with the pall. Then, with his 
hands joined upon the Altar, and slightly bowing down, lie says: 

IN spiritu humilitatis, et in *t > N the spirit of humility 
animo contrito, susci- Jl* and with a contrite 
piamur a te Domine, et sic heart, let us be received by 



The Office of the Dead. 



fiat sacrificium nostrum in Thee, O Lord; and grant 
conspectu tuo hodie, ut pla- that the sacrifice we offer 
ceat tibi Domine Deus. in Thy sight this day may be 

pleasing to Thee, O Lord God. 

The Priest, looking toward, heaven, and stretching out his hands, 
which he afterwards joins, makes the sign of the Cross over the 
Host and chalice, while he says: 

VENI sanctificator, om- /^>fOME, O Sanctifier, al- 

nipotens aeterne Deus, mighty, eternal God, 

et benedic hoc sacrificium, and bless this sacrifice pre- 

tuo sancto nomini praepara- pared to Thy holy name, 
turn. 



[At High Mass he, in the following prayer, blesses the Incense. 



ER intercessionem beati 
Michaelis Archangeli, 
stantis a dextris Altaris In- 
censi, et omnium electorum 
suorum, incensum istud di- 
gnetur Dominus benedicere, 
et in odorem suavitatis acci- 
pere. Per Christum Domi- 
num nostrum. Amen. 



AY the Lord, by the in- 
tercession of blessed 
Michael the archangel, stand- 
ing at the right hand of the 
Altar of Incense, and of all 
His elect, vouchsafe to bless 
this incense, and receive it 
as an odor of sweetness. 
Through, etc. Amen. 





Receiving the thurible from the Deacon, he incenses the Bread and 
Wine, saying: 

INCENSUM istuda te /T\AY this incense which 
benedictum ascendat ad %U> Thou hast blessed, O 
te Domine, et descendat Lord, ascend to Thee, and 
super nos misericOrdia tua. may Thy mercy descend upon 

us. 



Then he incenses the Altar, saying Ps. cxl. 



^p|IRIGATUR Domine ora- 
JLJ tio mea sicut incensum 
in conspectu tuo: elevatio 
manuum mearum sacrificium 
vespertinum. Pone Domine 
custodiam ori meo, et ostium 
circumstantial labiis meis, ut 
non declinet cor meum in 
verba malitiae, ad excusan- 
das excusationes in peccatis. 



*T-JET my prayer, O Lord, 

,1 i ascend like incense in 

Thy right : and the lifting up 
of my hands be as an evening 
sacrifice. Set a watch, O 
Lord, before my mouth, 
and a door round about my 
lips, that my heart may not 
incline to evil words, to make 
excuses in sin. 



The Office of the Dead. 



993 



While he gives the censer to the Deacon, he says secretly these words, 
and is afterwards incensed by the Deacon: 

YT CCENDAT in nobis /T\ AY the Lord enkindle in 

gJPU Dominus ignem sui . r*U , us the fire of His love, 

amoris, et flammam aeternae and the flame of everlasting 

caritatis. Amen. charity. Amen. 

The Priest, with his hands joined, goes to the Epistle side oj the 
Altar, where he washes his fingers as he recites the following 
verses of Vs. xxv. 



*T — 'AVABO inter innocent es 
, 1 1 manus meas: et cir- 
cumdabo altare tuumDomine. 

Tit audiam vocem laudis: 
et enarrem universa mirabilia 
tua. 

Domine dilexi decorem do- 
mus tuae, et locum habita- 
tionis gloriae tuae. 

Ne perdas cum impiis Deus 
animam meam; et cum viris 
sanguinum vitam meam. 

In quorum manibus iniqui- 
tates sunt: dextera eorum 
repleta est muneribus. 

Ego autem in innocentia 
mea ingressus sum: redime 
me, et miserere mei. 

Pes meus stetit in directo; 
in ecclesiis benedicam te Do- 
mine. 



I WILL wash my hands 
among the innocent: 
and .will encompass Thy 
altar, O Lord. 

That I may hear the voice 
of praise, and tell of all Thy 
marvelous works. 

I have loved, O Lord, the 
beauty of Thy house, and 
the place where Thy glory 
dwelleth . 

Take not away my soul, O 
God, with the wicked, nor my 
life with men of blood. 

In whose hands are iniqui- 
ties : their right hand is filled 
with gifts. 

As for me, I have walked in 
my innocence: redeem me, 
and have mercy upon me. 

My foot hath stood in the 
right path: in the churches I 
will bless Thee, O Lord. 



Returning, and bowing before the middle of the Altar, with joined 
hands, he says: 

^USCIPE sancta Trinitas ECEIVE, O Holy Trin- 

^5 hanc oblationemquam ity, this oblation, 

tibi offerimus ob memori- which we make to Thee in 
am Passionis, Resurrectio- memory of the Passion, Res- 
nis, et Ascensionis Jesu Christi urrection, and Ascension of 
Domini nostri: et in honore Our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
beatae Mariae semper Vir- in honor of the blessed Mary 



994 



The Office of the Dead. 



ginis, et beati Joannis Bap- 
tistae, et sanctorum Apostolo- 
rum Petri et Pauli, et isto- 
rum et omnium Sanctorum: 
ut illis proficiat ad honorem, 
nobis autem ad salutem: et 
illi pro nobis intercedere 
dignentur in coelis, quorum 
memoriam agimus in terris. 
Per eumdem Christum Do- 
minum nostrum. Amen. 



ever Virgin, of blessed John 
the Baptist, the holy apostles 
Peter and Paul, of these and 
of all the saints : that it may 
be available to their honor 
and our salvation: and may 
they vouchsafe to intercede 
for us in heaven, whose mem- 
ory we celebrate on earth. 
Through the same Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 



Then he kisses the Altar, and turning himself toward the people, 
extending and joining his hands, he raises his voice a little, and 
says: 



ORATE fratres, ut meum 
ac vestrum sacrificium 
acceptabile fiat apud Deum 
Patrem omnipotentem. 

R. Suscipiat Dominus sa- 
crificium de manibus tuis, ad 
laudem et gloriam nominis 
sui, ad utilitatem quoque 
nostram, totiusque Ecclesiae 
suae sanctae. 



BRETHREN, pray that 
my sacrifice and yours 
may be acceptable to God 
the Father almighcy. 

R. May the Lord receive 
the sacrifice from Thy hands, 
to the praise and glory of 
His name, to our benefit, 
and to that of all His holy 
Church. 



The Priest answers in a low voice, Amen. 
Then, with outstretched hands, he recites the Secret Prayers. 



Sec. "T^ROPITIARE, 
<-* — quaesumus Do- 
mine, animae famuli tui N., 
pro qua hostiam laudis tibi 
immolamus, ma jest at em tu- 
am suppliciter deprecantes : 
ut per haec piae placationis 
ofhcia pervenire mereatur ad 
requiem sempiternam. Per. 



BE merciful, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord, to the 
soul of Thy servant N., for 
which we offer Thee the sac- 
rifice of praise; humbly be- 
seeching Thy Majesty that, 
by these offices of pious ex- 
piation, it may be found 
worthy to arrive at everlast- 
ing rest. 



Which being -finished, he says in an audible voice: 



V. Per omnia saecula saecu- 
lorum. 
R. Amen. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



V. World without end. 
R. Amen. 

V. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 



The Office of the Dead. 



995 



R. Habemus ad Dominum. 



Here he uphfts his hands: 

V. Sursum corda. V. Lift up your hearts. 

R. We have them lifted 
up unto the Lord. 

He joins his hands before his breast, and bows his head while he 

says: 

V. Gratias agamus Domino V. Let us give thanks to 
Deo nostro. the Lord our God. 

R. Dignum et justum est. R. It is meet and just. 

He then disjoins his hands until the end of the Preface, after 
which he again joins them, and bowing, says, Sanctus, etc. 
When he says Benedictus, etc. t he crosses himself. 

(At the word Sanctus, etc., the bell is rung three times by the 
Acolyte.) 



The following Preface is said 

VERE dignum et justum 
est, sequum et salutare, 
nos tibi semper et ubique gra- 
tias agere Domine sancte, Pa- 
ter omnipotens, seterne Deus. 
Per Christum Dominum no- 
strum: per quern Majesta- 
tem tuam laudant angeli, 
adorart dominationes, tre- 
munt potestates, cceli ccelo- 
rumque virtutes, ac beata se- 
raphim, socia exultatione con- 
celebrant. Cum quibus et 
nostras voces, ut admitti ju- 
beas deprecamur, supplici 
confessione dicentes: 



Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, 
Dominus Deus Sabaoth. 

Pleni sunt cceli et terra 
gloria tua. 

Hosanna in excelsis. 

Benedictus qui venit in 
nomine Domini. 

Hosanna in excelsis. 



in all Masses for the Dead. 

IT is truly meet and just, 
right and salutary, that 
we should always, and in all 
places, give thanks to Thee, 
O holy Lord, Father almighty, 
eternal God. Through Christ 
our Lord : through Whom the 
angels praise Thy Majesty, 
the dominations adore, the 
powers do hold in awe, the 
heavens, and the virtues of 
the heavens, and the blessed 
seraphim, do celebrate with 
united joy. In union with 
whom we beseech Thee that 
Thou wouldest command our 
voices also to be admitted, 
with suppliant confession, 
saying, 

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
of Sabaoth. 

Heaven and earth are full 
of Thy glory. 

Hosanna in the highest. 
Blessed is he that cometh 
in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. 



996 



The Office of the Dead, 



Canon ot tbe /Ilbaes, 



E igitur, clementissime 
\z) Pater, per Jesum 
Christum Filium tuum Do- 
minum nostrum, supplices 
rogamus ac petimus uti ac- 
cepta habeas et benedicas haec 
•f 1 dona, haec *h munera, haec 
sancta sacrificia illibata, in 
primis, quae tibi offerimus pro 
Ecclesia tua sancta Catholica : 
quam pacificare, custodire, 
adunare, et regere digneris 
toto orbe terrarum, una cum 
famulo tuo Papa nostro N., 
et Antistite nostro N., et 
omnibus orthodoxis, atque 
Catholicae et Apostolicae Fi- 
dei cultoribus. 



'E therefore humbly 
pray and beseech 
Thee, most merciful Father, 
through Jesus Christ Thy 
Son, Our Lord [he kisses the 
altar], that Thou wouldst 
vouchsafe to accept and bless 
these ^ gifts, these 4* pres- 
ents, these *%• holy unspotted 
sacrifices, which, in the first 
place, we offer Thee for Thy 
holy Catholic Church, to 
which vouchsafe to grant 
peace, as also to protect, 
unite, and govern it through- 
out the world, together with 
Thy servant N. our Pope, 
N. our Bishop, as also all 
orthodox believers and pro- 
fessors of the Catholic and 
Apostolic faith. 



COMMEMORATION OF THE LIVING. 



fT|EMENTO Domine fa- *f£>E mindful, O Lord, of 
JLLJ mulorum famularum- <-t-^ Thy servants, men 
que tuarum, N. et N. and women, N. and N. 

He joins his hands, and prays silently for those he intends to pray 
for; then, extending his hands, he proceeds: 



T omnium circumstan- 
tium, quorum tibi fi- 
des cognita est, et nota de- 
votio, pro quibus tibi offeri- 
mus, vel qui tibi offerunt, 
hoc sacrificium laudis, pro se 
suisque omnibus: pro re- 
demptione animarum sua- 
rum, pro spe salutis, et in- 
columitatis suae: tibique red- 
dunt vota sua, aeterno Deo, 
vivo et vero. 



*XT*XD of all here present, 
e^T-jL, whose faith and de- 
votion are known unto Thee, 
for whom we offer, or who 
offer up to Thee this sacrifice 
of praise for themselves, 
their families, and friends, 
for the redemption of their 
souls, for the hope of their 
safety and salvation, and 
who pay their vows to Thee, 
the eternal, living, and true 
God. 



The Office of the Dead. 



997 



Communicantes, et memo- 
riam venerantes, imprimis 
gloriosae semper Virginis Ma- 
ris, Genitricis Dei et Domini 
nostri Jesu Christi ; sed et be- 
atorum apostolorum ac mar- 
tyrum tuorum, Petri et Pauli, 
Andreae, Jacobi, Joannis, 
Thomse, Jacobi, Philippi, Bar- 
tholomgei, Matthaei, Simonis 
et Thaddaei, Lini, Cleti, de- 
mentis, Xysti, Cornelii, Cy- 
priani, Laurentii, Chrysogo- 
ni, Joannis et Pauli, Cosmae 
et Damiani, et omnium Sanc- 
torum tuorum; quorum me- 
ntis precibusque concedas, 
ut in omnibus protectionis 
tuae nuniamur auxilio. Per 
eumdem Christum Dominum 
nostrum. Amen. 



Communicating with, and 
honoring in the first place 
the memory of the glorious 
and ever Virgin Mary, Mother 
of Our Lord and God Jesus 
Christ; as also of the blessed 
apostles and martyrs, Peter 
and Paul, Andrew, James, 
John, Thomas, James, Philip, 
Bartholomew, Matthew, Si- 
mon and Thaddeus, Linus, 
Cletus, Clement, Xystus, Cor- 
nelius, Cyprian, Lawrence, 
Chrysogonus, John and Paul, 
Cosmas and Damian, and 
of all Thy saints; by whose 
merits and prayers grant 
that we may be always de- 
fended by the help of Thy 
protection. Through the 
same Christ our Lord. Amen. 



Spreading his hands or 
(Here the t 

ANC igitur oblationem 
servitutis nostrae, sed 
et cunctae familiae tuae, quae- 
sumus Domine ut placatus 
accipias; diesque nostros in 
tua pace disponas, atque ab 
aeterna damnatione nos eripi, 
et in electorum tuorum jube- 
as grege numerari. Per 
Christum Dominum nostrum. 
Amen. 

Quam oblationem, tu Deus 
in omnibus quaesumus bene- 
dic*Ram, adscrip^tam, ra- 
*Ktam, rationabilem, accepta- 
bilemque facere digneris; ut 
nobis cor^pus et san^guis fiat 
dilectissimi Filii tui Domini 
nostri Jesus Christi. 

Qui pridie quam pateretur 
accepit panem in sanctas ac 



er the oblation, he says: 
>ell is rung.) 

E therefore beseech 
Thee, O Lord, gra- 
ciously to accept this obla- 
tion of our service, as also 
of Thy whole family; dis- 
pose our days in Thy peace, 
command us to be delivered 
from eternal damnation, and 
to be numbered in the flock 
of Thy elect. Through Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

Which oblation do Thou, 
O God, vouchsafe in all 
things to make bless^ed, ap- 
proved, rationed, reason- 
able, and acceptable, that it 
may become to us the body 
•f 1 and *h blood of Thy most 
beloved Son Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

Who, the day before He 
suffered, took bread into His 




XK 



99 8 



The Office of the Dead. 



venerabiles manus suas, et 
elevatis oculis in coelum, ad te 
Deum Patrem suum omnipo- 
tentem: tibi gratias agens, 
benedixit, fregit, deditque 
discipulis suis, dicens: Ac- 
cipite, et manducate ex hoc 
omnes; hoc est enim cor- 
pus meum. 



holy and venerable hands, 
and with His eyes lifted up 
toward heaven, to God, His 
Father almighty ; giving 
thanks to Thee, did bless, 
break, and give to His dis- 
ciples, saying: Take, and 
eat ye all of this; for this 

IS MY BODY. 



After pronouncing the words of consecration, the Priest kneeling 
adores the sacred Host; rising, he elevates it; and then placing 
it on the corporal, again adores it. After this he never disjoins 
his thumbs and forefingers, except when he is to take the Host, 
until after the washing of his fingers. 

(At the Elevation the bell is rung three times.) 

[IMILI modo postquam n ^ e manner, after He 

coenatum est, acci- r*-» had supped, taking also 
piens et hunc praeclarum cali- this excellent chalice into His 



cem in sanctas ac venerabiles 
manus suas, item tibi gratias 
agens bene^dixit, deditque 
discipulis suis, dicens: Acci- 
pite et bibite ex eo omnes; 

HIC EST ENIM CALIX SANGUI- 
NIS MEI NO VI ET ^ETERNI 
TESTAMENTI ; MYSTERIUM FI- 
DEi; QUI PRO VOBIS ET PRO 
MULTIS EFFUNDETUR, IN RE- 
MISSIONEM PECCATORUM. 

Haec quotiescunque feceri- 
tis, in mei memoriam facietis. 



holy and venerable hands, 
and giving Thee thanks, He 
bless+ed, and gave to His 
disciples, saying: Take, and 
drink ye all of this; for 

THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY 
BLOOD OF THE NEW AND 
ETERNAL TESTAMENT ; THE 
MYSTERY OF FAITH; WHICH 
SHALL BE SHED FOR YOU, AND 
FOR MANY, TO THE REMISSION 
OF SINS. 

As often as ye do these 
things, ye shall do them in 
remembrance of Me. 



Kneeling, he adores; rising, he elevates the chalice; then replacing 
it on the corporal^ he covers it, and again he adores. 
(The bell is rung three times, as before.) 
He then proceeds: 

NDE et memores Do- *7TTr*HEREF0RE, O Lord, 

mine nos servi tui, sed vJlA/ we Thy servants, as 

et plebs tua sancta, ejusdem also Thy holy people, calling 

Christi Filii tui Domini no- to mind the blessed Passion 

stri tarn beatae passionis, nec- of the same Christ Thy Son, 

non et ab inferis Resurrec- Our Lord, His Resurrection 



The Office of the Bead. 



999 



tionis, sed et in coelo gloriosae 
Ascensionis : offerimus prae- 
clarae Majestati tuae, de tuis 
donis ac datis, Hostianrf 1 
puram, Hostiam *i* sanctam, 
Hostiam *h immaculatam, pa- . 
nem *i* sanctum vitae aeternae, 
et calicem >b salutis perpetuae. 



from hell, and glorious Ascen- 
sion into heaven, offer unto 
Thy most excellent Majesty, 
of Thy gifts and grants, a 
pure *P Host, a holy ^ Host, an 
immaculate *h Host, the holy 
4* bread of eternal life, and 
the chalice *i* of everlasting 
salvation. 



Extending his 

BUPRA quae propitio ac 
serene vultu respicere 
digneris, et accepta habere, 
sicuti accepta habere digna- 
tus es munera pueri tui justi 
Abel, et sacrificium Patriar- 
chal nostri Abrahae; et quod 
tibi obtulit summus sacerdos 
tuus Melchisedech, sanctum 
sacrificium, immaculatam 
hostiam. 



hands, he says: 

a PON which vouchsafe to 
look with a propitious 
and serene countenance, and 
to accept them, as Thou 
wert graciously pleased to 
accept the gifts of Thy just 
servant Abel, and the sac- 
rifice of our Patriarch Abra- 
ham, and that which Thy 
high priest Melchisedech of- 
fered to Thee, a holy sacri- 
fice, an immaculate host. 



Bowing down profoundly, with his hands joined and placed upon 
the Altar, he says: 



UPPLICES te rogamus 



be haec perferri per manus 
sancti angeli tui in sublime 
altare tuum, in conspectu 
divinae Majestatis tuae ut 
quotquot ex hac altans par- 
ticipatione, sacrosanctum Fi- 
lii tui corpus *k et 4* sangui- 
nem sumpserimus, omni be- 
nedictione coelesti et gratia 
repleamur. Per eumdem 
Christum Dominum nostrum. 
Amen. 



Memento etiam Domine fa- 
mulorum famularumque tua- 
rum N. et N., qui nos praeces- 



V A | ,B E most humbly be- 
\JlA, seech Thee, almighty 
God, command these things 
to be carried by the hands 
of Thy holy angel to Thy 
altar on high, in the sight of 
Thy divine Majesty, that as 
many of us [he kisses the 
altar] as, by participation at 
this altar, shall receive the 
most sacred body 4« and *b 
blood of Thy Son may be 
filled with all heavenly ben- 
ediction and grace. Through 
the same Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Be mindful, O Lord, of 
Thy servants and handmaids 
N. and N., who are gone 



IOOO 



The Office of the Dead. 



serunt cum signo fidei, et dor- 
miunt in somno pacis. 



before us, with the sign of 
faith, and slumber in the 
sleep of peace. 



He prays for such of the Dead as he intends to pray for. 



bus in Christo quiescen- 
tibus, locum refrigerii, lucis 
et pacis, ut indulgeas, de- 
precamur. Per eumdem Chris- 
tum, etc. Amen. 



*/^0 these, O Lord, and to 
\ZJ all that rest in Christ, 
grant, we beseech Thee, a 
place of refreshment, light, 
and peace. Through the 
same Christ our Lord. Amen. 



Here, striking his breast and slightly raising his voice, he says: 



Nobis quoque peccatoribus 
famulis tuis, de multitudine 
miserationum tuarum speran- 
tibus partem aliquam et socie- 
tatem donare digneris, cum 
tuis Sanctis apostolis et mar- 
tyribus; cum Joanne, Ste- 
phano, Matthia, Barnaba, 
Ignatio, Alexandro, Marcel- 
lino, Petro, Felicitate, Per- 
petua, Agatha, Lucia, Ag- 
nete, Caecilia, Anastasia, et 
omnibus Sanctis tuis: intra 
quorum nos consortium, non 
sestimator meriti, sed veniae, 
quaesumus, largitor admitte. 
Per Christum Dominum nos- 
trum. 

Per quern haec omnia Do- 
mine semper bona creas, sanc- 
trMcas, vivrMcas, bene4*- 
dicis, et praestas nobis. 

Me uncovers the chalice and makes a genuflection; then taking 
the Host in his right hand, and holding the chalice in his left, 
he makes the sign of the cross three times across the chalice, 
saying: 



And to us sinners, Thy ser- 
vants, hoping in the multi- 
tude of Thy mercies, vouch- 
safe to grant some part and 
fellowship with Thy holy 
apostles and martyrs; with 
John, Stephen, Matthias, 
Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexan- 
der, Marcellinus, Peter, Feli- 
citas, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, 
Agnes, Cecily, Anastasia, and 
with all Thy saints: into 
whose company we beseech 
Thee to admit us, not con- 
sidering our merits, but free- 
ly pardoning our offences. 
Through Christ our Lord. 

By whom, O Lord, Thou 
dost always create, sancti- 
fy, quick'f'en, bless 4«, and 
give us all these good things. 



Per ip4*sum, et cum ip4*so, 
et in ip+so, est tibi Deo 
Patri+omnipotenti, in uni- 
tate Spiritus Hh Sancti, om- 
nis honor et gloria. 



Through *h Him, and with 
4* Him, and in *b Him, is to 
Ther, God the Father Hh 
almighty, in the unity of the 
Holy *h Ghost, all honor and 
glory. 



The Office of the Dead. 



IOOI 



Replacing the Host, and cove 
and 

V. Per omnia saecula saecu- 
lorum. 
R. Amen. 

Oremus. 

RiBCEPTIS salutaribus 
moniti, et divina in- 
stitutione formati, audemus 
dicere : 

Pater noster, qui es in coe- 
lis, sanctificetur nomen tuum : 
adveniat regnum tuum; fiat 
voluntas tua sicut in ccelo, et 
in terra. Panem nostrum 
quotidianum da nobis hodie: 
et dimitte nobis debita nos- 
tra, sicut et nos dimittimus 
debitoribus nostris. Et ne 
nos inducas in tentationem. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

V. Amen. 



ring the chalice, he genuflects, 
says: 

V. For ever and ever. 

R. Amen. 

Let us pray. 

INSTRUCTED by Thy 
saving precepts, and 
following Thy divine insti- 
tution, we presume to say: 

Our Father, Who art in 
heaven, hallowed be Thy 
name: Thy kingdom come; 
Thy will be done on earth as 
it is in heaven. Give us 
this day our daily bread: 
and forgive us our tres- 
passes, as we forgive them 
that trespass against us. 
And lead us not into tempta- 
tion. 

R. But deliver us from 
evil. 

V. Amen. 



TO 



He takes the paten between his first and second finger, and says: 



IBERA nos, quaesumus 
1 1 i Domine, ab omnibus 
malis, praeteritis, presentibus, 
et futuris: et intercedente 
beata et gloriosa semper Vir- 
gine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum 
beatis apostolis tuis Petro et 
Paulo, atque Andrea, et om- 
nibus Sanctis, da propitius 
pacem in diebus nostris: ut 
ope misericordiae tuae adjuti, 
et a peccato sinus semper 
liberi, et ab omni perturba- 
tione securi. 



'Y^HLIVER us, we be- 
JLJ seech Thee, O Lord, 
from all evils past, present, 
and to come: and by the in- 
tercession of the blessed and 
glorious Mary ever Virgin, 
Mother of God, together with 
Thy blessed apostles Peter 
and Paul, and Andrew, and 
all the saints [making the 
sign o) the cross on himself 
with the paten, he kisses it 
and says], mercifully grant 
peace in our days: that by 
the assistance of Thy mercy 
we may be always free from 
sin, and secure from all dis- 
turbance. 



1002 



The Office of the Dead. 



He places the paten under the Host, uncovers the chalice, and 
makes a genuflection; then rising, he takes the Host, breaks it 
in the middle over the chalice , saying: 

Per eumdem Dominum nos- Through the same Jesus 
trum Jesum Christum Filium Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, 
tuum. 

He puts the part which is in his right hand upon the paten, breaks 
a particle from the other part in his left hand, saying: 

Qui tecum vivit et regnat in Who with Thee in the 
unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus. unity of the Holy Ghost 

liveth and reigneth God. 

He places the part in his left hand on the paten, and holding the 
particle which he broke off in his right hand, and the chalice in 
his left, he says: 

V. Per omnia saecula saecu- V. World without end. 
lorum. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 

He makes the sign of the cross with the particle over the 
chalice, saying: 

V. Pax 4- Domini sit >h V. May the peace 4* of the 
semper vobis *b cum. Lord be 4* always with *b 

you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

He puts the particle into the chalice, saying: 

Haec commixtio et conse- May this mixture and con- 
cratio corporis et sanguinis secration of the body and 
Domini nostri Jesu Christi blood of Our Lord Jesus 
fiat accipientibus nobis in Christ be to us that receive 
vitam aeternam. Amen. it effectual to eternal life. 

Amen. 

He covers the chalice, makes a genuflection; then bowing down 
and having his hands joined before his breast, he says: 

GNUS Dei, qui tollis 'y-'AMB of God, Who tak- 
peccata mundi, dona f 1 1 est away the sins of 
eis requiem. the world, give them rest. 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis pecca- Lamb of God, Who takest 
ta mundi, dona eis requiem, away the sins of the world, 

give them rest. 




The Office of the Dead. 



1003 



Agnus Dei, qui tollis pecca- 
ta mundi, dona eis requiem 
sempiternam. 

Standing in an inclined position, 
ing on the altar, and his eyes 
Host, he says: 

DOMINE Jesu Christe, Fi- 
ll Dei vivi, qui ex vol- 
untate Patris, cooperante 
Spiritu Sancto, per mortem 
tuam mundum vivificasti ; li- 
bera me per hoc sacrosanc- 
tum corpus et sanguinem 
tuum ab omnibus iniquita- 
tibus meis, et universis malis : 
et fac me tuis semper inhae- 
rere mandatis, et a te nun- 
quam separari permittas : qui 
cum eodem Deo Patre et 
Spiritu Sancto vivis et reg- 
nas Deus in saecula saeculo- 
rum. Amen. 



Perceptio corporis tui Do- 
mine Jesu Christe, quod ego 
indignus sumere praesumo, 
non mihi proveniat in judi- 
cium et condemnationem ; 
sed pro tua pietate prosit 
mihi ad tutamentum mentis 
et corporis, et ad medelam 
percipiendam. Qui vivis et 
regnas cum Deo Patre, in 
unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus 
per omnia saecula saeculorum. 
Amen. 

Making a genuflection, 

Panem ccelestem accipiam 
et nomen Domini invocabo. 



Lamb of God, Who takest 
away the sins of the world, 
give them eternal rest. 
9 

n'ith his hands joined and rest- 
reverently fixed upon the sacred 

"T^. ORD Jesus Christ, Son 
A — * of the living God, Who 
according to the will of the 
Father, through the cooper- 
ation of the Holy Ghost, hast 
by Thy death given life to 
the world; deliver me by 
this Thy most sacred body 
and blood from all my in- 
iquities and from all evils; 
and make me always adhere 
to Thy commandments, and 
never suffer me to be sep- 
arated from Thee ; Who with 
the same God the Father and 
Holy Ghost livest and reign- 
est God for ever and ever. 
Amen. 

Let not the participation 
of Thy body, O Lord Jesus 
Christ, which I, all unworthy, 
presume to receive, turn to 
my judgment and condem- 
nation; but through Thy 
goodness may it be to me a 
safeguard and remedy, both 
of soul and body. Who with 
God the Father, in the unity 
of the Holy Ghost, livest 
and reignest God for ever 
and ever. Amen. 

the Priest rises and says: 

I will take the bread of 
heaven, and call upon the 
name of the Lord. 



ioo4 



The Office of the Dead. 



Then slightly inclining, he takes both parts of the Host between 
the thumb and forefinger oj his left hand, and the paten be- 
tween the same forefinger and the middle one; then striking his 
breast with his right hand, and raising his voice a little, he 
says three times, devoutly and humbly: 

Domine non sum dignus ut Lord, I am not worthy 
intres sub tectum meum ; sed that Thou shouldst enter 
tantum die verbo, et sanabi- under my roof; say but the 
tur anima mea. word, and my soul shall be 

healed. 

Then with his right hand crossing himself with the Host over 
the paten he says: 

Corpus Domini nostri Jesu May the body of Our Lord 
Christi custodiat animam me- Jesus Christ preserve my 
am in vitam aeternam. Amen, soul to life everlasting. Amen. 

He then reverently receives both parts of the Host, joins his hands, 
and remains a short time in meditation on the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment. Then he uncovers the chalice, genuflects, collects what- 
ever fragments may remain on the corporal, and wipes the paten 
over the chalice, saying while so doing: 

Quid retribuam Domino What shall I render to 
pro omnibus quae retribuit the Lord for all He hath 
mihi? Calicem salutaris acci- rendered unto me? I will 
piam, et nomen Domini invo- take the chalice of salvation, 
cabo. Laudans invocabo Do- and call upon the name of 
minum, et ab inimicis meis the Lord. Praising I will 
salvus ero. call upon the Lord, and I 

shall be saved from my 

enemies. 

Jle takes the chalice in his right hand, and making the sign of 
the Cross with it y he says: 

Sanguis Domini nostri Jesu The blood of Our Lord 
Christi custodiat animam me- Jesus Christ preserve my 
.am in vitam aeternam. Amen, soul to everlasting life. Amen. 

Then he receives the chalice. 

(After which he communicates all who are to communicate.) 

.Those who are to communicate go up to the sanctuary at the Domine 
non sum dignus, when the bell rings: the Acolyte spreads a 
xloth be j ore them, and says the Confiteor. 



The Office of the Dead. 



1005 



Then the priest turns to the communicants, anal pronounces a 
general absolution in these words: 



Misereatur vestri omnipo- 
tens Deus, et dimissis pecca- 
tis vestris, perducat vos ad 
vitam aeternam. 

R. Amen. 

V. Indulgentiam, absolu- 
tionem, et remissionem pec- 
catorum vestrorum tribuat 
vobis omnipotens et miseri- 
cors Dominus. 

R. Amen. 



May almighty God have 
mercy on you, forgive you 
your sins, and bring you to 
life everlasting. 

R. Amen. 

V. May the almighty and 
merciful Lord give you par- 
don, absolution, and remis- 
sion of your sins. 

R. Amen. 



Elevating a particle of the Blessed Sacrament, and turning toward 
the people, he says: 

Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui Behold the Lamb of God, 
tollit peccata mundi. behold Him Who taketh 

away the sins of the world. 

And then repeats three times, Domine non sum dignus. 

Descending the steps 0} the Altar to the communicants, he admin- 
isters the Holy Communion, saying to each: 

Corpus Domini nostri Jesu May the body of Our Lord 
Christi custodiat animam Jesus Christ preserve thy 
tuam in vitam aeternam. soul to life everlasting. Amen. 
Amen. 

Then the Priest holds the chalice for a little wine for the first ablu- 
tion, and says: 

Quod ore sumpsimus Do- 
mine, pura mente capiamus; 
et de munere temporali fiat 
nobis remedium sempiter- 
num. 



Then, having taken the 

Corpus tuum Domine quod 
sumpsi, et sanguis quern po- 
tavi, adhaereat visceribus 
meis : et praesta, ut in me non 
remaneat scelerum macula, 
quern pura et sancta refece- 
runt sacramenta. Qui vivis 



Grant, Lord, that what we 
have taken with our mouth 
we may receive with a pure 
mind; and of a temporal 
gift may it become to us an 
eternal remedy. 

first ablution, he says: 

May Thy body, O Lord, 
which I have received, and 
Thy blood which I have 
drunk, cleave to my bowels; 
and grant that no stain of 
sin may remain in me, who 
have been refreshed with 



ioo6 



The Office of the Dead. 



et regnas in saecula saeculo- pure and holy sacraments, 
rum. Amen. Who livest, etc. Amen. 

Then the Acolyte pouring wine and water over his fingers, he 
washes them, wipes them, and takes the second ablution: he 
then wipes his mouth and the chalice, which he covers; and 
reads the Communion. 

Com. Lux aeterna luceat eis May light eternal shine 
Domine : Cum Sanctis tuis in upon them, O Lord : With 
aeternum, quia pius es. V. Thy saints for ever, because 
Requiem aeternam dona eis Thou art merciful. Eternal 
Domine ; et lux perpetua lu- rest give to ' them, O Lord ; 
ceat eis. Cum Sanctis. and let perpetual light shine 

upon them. With Thy saints. 

Then he turns to the people, and says: 

V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

Then he reads the Post Communion. 

Grant, we beseech 



P. C. Praesta, quaesumus 
omnipotens Deus, ut anima 
famuli tui, N., quae hodie de 
hoc saeculo migravit, his 
sacrificiis purgata et a pecca- 
tis expedita, indulgentiam 
pariter et requiem capiat 
sempiternam. Per. 



Thee, 

almighty God, that the soul 
of Thy servant, N., which 
has this day departed out of 
this world, being purified 
by this sacrifice, and de- 
livered from sins, may re- 
ceive pardon and everlasting 
rest. 



Afterwards he turns toward the people, and says: 
V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. 

R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. 

Turning toward the Altar, he says: 
V. Requiescant in pace. V. May they rest in peace. 

R. Amen. R. Amen. 

Bowing down before the Altar, with his hands joined and resting 
on it, the Priest says: 



Placeat tibi, sancta Trini- 
tas, obsequium servitutis 
meae ; et praesta, ut sacrificium 
quod oculis tuae Majestatis 
indignus obtuli, tibi sit ac- 
cept abile, mihique, et omni- 



O holy Trinity, let the per- 
formance of my homage be 
pleasing to Thee; and grant 
that the sacrifice which I, 
unworthy, have offered up in 
the sight of Thy Majesty, 



The Office of the Dead. 



1007 



bus pro quibus illud obtuli, 
sit, te miserante, propitiable. 
Per Christum Dominum nos- 
trum. Amen. 

V. Dominus vobiscum. 
R. Et cum spiritu tuo. 



may be acceptable to Thee, 
and through Thy mercy be 
a propitiation for me, and 
all those for whom I have 
offered it. Through, etc. 

V. The Lord be with you. 

R. And with thy spirit. 



sancti 
secun- 



He then makes the sign of the Cross, first upon the A Itar, and then 
upon his forehead, lips, and heart, and begins the Gospel accord- 
ing to St. John, saying: 

V. ^t*HE beginning of 
\z) the holy Gospel 
according to St. John. 

R. Glory be to Thee, O 
Lord. 

In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was 
with God, and the Word was 
God. The same was in the 
beginning with God. All 
things were made by Him; 
and without Him was made 
nothing that was made. In 
Him was life, and the life 
was the light of men, and the 
light shineth in darknesse 
and the darkness did not, 
comprehend it. There was a 
man sent from God whose 
name was John. This man 
came for a witness, to bear 
witness of the light, that all 
men might believe through 
him. He was not the light, 
but was to bear witness of 
the light. That was the 
true light, which enlighteneth 
every man that cometh into 
this world. He was in the 
world, and the world was 
made by Him, and the 
world knew Him not. He 
came unto His own, and His 
own received Him not. But 
as many as received Him, to 



Evangelii 
dum Joannem. 

R. Gloria tibi, Domine. 

In principio erat Verbum, 
et Verbum erat apud Deum. 
Hoc erat in principio apud 
Deum. Omnia per ipsum 
facta sunt: et sine ipso fac- 
tum est nihil, quod factum 
est, in ipso vita erat, et vita 
erat lux hominum; et lux in 
tenebris lucet, et tenebrse 
earn non comprehenderunt. 
Fuit homo missus a Deo, 
cui nomen erat Joannes. Hie 
venit in testimonium, ut 
testimonium perhiberet de 
lumine, ut omnes crederent 
per ilium. Non erat ille lux, 
sed ut testimonium perhi- 
beret de lumine. Erat lux 
vera, quae illuminat omnem 
homihem venientem in hunc 
mundum. In mundo erat, 
et mundus per ipsum f actus 
est, et mundus eum non cog- 
novit. In propria venit, et 
sui eum non receperunt. 
Quotquot autem receperunt 
eum, dedit eis potestatem 
filios Dei fieri, his, qui cre- 
dunt in nomine ejus, qui non 
ex sanguinibus, neque ex 



ioo8 



The Office of the Dead. 



voluntate carnis, neque ex 
voluntate viri, sed ex Deo 
nati sunt. Et Verbum Caro 
factum EST, et habitavit in 
nobis; et vidimus gloriam 
ejus, gloriam quasi unigeniti 
a Patre, plenum gratiae et 
veritatis. 



R Deo gratias. 



them He gave power to be 
made the sons of God, to 
them that believe in His 
name. Who are born, not 
of blood, nor of the will of the 
flesh, nor of the will of man, 
but of God. And the Word 
was made Flesh, and dwelt 
among us (and we saw His 
glory, the glory as of the 
only -begotten of the Father), 
full of grace and truth. 
R. Thanks be to God. 



NOTE. 



The Introit, Gradual, Offertory, and Communion are the same 
in all Masses for the Dead. The only variations are the Collects, 
Epistles, and Gospels, which are given below. 

On the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed 
{November 2d). 



Coll. 'pIDELIUM 
t ■ [ Deus omni- 
um Conditor et Redemptor, 
animabus famulorum famu- 
larumque tuarum, remissio- 
nem cunctorum tribue pecca- 
torum ut indulgentiam quam 
semper optaverunt, piis sup- 
plicationibus consequantur. 
Qui vivis, etc. 

Epist. Lectio Epistolae Be- 
ati Pauli Apostoli ad Corin- 
thios. — Fratres, ecce mysteri- 
um vobis dico: omnes qui- 
dem resurgemus, sed non 
omnes immutabimur. In 
momento, in ictu oculi, in 
novissima tuba: canet enim 
tuba et mortui resurgent in- 
corrupti; et nos immutabi- 
mur. Oportet enim corrup- 
tibile hoc induere incorrupti- 
onem: et mortale hoc in- 
duere immortalitatem. Cum 
autem mortale hoc induerit 



OGOD, the Creator and 
Redeemer of all the 
faithful, grant to the souls 
of Thy servants departed 
the remission of all their 
sins; that through pious 
supplications they may ob- 
tain the pardon which they 
have always desired. 

From the Epistle of St.. 
Paul to the Corinthians. — 
Brethren, behold, I tell you a 
mystery: we shall all indeed 
rise again, but we shall not 
all be changed. In a mo- 
ment, in the twinkling of an 
eye, at the last trumpet: 
for the trumpet shall sound, 
and the dead shall rise again 
incorruptible, and we shall 
be changed. For this cor- 
ruptible must put on incor- 
ruption, and this mortal must 
put on immortality. And 



The Office of the Dead. 



1009 



immortalitatem, tunc net ser- 
mo, qui scriptus est : absorp- 
ta est mors in victoria. Ubi 
est mors victoria tua? Ubi 
est mors stimulus tuus ? Sti- 
mulus autem mortis pecca- 
tum est: virtus vero peccati 
lex. Deo autem gratias qui 
dedit nobis victoriam per 
Dominum nostrum Jesum 
Christum. 



Sequentia Sancti Bvangelii 
secundum Joannem. 

Gosp. In illo tempore, dix- 
it Jesus turbis Judaeorum, 
Amen, amen, dico vobis, quia 
venit hora et nunc est quan- 
do mortui audient vocem Fi- 
lii Dei; et qui audierint, vi- 
vent. Sicut enim Pater ha- 
bet vitam in semetipso, sic 
dedit et Filio habere vitam in 
semetipso: et potestatem de- 
dit ei judicium facer e quia Fi- 
lms hominis est. Nolite mi- 
rari hoc, quia venit hora, in 
qua omnes qui in monumen- 
tis sunt audient vocem Filii 
Dei et procedent, qui bona 
fecerunt in resurrectionem 
vitae, qui vero mala egerunt 
in resurrectionem judicii. 



Sec. Hostias quaesumus 
Domine quas tibi pro ani- 
mabus famulorum famula- 
rumque tuarum offerimus 
propitiatus intende; ut qui- 
bus fidei christianae meritum 



when this mortal hath put 
on immortality, then shall 
come to pass the saying that 
is written, Death is swallowed 
up in victory. O death, 
where is thy victory? O 
death, where is thy sting? 
Now the sting of death is sin: 
and the strength of sin is the 
law. But thanks be to God, 
Who hath given us the 
victory through Our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

The continuation of the 
holy Gospel, according to 
St. John. 

At that time Jesus said to 
the multitudes of the Jews, 
Amen, amen, I say unto 
you, that the hour cometh, 
and now is, when the dead 
shall hear the voice of the 
Son of God; and they that 
hear shall live. For as Thy 
Father hath life in Himself, 
so He hath given to the Son 
also to have life in Himself : 
and He hath given Him 
power to do judgment, be- 
cause He is the Son of man. 
Wonder not at« this, for the 
hour cometh wherein all that 
are in the grave shall hear 
the voice of the Son of God; 
and they that have done 
good things shall come forth 
unto the resurrection of life, 
but they that have done 
evil, unto the resurrection of 
judgment. 

Mercifully look down upon 
this sacrifice which we offer to 
Thee for the souls of Thy ser- 
vants, O Lord; we beseech 
Thee that to those to whom 
Thou didst grant the merit of 



IOIO 



The Office of the Dead, 



contulisti dones et premium. 
Per Dominum. 

P.C. Animabus quaesumus 
Domine famulorum famula- 
rumque tuarum oratio pro- 
nciat supplicantium : ut eas 
et a peccatis omnibus exuas, 
et tuae redemptionis facias 
esse participes. Qui vivis, 
etc. 

Mass on the 

Coll. ^T^EUS indulgenti- 
\J arum Domine 
da animabus famulorum fa- 
mularumque tuarum, quo- 
rum anniversarium deposi- 
tionis diem commemoramus, 
refrigerii sedem, quietis beati- 
tudinem, et luminis clarita- 
tem. 

Less. Lectio libri Macha- 
baeorum. In diebus illis: vir 
fortissimus Judas, facta col- 
latione, duodecim millia 
drachmas argenti misit Jero- 
solyman offerri pro peccatis 
mortuorum sacrificium, bene 
et religiose de resurrectione 
cogitans (nisi enim eos, qui 
ceciderant, resurrecturos spe- 
raret, supernuum videretur, 
et *vanum orare pro mortuis) , 
et quia considerabat quod hi, 
qui cum pietate dormitionem 
acceperant, optimam habe- 
rent repositam gratiam. 
Sancta ergo et salubris est 
cogitatio pro defunctis ex- 
orare ut a peccatis solvan- 
tur. 



Sequentia sancti Evangelii 
secundum Joannein. 



Christian faith Thou mayest 
also grant its reward. 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, 
that the prayer of Thy sup- 
pliants may benefit the souls 
of Thy servants; that Thou 
mayest deliver them from all 
their sins, and make them 
partakers of Thy redemption. 



Anniversary. 

OGOD, the Lord of mer- 
cies, grant to the souls 
of Thy servants, whose anni- 
versary we commemorate, a 
place of refreshment, the 
happiness of rest, and the 
clearness of Thy light. 



From the Book of Macha- 
bees. In those days, the 
most valiant man Judas, 
making a gathering, sent 
twelve thousand drachms of 
silver to Jerusalem for sac- 
fice to be offered for the sins 
of the dead, thinking well 
and religiously concerning 
the resurrection (for if he 
had not hoped that they 
that were slain should rise 
again, it would have seemed 
superfluous and vain to pray 
for the dead) ; and because 
he considered that they who 
had fallen asleep with godli- 
ness had great grace laid up 
for them. It is therefore a 
holy and wholesome thought 
to pray for the dead, that 
they may be loosed from sins. 

The continuation of the 
holy Gospel according to St. 
John. 



The Office of the Dead. 



IOI I 



Gosp. In illo tempore : dix- 
it Jesus turbis Judaeorum: 
Omne quod dat mihi Pater 
ad me veniet: et eum, qui 
venit ad me, non ejiciam fo- 
ras: quia descendi de coelo, 
non ut faciam voluntatem 
meam, sed voluntatem ejus, 
qui misit me. Haec est au- 
tem voluntas ejus qui misit 
me, Patris, ut omne quod 
dedit mihi non perdam ex eo, 
sed resuscitem illud in novis- 
simo die. Haec est autem 
voluntas Patris mei, qui mi- 
sit me: ut omnis qui videt 
Filium, et credit in eum, 
habeat vitam aeternam, et 
ego resuscitabo eum in novis- 
simo die. 

Sec. Propitiare, Domine, 
supplicationibus nostris, pro 
animabus famulorum famula- 
rumque tuarum, quorum ho- 
die annua dies agitur, pro 
quibus tibi offerimus sacrifi- 
cium laudis: ut eas Sancto- 
rum tuorum consortio sociare 
digneris. 

P.C. Praesta, quaesumus, 
Domine, ut animae famulo- 
rum famularumque tuarum, 
quorum anniversarium de- 
positionis diem commemora- 
mus, his purgatae sacrificiis, 
indulgentiam pariter et re- 
quiem capiant sempiternam. 



At that time, Jesus said to 
the multitudes of the Jews, 
All that the Father giveth 
Me shall come to Me; and 
him that cometh to Me I will 
not cast out: because I came 
down from heaven, not to do 
My own will, but the will of 
Him "Who sent Me. Xow 
this is the will of the Father 
Who sent Me, that of all that 
He hath given Me I should 
lose nothing, but should raise 
it up again in the last day; 
and this is the will of My 
Father that sent Me, that 
every one who seeth the 
Son and believeth in Him, 
may have life everlasting; 
and I will raise him up in the 
last day. 

Be propitious, O Lord, to 
our supplications for the 
souls of Thy servants, whose 
anniversary is this day com- 
memorated, for whom we 
offer Thee the sacrifice of 
praise; that Thou mayest 
vouchsafe to associate them 
to the company of Thy saints. 

Grant, we beseech Thee, O 
Lord, that the souls of Thy 
servants, whose anniversary 
we commemorate, purified by 
this sacrifice, may obtain 
pardon and everlasting rest. 



When the anniversary is of one person the prayers are to be said 
in the singular number. 



Other Collects or Prayers for various intentions, e.g.. for the 
repose of the soul of a Bishop or of a Priest, of one man or of 
one woman, of a father or of a mother, may be found after Ves- 
pers and Lauds in the Office for the Dead. 



IOI2 



Litanies. 



Xttames* 



Xitan^ of tbe Saints, 



*"|"^E reminiscaris, Domine, 

r-*-fc delict a nostra vel 

parentum nostrorum; neque 

vlndictam sumas de peccatis 

nostris. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

Christe, eleison. 

Christe, eleison. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

Kyrie, eleison. 

Christe, audi nos. 

Christe, exaudi nos, 

Pater de ccelis Deus, Mise- 
rere nobis. 

Fili Redemptor mundi, 
Deus, Miserere nobis. 

Spirtus Sancte Deus, Miserere 
nobis. 

Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus, 

Miserere nobis. 
Sancta Maria, Ora, etc. 
Sancta Dei genitrix, Ora, etc. 
Sancta Virgo virginum, Ora, 

etc. 

Sancte Michael, Ora, etc. 
Sancte Gabriel, Ora, etc. 
Sancte Raphael, Ora, etc. 
Omnes sancti Angeli et Arch- 

angeli, Orate, etc. 
Omnes sancti beatorum Spi- 

rituum ordines, Orate, etc. 
Sancte Joannes Baptista, Ora, 

etc. 

Sancte Joseph, Ora, etc. 
Omnes sancti Patriarchal 
Orate, etc. 



EMEMBER not, O 
r*-\j Lord, our offences, nor 
those of our fathers; neither 
take Thou vengeance of our 
sins. 

Lord, have mercy. 

Lord, have mercy. 

Christ, have mercy. 

Christ, have mercy. 

Lord, have mercy. 

Lord, have mercy. 

Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. 

God the Father of heaven, 

Have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the 

world, Have mercy on us. 
God the Holy Ghost, Have 

mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, Have 

mercy on us. 
Holy Mary, pray for us. 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of virgins, 

St. Michael, 
St. Gabriel, 
St. Raphael, 

All ye holy angels and 

archangels, 
All ye holy orders of 

blessed spirits, 
St. John Baptist, 

St. Joseph, 

All ye holy Patriarchs 
and Prophets, 



Litanies, 



1013 



Sancte Petre, 
Sancte Paule, 
Sancte Andrea, 
Sancte Jacobe, 
Sancte Joannes, 
Sancte Thoma, 
Sancte Jacobe, 
Sancte Philippe, 
Sancte Bartholomaee, 
Sancte Matthaee, 
Sancte Simon, 
Sancte Thaddaee, 
Sancte Matthia, 
Sancte Barnaba, 
Sancte Luca, 
Sancte Marce, J 
Omnes sancti Apostoli et 

Evangelistae, Orate, etc. 
Omnes sancti Discipuli 

Domini, Orate, etc. 
Omnes sancti Innocentes, 

Orate, etc. 
Sancte Stephane, Ora, etc. 
Sancte Laurenti, Ora, etc. 
Sancte Vincenti, Ora, etc. 
Sancti Fabiane et Sebas- 

tiane, 

Sancti Joannes et Paule, 
Sancti Cosma et Da- 

miane, 
Sancti Gervasi et Protasi, 
Omnes sancti martyres, 
Sancte Sylvesteer, 
Sancte Gregori, 
Sancte Ambrosi, 
Sancte Augustine, 
Sancte Hieronyme, 
Sancte Martine, 
Sancte Nicolas, 
Omnes sancti Pontifices et 

Confessores, Orate, etc. 



St. Peter, 

St. Paul, 

St. Andrew, 

St. James, 

St. John, 

St. Thomas, 

St. James, 

St. Philip, 

St. Bartholomew, 

St. Matthew, 

St. Simon, 

St. Thaddeus, 

St. Matthias, 

St. Barnabas, 

St. Luke, 

St. Mark, 

All ye holy apostles and 

evangelists, 
All ye holy disciples of 

Our Lord, 
All ye holy Innocents, 

St. Stephen, 
St. Lawrence, 
St. Vincent, 

SS. Fabian and Sebas- 
tian, 

SS. John and Paul, 

SS. Cosmas and Damian, 

SS. Gervase and Protase, 
All ye holy martyrs, 
St. Sylvester, 
St. Gregory, 
St. Ambrose, 
St. Augustine, 
St. Jerome, 
St. Martin, 
St. Nicholas, 
All ye holy bishops and 
confessors, 



ioi4 



Litanies, 



Omnes sancti 

Orate, etc. 
Sancte Antoni, 
Sancte Benedicte, 
Sancte Bernarde, 
Sancte Dominice, 
Sancte Francisce, 
Omnes sancti Sacerdotes et 

Levitae, Orate, etc. 
Omnes sancti Monachi et 

Eremitae, Orate, etc. 
Sancta Maria Magda 

lena, 
Sancta Agatha, 
Sancta Lucia, 
Sancta Agnes, 
Sancta Caecilia, 
Sancta Catharina, 
Sancta Anastasia, 
Omnes sanctae Virgines 

Viduae, orate, etc. 
Omnes Sancti et Sanctae 

Dei, 

Intercedite pro nobis. 

Propitius esto, 

Parce nobis, Domine. 

Propitius esto, 

Exaudi nos, Domine. 

Ab omni malo, Libera nos, 

Domine. 
Ab omni peccato ; 
* Ab ira tua, 
A subitanea et improvisa 

morte, 
Ab insidiis diaboli, 



Doctores, All ye holy Doctors, 



St. Anthony. 
St. Benedict, 
St. Bernard, 
St. Dominic, 
St. Francis, 

All ye holy Priests and 

Levites, 
All ye holy Monks and 

Hermits, 
St. Mary Magdalene, 

St. Agatha, 

St. Lucy, 

St. Agnes, 

St. Cecily, 

St. Catharine, 

St. Anastasia, 

All ye holy Virgins and 

Widows, 
All ye holy Men and 
Women, saints of God, 
Make intercession for us. 
Be merciful, 
Spare us, O Lord. 
Be merciful, 
Graciously hear us 
From all evil, O 

liver us. 
From all sin, 
* From Thy wrath, 
From sudden and 
looked-for death, 
From the snares of 
devil. 



et 



O Lord, 
Lord, de- 



the 



8 a. 



* Here, for the Devotion of the Forty Hours, is inserted: 
Ab imminentibus periculis, From dangers that threaten us, 

A flagello terraemotus. . From the scourge of earth- 

quakes, 

A peste, fame, et bello, From plague, famine, and war. 



Litanies. 



1015 



Ab ira, et odio, et omni 

mala voluntate, 
A spiritu fornicationis, 

A fulgure et tempestate, 

A flagello terraemotus, 

A peste, fame, et bello, 

A morte perpetua, 

Per mysterium sanctae 

Incarnationis tuae, 
Per adventum tuum, 
Per nativitatem tuam, 
Per baptismum et sanc- 
tum jejunium tuum, 
Per crucem et Passionem 
tuam, 

Per mortem et sepul- 

turam tuam, 
Per Sanctam Resurrec- 

tionem tuam, 
Per admirabilem Ascen- 

sionem tuam, 
Per adventum Spiritus 

Sancti Paracliti, 

In die judicii, 
Peccatores, 

Te rogamus, audi nos. 
Ut nobis parcas, 

Ut nobis indulgeas, 

Ut ad veram pcenitentiam 
nos perducere digneris, 

Ut Ecclesiam tuam sanc- 
tam regere et conser- 
vare digneris, 



From anger, and hatred, 
and every evil will, 

From the spirit of for- 
nication, 

From lightning and 
tempest, 

From the scourge of 
earthquakes, 

From plague, famine, 
and war, 

From everlasting death, 

Through the mystery of 
Thy holy Incarnation, 

Through Thy coming, 

Through Thy nativity, 

Through Thy baptism, 
and holy fasting, 

Through Thy cross and 
Passion, 

Through Thy death and 
burial, 

Through Thy 
Resurrection, 

Through Thine admir- 
able Ascension, 

Through the coming of 
the Holy Ghost the 
Paraclete, 

In the day of judgment, 
We sinners, 

Beseech Thee, hear us. 

That Thou wouldst 
spare us, 

That Thou wouldst par- 
don us, 

That Thou wouldst bring 
us to true penance, 

That Thou wouldst 
vouchsafe to govern 
and preserve Thy holy 
Church, 



holy 



ioi6 



Litanies. 



* Ut Domnum Apostoli- 
cum, et omnes eccles- 
iasticos ordines in 
sancta religione con- 
servare digneris, 

Ut inimicos sanctae Ec- 
clesiae humiliare dig- 
neris, 

Ut regibus et principibus 
Christianis pacem et 
veram concordiam do- 
nare digneris, 

Ut cuncto populo Chris- 
tiano pacem et uni- 
tatem largiri digneris, 

Ut nosmetipsos in tuo 
sancto servitio confor- 
tare et conservare dig- 
neris, 

Ut mentes nostras ad 
ccelestia desideria eri- 
gas, 

Ut omnibus benefacto- 
ribus sempiterna bona 
retribuas, 

Ut animas nostras, fra- 
trum, propinquorum, 
et benefactorum no- 
strorum ab aeterna 
damnatione eripias, 



* That Thou wouldst 
vouchsafe to preserve 
our Apostolic Prelate, 
and all orders to the 
Church in holy re- 
ligion, 

That Thou wouldst 
vouchsafe to humble 
the enemies of holy 
Church, 

That Thou wouldst 
vouchsafe to give 
peace and true con- 
cord to Christian kings 
and princes, 

That Thou wouldst 
vouchsafe to grant 
peace and unity to all 
Christian people, 

That Thou wouldst 
vouchsafe to confirm 
and preserve us in Thy 
holy service, 

That Thou wouldst lift 
up our minds to heav- 
enly desires, 

That Thou wouldst ren- 
der eternal blessings to 
all our benefactors, 

That Thou wouldst de- 
liver our souls, and 
the souls of our 
brethren, relations, and 
benefactors from eter- 
nal damnation. 



* For the Devotion of the Forty Hours, insert: 
Ut Tucarum, et haere ticorum That Thou wouldst vouchsafe 
conatus reprimere et ad nihi- to check and bring to naught 

lum redigere digneris, the attempts of all Turks 

and heretics. 



Litanies. 



1017 



Ut fructus terrae dare 
et conservare digneris, 



Ut omnibus fidelibus de- 
functis requiem aeter- 
nam donare digneris, 

Ut nos exaudire digneris, 



Fili Dei, 
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata 

mundi, 
Parce nobis, Domine. 
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata 

mundi, 
Exaudi nos, Domine. 
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata 

mundi, 
Miserere nobis. 
Christe, audi nos, 
Christe, exaudi nos. 
Kyrie, eleison. 
Christe, eleison. 
Kyrie, eleison. 

Pater noster (secreto). 

V. Et ne nos inducas in 
tentationem. 

R. Sed libera nos a malo. 

PSALM 

^r^EUS in adjutorium me- 
um intende: Domine, 
ad adjuvandum me festina. 

Confundantur et reve- 
reantur: qui quaerunt ani- 
mam meam. 

Avertantur retrorsum, et 
erubescant, qui volunt mihi 
mala. 

Avertantur statim eru- 



5 



That Thou wouldst 

vouchsafe to give and 

preserve the fruits of 

the earth, 
That Thou wouldst 

vouchsafe to grant 

eternal rest to all the ^ 

faithful departed, 
That Thou wouldst 

vouchsafe graciously 

to hear us, 
Son of God, 
Lamb of God, Who takest 

away the sins of the world, 
Spare us, O Lord. 
Lamb of God, Who takest 

away the sins of the world, 
Graciously hear us, O Lord. 
Lamb of God, Who takest 

away the sins of the world, 
Have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us, 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 

Our Father {secretly). 

V. And lead us not into 
temptation. 

R. But deliver us from evil. 

LXIX. 

OGOD, come to my 
assistance: O Lord, 
make haste to help me. 

Let them be confounded 
and ashamed: that seek 
after my soul. 

Let them be turned back- 
ward, and blush for shame, 
that desire evils unto me. 
Let them be straightway 



ioi8 



Litanies. 



bescentes, qui dicunt mihi: 
Euge, euge. 

Exultent et laetentur in 
te omnes qui quaerunt te; 
et dicant semper: Magni- 
ficetur Dominus: qui dili- 
gunt salutare tuum. 

Ego vero egenus et 
pauper sum: Deus, adju- 
va me. 

Adjutor meus et liberator 
meus es tu: Domine, ne 
moreris. 

Gloria Patri, etc. 

V. Salvos fac servos tuos. 

R. Deus meus, speran- 
tes in te. 

V. Esto nobis, Domine, 
turris fortitudinis. 

R. A facie inimici. 

V. Nihil proficiat inimi- 
cus in nobis. 

R. Et films iniquitatis non 
apponat nocere nobis. 

V. Domine, non secun- 
dum peccata nostra, facias 
nobis. 

R. Neque secundum in- 
iquitates nostras retribuas 
nobis 

V. Oremus pro Pontifice 
nostro, N. 

R. Dominus conservet 
eum, et vivificet eum, et 
beatum faciat eum in terra; 
et non tradat eum in animam 
inimicorum ejus. 

V. Oremus pro bene- 
factoribus nostris. 



turned backward blushing 
for shame, that say unto me: 
'Tis well, 'tis well. 

Let all that seek Thee 
be joyful and glad in Thee; 
and let such as love Thy 
salvation say always, The 
Lord be magnified. 

But I am needy and poor: 
O God, help Thou me. 

Thou art my helper and 
my deliverer: O Lord, make 
no long delay. 

Glory be, etc. 

V. Save Thy servants. 

R. Who hope in Thee, 
O my God. 

V. Be unto us, O Lord, 
a tower of strength. 

R. From the face of the 
enemy. 

V. Let not the enemy 
prevail against us. 

R. Nor the son of iniquity 
approach to hurt us. 

V. O Lord, deal not with 
us according to our sins. 

R. Neither requite us ac- 
cording to our iniquities. 

V. Let us pray for our 
Sovereign Pontiff, N. 

R. The Lord preserve him 
and give him life, and make 
him blessed upon the earth; 
and deliver him not up to the 
will of his enemies. 

V. Let us pray for our 
benefactors. 



Litanies. 



1019 



R. Retribuere dignare, Do- 
mine, omnibus nobis bona 
facientibus propter nomen 
tuum vitam aeternam. Amen. 

V. Oremus pro fidelibus 
defunctis. 

R. Requiem aeternam dona 
eis, Domine; et lux per- 
petua luceat eis. 

V. Requiescant in pace. 
R. Amen. 

V. Pro fratribus nostris 
absentibus. 

R. Salvos fac servos tuos, 
Deus meus, sperantes in te. 

V. Mitte eis, Domine, 
, uxilium de sancto. 

R. Et de Sion tuere eos. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad 
te veniat. 

Oremus. 
'Y^HUS, cui proprium est 
M V J misereri semper, et 
parcere: suscipe depreca- 
tionem nostram; ut nos, et 
omnes f amulos tuos, quos de- 
lictorum catena constringit, 
miseratio tuae pietatis cle- 
ment er ab sol vat. 



Exaudi, quaesumus, Do- 
mine, supplicum preces, et 
confitentium tibi parce pec- 
catis: ut pariter nobis in- 
dulgentiam tribuas benignus 
et pacem. 



R. Vouchsafe, O Lord, for 
Thy name's sake, to reward 
with eternal life all those 
who do us good. Amen. 

V. Let us pray for the 
faithful departed. 

R. Eternal rest give unto 
them, O Lord: and let 
perpetual light shine upon 
them. 

V. Let them rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

V. For our absent breth- 
ren. 

R. Save Thy servants, who 
hope in Thee, O my God. 

V. Send them help, O 
Lord, from the sanctuary. 

R. And defend them out 
of Sion. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Whose prop- 
erty is always to 
have mercy and to spare, 
receive our humble petition ; 
that we, and all Thy ser- 
vants who are bound by 
the chain of sins, may by 
the compassion of Thy 
goodness, mercifully be ab- 
solved. 

Graciously hear, we be- 
seech Thee, O Lord, the 
prayers of Thy suppliants, 
and forgive the sins of them 
that confess to Thee; that, 
in Thy bounty, Thou mayest 
grant us both pardon and 
peace. 



1020 



Litanies. 



Ineffabilem nobis, Domi- 
ne, misericordiam tuam cle- 
menter ostende: ut simul 
nos et a peccatis omnibus 
exuas, et a poenis, quas pro 
his meremur, eripias. 



Deus, qui culpa offenderis, 
poenitentia placaris: preces 
populi tui supplicantis pro- 
pitius respice; et flagella 
tuae iracundiae, quae pro pec- 
catis nostris meremur, aver- 
te. 

Omnipotens sempiterne 
Deus, miserere famulo tuo 
Pontifici nostro N. et dirige 
eum secundum tuam cle- 
mentiam in viam salutis aeter- 
nae: ut te donante tibi pla- 
cita cupiat, et tota virtute 
perficiat. 



Deus, a quo sancta de- 
sideria, recta consilia, et 
justa sunt opera: da ser- 
vis tuis illam, quam mun- 
dus dare non potest pacem; 
ut et corda nostra mandatis 
tuis dedita, et hostium su- 
blata formidine, tempora sint 
tua protectione tranquilla. 



Ure igne Sancti Spiritus 
renes nostros et cor no- 
strum, Domine : ut tibi casto 
corpore serviamus, et mun- 
do corde placeamus. 



Show forth upon us, O 
Lord, in Thy mercy, Thy 
unspeakable loving kind- 
ness; that Thou mayest both 
loose us from all our sins, 
and deliver us from the 
punishments which we de- 
serve for them. 

O God, Who by sin art 
offended, and by penance 
pacified, mercifully regard 
the prayers of Thy people 
making supplication to Thee, 
and turn away the scourges 
of Thine anger, which we 
deserve for our sins. 

Almighty, everlasting God, 
have mercy upon Thy ser- 
vant, N., our Sovereign 
Pontiff, and direct him, 
according to Thy clemency, 
into the way of everlasting 
salvation; that by Thy 
grace he may both desire 
those things that are pleas- 
ing to Thee, and perform 
them with all his strength. 

O God, from Whom all 
holy desires, all right coun- 
sels, and all just works do 
come, give unto Thy ser- 
vants that peace which 
the world can not give; 
that both our hearts being 
devoted to the keeping of 
Thy commandments and the 
fear of enemies being taken 
away, we may pass our time, 
by Thy protection, peace- 
fully. 

Inrlame, O Lord, our reins 
and heart with the fire of 
the Holy Ghost; that we 
may serve Thee with a 
chaste body, and please Thee 
with a clean heart. 



Litanies. 



1021 



Fidelium Deus omnium O God, the Creator and 

Conditor et Redemptor, ani- Redeemer of all the faith- 

mabus famulorum famula- ful, give to the souls of 

rumque tuarum remissionem Thy servants departed the 

cunctorum tribue pecca- remission of all their sins,* 

torum: ut indulgent iam, . that through pious suppli- 

quam semper optaverunt, cations they may obtain 

piis supplicationibus conse- the pardon which they have 

quantur. always desired. 

Actiones nostras, quaesu- Anticipate, we beseech 

mus, Domine, aspirando prae- Thee, O Lord, our actions 

veni, et adjuvando prose- by Thy inspirations, and 

quere: ut cuncta nostra further them with Thy con - 

oratio et operatio a te sem- tinual help; that every 

per incipiat, et per te ccepta prayer and work of ours 

finia,tur. may always begin from 

Thee, and Through Thee be 
likewise ended.* 

* ADDITIONAL COLLECTS. 

(Which are occasionally inserted here in some Religious Houses.) 
Colled for the Sick. 
V Q^LMIGHTY and most merciful God, Who hast prepared 
zJr-*- for mankind the means of salvation, and the rewards 
of eternal life; look down in Thy mercy on Thy servants now 
laboring under the calamity of sickness, and be Thou the com- 
fort of their souls which Thou hast created, that at the hour of 
death they may be presented to Thee by the hands of angels, 
without spot. 

Collect of St. Joseph. 
^0"*SSIST us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, by the merits of the 
gJ<— spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that what of ourselves 
we can not obtain may be given us by his intercession with Thee. 
Collect for Fair Weather. 
RACIOUSLY hear us, O Lord, who cry unto Thee, and 
\£) grant fair weather to us Thy supplicants, that we who are 
justly afflicted for our sins, may experience Thy mercy and 
clemency. 

Collect for Rain. 

#^[RANT us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, wholesome rain, and 
\£J graciously pour out showers from heaven on the parched 
face of the earth. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Colled in Time of War. 

OGOD, Who exterminatest wars and tightest for Thy soldiers 
who put their trust in Thee, by the power of Thy defence, 
help, we beseech Thee, Thy servants, who implore Thy mercy, 



I 02 2 



Litanies, 



Omnipotens sempiterne 
Deus, qui vivorum domi- 
naris simul et mortuorum, 
omniumque misereris, quos 
tuos fide et opere futuros 
esse praenoscis: te supplices 
exoramus, ut pro quibus 
effundere preces decrevimus, 
quosque vel praesens saecu- 
lum adhuc in carne retinet, 
vel futurum jam exutos 
corpore suscepit, interce- 
dentibus omnibus Sanctis 
tuis, pietatis tuae dementia 
omnium delictorum suorum 
veniam consequantur. Per 
Dominum nostrum. 



R. Amen. 

V. Domine, exaudi ora- 
tionem meam. 

R. Et clamor meus ad te 
veniat. 

V. Exaudiat nos omnipo- 
tens et misericors Dominus. 

R. Amen. 

V. Et fidelium animae per 
misericordiam Dei requie- 
scant in pace. 

R. Amen.* 



Almighty, everlasting God, 
Who hast dominion over the 
living and the dead, and art 
merciful to all whom Thou 
foreknowest will be Thine 
by faith and works; we 
humbly beseech Thee that 
they for whom we intend 
to pour forth our prayers, 
whether this present world 
still detain them in the 
flesh, or the world to come 
hath already received them 
stripped of their mortal 
bodies, may, by the grace of 
Thy loving kindness, and by 
the intercession of all the 
saints, obtain the remission 
of all their sins. Through 
Thy Son, Jesus Christ our 
Lord, Who liveth and 
reigneth with Thee, in the 
unity of the Holy Spirit, 
God for ever and ever. 

R. Amen. 

V. O Lord, hear my 
prayer. 

R. And let my cry come 
unto Thee. 

V. May the almighty and 
merciful Lord graciously 
hear us. 

R. Amen. 

V. And may the souls of 
the faithful, through the 
mercy of God, rest in peace. 

R. Amen. 



that the fierceness of the enemy being brought low, we may praise 
Thee with unceasing thanks. 

* In other parts of this book will be found the Litany of the 
Holy Name of Jesus, p. 134; the Litany of the Sacred Heart, 
p. 651; the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Loretto), p. 146; 
the Litany of the Blessed Sacrament, p. 648; the Litany of 
the Passion, p. 694; the Litany of the Guardian Angel, p. 579; 
the Litany for a Happy Death, p. 898. 



Litanies. 



1023 



Xttang for tbe jFaitbful Departed. 

(For private devotion.) 

ORD, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 
A * Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on the souls of the 

faithful departed. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, \ 
God the Holy Ghost, l| 
Holy Trinity, one God, | §■ 

Holy Mary, Mother of God, 
St. Michael, 

All ye angels and archangels, 
All ye orders of blessed spirits, 
St. Joseph, 

All ye holy patriarchs and prophets, 
All ye holy apostles and evangelists, 
All ye holy martyrs, 
All ye holy bishops and confessors, 
All ye holy doctors, 
All ye holy priests and Levites, 
All ye holy monks and hermits, 
All ye holy virgins and widows, 

All ye saints of God, j 
Be merciful, spare them, O Lord. 
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord. 
From all evil, 

From the rigor of Thy justice, 

From the power of the devil, 
From long-enduring sorrow, £■* 
From cruel flames, 
From horrible darkness, 
From dreadful weeping and wailing, 
Through Thy holy nativity, 
Through Thy most sweet name, 
Through Thy most profound humiliations, 
Through Thine infinite love, 
Through Thy bloody sweat, 



1024 



Litanies. 



to 

sift- 



Through Thy scourging, 
Through Thy crowning with thorns, 
Through Thy carrying of the cross, 
Through Thy most cruel death, 
Through Thy five most holy wounds, 
In the day of judgment, 
We sinners, beseech Thee, hear us. 
Thou Who forgavest Magdalen, and didst grant the 

prayer of the thief, 
That Thou wouldst be pleased to deliver the souls of our 

parents, relations, friends, and benefactors, from the 

pains of hell, 

That Thou wouldst be pleased to have mercy on those of 
whom no special remembrance is made on earth, 

That Thou wouldst be pleased to grant them all the par- 
don and remission of their sins, 

That Thou wouldst be pleased to receive them into the 
company of the blessed, 

King of awful majesty, 

Son of God, 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant 

unto them rest. 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant 

unto them rest. 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant 

unto them rest everlasting. 
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 

From the gate of hell, deliver their souls, O Lord. 

O Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry come unto Thee. 

Let us pray, 

OGOD, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, 
grant unto the souls of Thy servants departed the 
remission of all their sins; that, by pious supplications, 
they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. 
Grant this, O God, Who livest and reignest for ever and 
ever. Amen. 

O eternal God, Who, besides the general precept of 
charity, hast commanded a particular respect for parents, 



Psalter of Jesus, 



1025 



kindred, and benefactors; grant, we beseech Thee, that, 
as they were the instruments by which Thy providence 
bestowed on us our birth, education, and innumerable other 
blessings, so our prayers may be the means to obtain for 
them a speedy release from their excessive sufferings, and 
admittance to Thine infinite joys. Through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. 

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord. 
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them. 
V. May they rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 



Cbe ©ealter of Jesus* 

Recited during Lent in Many Convents, 
PART I. 

% J I'T the name of Jesus let every knee bow of those that 
are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; and 
let every tongue confess that Our Lord Jesus Christ is in the 
glory of God the Father. 

First Petition. 



Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, >• Have mercy on us. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, have mercy on us, O God of compassion, and for- 
give the many and great offences we have committed in Thy 
sight. 

Many have been the follies of our lives and great are the 
miseries we have deserved for our ingratitude. 

Have mercy on us, dear Jesus, for we are weak; O Lord, 
heal us who are unable to help ourselves. 

Deliver us from setting our hearts upon any of Thy crea- 
tures, which may divert our eyes from a continual looking 
up to Thee. 

Grant us grace henceforth, for the love of Thee, to hate 
sin, and, out of a just esteem of Thee, to despise all worldly 
vanities. 

Have mercy on all sinners, Jesus, we beseech Thee; turn 
their vices into virtues, and making them true observers 
of Thy law, and sincere lovers of Thee; bring them to bliss 
in everlasting glory. 

Have mercy also on the souls in purgatory, for Thy bitter 



1026 



Psalter of Jesus. 



Passion, we beseech Thee, and for Thy glorious name, Jesus. 

Blessed Trinity, one eternal God, have mercy on us. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc.* 

Second Petition. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, hHelp us. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, help us to overcome all temptations to sin, and the 
malice of our ghostly enemy. 

Help us to spend our time in virtuous actions, and in 
such labors as are acceptable to Thee. 

To render our hearts enamored of virtue, and inflamed 
with a strong desire of Thy glorious presence. 

Help us to deserve and keep a good name, by a peaceful 
and pious living to Thy honor, O Jesus, our own comfort, 
and the benefit of others. 

Have mercy, etc. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Hary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Third Petition. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, >■ Strengthen us. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, strengthen us in soul and body, to please Thee in 
executing such works of mercy as may bring us to everlasting 
joy and felicity. 

Grant us a firm purpose, most merciful Saviour, to amend 
our lives and atone for the years past. 

Those years which we have misspent to Thy displeasure, 
in vain or wicked thoughts, words, deeds, and evil customs. 

Make our hearts obedient to Thy will, and ready for Thy 
love, to perform every work of mercy. 

Grant us the gifts of the Holy Ghost, which, through a 
virtuous life and a devout frequenting of Thy most holy sacra- 
ments, may at length bring us to Thy heavenly kingdom. 

Have mercy, etc. 

Our Father, etc Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Fourth Petition. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, > Comfort us. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

* Have mercy, etc.; O Blessed Trinity, etc.; Our Father, etc., 
are repeated at the end of every petition. 



Psalter of Jesus. 



1027 



Jesus, comfort us, and grant us grace to place our chief, 
our only joy and felicity in Thee. 

Send us heavenly meditations, spiritual sweetnesses, 
and fervent desires of Thy glory; fill our souls with the 
contemplation of heaven, where we shall everlastingly dwell 
with Thee. 

Bring often to our remembrance Thine unspeakable 
goodness, Thy gifts, and the great mercy which Thou hast 
shown us. 

And when Thou bringest to our minds the sad remem- 
brance of our sins, whereby we have so ungratefully offended 
Thee, 

Comfort us with the assurance of obtaining Thy grace, 
by the spirit of perfect repentance, which may cleanse away 
our guilt, and prepare us for Thy kingdom. 

Have mercy, etc. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Fifth Petition. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, > Make us constant. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, make us constant in faith, hope, and charity; give 
us perseverance in all virtues, and a resolution never to 
offend Thee. 

Let the memory of Thy Passion, and of those bitter pains 
Thou didst suffer for us, strengthen our patience, and sup- 
port us in all tribulation and adversity. 

Let us always hold fast the doctrines of the Catholic Church, 
and render us diligent frequenters of all holy duties. 

Let no false delight of this deceitful world blind us, no 
evil temptation or fraud of the devil shake our hearts, 

Those hearts, which have for ever set up their rest in 
Thee, and resolved to undervalue all for Thy eternal reward. 

Have mercy, etc. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself, being made 
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

Hear these our petitions, O most merciful Saviour, and 
grant us Thy grace so frequently to repeat and consider 
them, that they may prove easy steps whereby our souls 
may ascend to the knowledge, love, and performance of 
our duty to Thee and our neighbor, through the whole course 
of our lives. 

R. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Creed. 



1028 



Psalter of Jesus. 



PART II. 
At the name of Jesus, etc. 

Sixth Petition. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ] 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, > Enlighten us with spiritual wisdom. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, enlighten us with spiritual wisdom, that we may 
know Thy goodness, and all those things which are most 
acceptable to Thee. 

Grant us a clear apprehension of our only good, and dis- 
cretion to order our lives according to it. 

Grant that we may wisely proceed from virtue to virtue, 
until at length we arrive at the clear vision of Thy glorious 
majesty. 

Permit us not, dear Lord, to return to those sins for which 
we have sorrowed, and from which we have been cleansed 
by confession. 

Grant us grace to benefit the souls of others, by our good 
example, and to assist those by good counsel whom Thou 
hast confided to our care. 

Have mercy, etc. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Seventh Petition. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, >- Grant us grace to fear Thee. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, grant us grace inwardly to fear Thee, and to avoid 
all occasions of offending Thee. 

Let the threats of the torments which are to fall on sinners, 
the fear of losing Thy love and Thy heavenly inheritance, 
always keep us in awe. 

Let us not dare to remain in sin, but return soon to re- 
pentance, lest, through Thine anger, the dreadful sentence 
of endless death and damnation fall upon us. 

Let the powerful intercession of Thy blessed Mother, and 
all Thy saints, but above all, Thine own merits and mercy, 
O my Saviour, ever be between Thine avenging justice and 
our poor souls. 

Enable us, O my God, to work out our salvation with fear 
and trembling, and let the apprehension of Thy secret judg- 
ments render us more humble and diligent supplicants at 
the throne of Thy grace. 

Have mercy, etc. 



Psalter of Jesus. 



1029 



Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Eighth Petition. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ] 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, \ Grant us grace to love Thee. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, grant us grace truly to love Thee, for Thine infinite 
goodness, and those excessive bounties we have received, 
and hope for ever to receive, from Thee. 

Let the remembrance of Thy goodness and patience 
conquer the malice and wretched inclinations of our per- 
verse nature. 

Let the consideration of Thy many deliverances, Thy 
frequent calls, and continual assistance in the ways of life, 
make us ashamed of our ingratitude. 

And what dost Thou require of us for all Thy mercies, or 
by them, but to love Thee? and why dost Thou require it, 
but because Thou art our only good? 

O dear Lord, our whole life shall be nothing but a desire 
of Thee, and because we indeed love Thee, we will most 
diligently keep Thy commandments. 

Have mercy, etc. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Ninth Petition. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, V Grant us grace to remember our death. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, grant us grace always to remember our death, 
and the great account we are then to give ; that so our souls, 
being always well disposed, may depart out of this world 
in Thy grace. 

Then by the holy intercession of Thy blessed Mother, 
and the assistance of the glorious St. Michael, deliver us 
from the enemy of our souls: and do thou, our good angel, 
we beseech thee help us at that most important hour. 

Then, dear Jesus, remember Thy mercy and turn not 
Thy most amiable face away from us, because of our offences. 

Secure us against the terrors of that day, by causing us to 
die daily to earthly things, and to have our conversation 
continually in heaven. 

Let the remembrance of Thy death teach us to esteem 
our lives, and the memory of Thy Resurrection encourage 
us to descend cheerfully into the grave. 

Have mercy, etc. 



1030 



Psalter of Jesus. 



Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 

etc. 

Tenth Petition. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, \ 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, > Send us here our purgatory. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, send us here our purgatory, and so prevent the 
torments of that cleansing fire which awaits those souls 
in the next world that have not been sufficiently cleansed 
in this. 

Vouchsafe to grant us those merciful crosses and afflictions 
which Thou seest necessary for taking off our affections from 
all things here below. 

Since none can see Thee who love anything which is not 
for Thy sake, suffer not our hearts to find any rest here, 
but in sighing after Thee. 

Too bitter, alas! will be the anguish of a soul which is 
separated from Thee, which desires, but cannot come to 
Thee, being bound with the heavy chains of sin. 

Here then, O my Saviour, keep us continually mortified 
to this world, that, being purified thoroughly by the fire 
of Thy love, we may immediately pass from hence into 
Thine everlasting possession. 

Have mercy, etc. Our Lord Jesus, etc. 

Hear these, etc. Our Father, etc. 

Hail Mary: Creed. 

PART III. 
At the name of Jesus, etc. 

Eleventh Petition. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, > Grant us grace to avoid bad company. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, grant us grace to avoid bad company and to shun 
the society of the worldly; but when duty or accident 
brings us into contact with them, we beseech Thee, by the 
sanctity of Thy conversation among sinners, to defend us 
and preserve us from being overcome by any temptations 
to mortal sin. 

Cause us, O Blessed Lord, to remember always with dread, 
that Thou art present and wilt take an account of all our 
words and actions, and judge us according to them. 

Repress in us, dear Jesus, all inordinate affection for the 
pleasures of taste and of sense, and grant us grace to avoid 
all such as would excite the fire of these unhappy appetites. 



Psalter of Jesus. 



1031 



Thy power defend, Thy wisdom direct, Thy fatherly 
pity chastise us and make us live so here among men that 
we may be fit for the conversation of angels hereafter. 

Have mercy on all sinners, Jesus, we beseech Thee, 
turn their vices into virtues, and making them true ob- 
servers of Thy law, and sincere lovers of Thee, bring them 
to bliss in everlasting glory. 

Have mercy also on the souls in purgatory, for Thy bitter 
Passion, we beseech Thee, and for Thy glorious name, Jesus. 

O Blessed Trinity, one eternal God, have mercy on us. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Twelfth Petition. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, >■ Grant us grace to call on Thee for help. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, grant us grace in all our necessities, to call on Thee 
for help, faithfully remembering Thy death and Resurrection 
for us. 

Wilt Thou be deaf to our cries, Whowouldst lay down 
Thy life for our ransom? or canst Thou not save us, Who 
couldst take it up again for our crown? 

Whom have we in heaven but Thee, O dear Jesus, Whose 
blessed mouth has pronounced: "Call on Me in the day of 
trouble and I will deliver thee"? 

Thou art our sure rock of defence against all sorts of 
enemies; Thou art our ready grace able to strengthen us in 
every good work. 

Therefore in all our sufferings, in all our weakness and 
temptations, we will confidently call on Thee; hear us, O 
Jesus, and when Thou hear est, have mercy. 

Have mercy, etc. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Thirteenth Petition. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, > Make us persevere in virtue. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, make us persevere in virtue and a good life, and 
never relinquish Thy service, till Thou bringest us to our 
reward in Thy kingdom. In all pious customs and holy 
duties, in our daily and necessary employments, continue 
and strengthen, O Lord, both our souls and bodies. 

Is our life anything but a pilgrimage on earth toward 
the new Jerusalem, to which he that sits down, or turns 



1032 



Psalter of Jesus. 



out of the way, can never arrive ? Jesus, make us always 
consider, through how much pain, and how little pleasure, 
Thou didst press on to a bitter death, that being the way to 
a glorious Resurrection. 

Make us, O dear Redeemer, seriously weigh those severe 
words of Thine: "He only that perseveres to the end shall 
be saved." 

Have mercy, etc. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Fourteenth Petition. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, v Grant us grace to fix our minds on Thee. 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) 

Jesus, grant us grace to fix our minds on Thee especially 
in time of prayer, when we directly converse with Thee. 

Stop the fancies of our wandering heads, and the desires 
of our unstable hearts; suppress the power of our spiritual 
enemies who endeavor to draw our minds from heavenly 
thoughts to many vain imaginations. 

So shall we, with joy and gratitude, look on Thee as our 
deliverer from all the evils we have escaped, and as our 
benefactor for all the good we have received or can hope for. 

We shall see that Thou Thyself art our only good, and 
that all other things are but means ordained by Thee, to 
make us fix our minds on Thee, to make us love Thee more 
and more, and, by loving Thee, to be eternally happy. 

O beloved of our souls, take up all our thoughts here, 
that our eyes, abstaining from all worldly vanities, may 
become worthy to behold Thee face to face in Thy glory for 
ever. 

Have mercy, etc. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Glory be to the Father, 
etc. 

Fifteenth Petition. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, ) Q us order Qur liveg 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, \ toward Q « r u 
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, J 

Jesus, grant us grace to order our lives toward our eternal 
welfare, heartily intending and wisely designing all the 
operations of our souls and bodies for obtaining the reward 
of Thine infinite bliss and eternal felicity. 

For what else is this world but a school to cultivate souls 
and fit them for the other world? And how are they to be 
fitted but by an eager desire of enjoying God, their only 
end? Break our froward spirits, O Jesus; make them 



Psalter of Jesus, 



humble and obedient; grant us grace to depart hence with 
contempt of this world and hearts rilled with joy at our 
going to Thee. 

Let the memory of Thy Passion make us cheerfully under- 
go all temptations and sufferings here for Thy love, whilst 
our souls breathe after that blissful life and immortal glory 
which Thou hast prepared in heaven for Thy servants. 

O Jesus, let us frequently and attentively consider, that 
whatsoever we gain, if we lose Thee, all is lost; and what- 
soever we lose, if we gain Thee, all is gained. 

Have mercy on all sinners, Jesus, we beseech Thee, turn 
their vices into virtues, and making them true observers 
of Thy law and sincere lovers of Thee, bring them to bliss 
in everlasting glory. 

Have mercy also on the souls in purgatory, for Thy bitter 
Passion we beseech Thee and for Thy glorious name, Jesus. 
O Blessed Trinity, etc. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself, becoming obedi- 
ent unto death even the death of the cross (Phil. ii. 8). 

Hear these our petitions, O most merciful Saviour, and 
grant us Thy grace so frequently to repeat and consider 
them, that they may prove easy steps whereby our souls 
may ascend to the knowledge, love, and performance of our 
duty to Thee and our neighbor through the whole course of 
our lives. 

R. Amen. 

Our Father, etc. Hail Mary, etc. Creed. 

Bevotione for BDvent anD JEmfcer 2>a£6** 

ASPIRATIONS. 

BEHOLD, O Lord! the affliction of Thy people, and send 
Him Whom Thou art to send. Send forth the Lamb, the 
Ruler of the earth, to free us from our chains: that being delivered 
from the hands of our enemies, we may serve Thee, O God! 
in holiness and justice, all the days of our lives. 

Be comforted, be comforted, my people! take courage and 
fear not; God Himself will come and save you. All flesh shall 
see the salvation of God. 

ANTHEMS. FROM THE ROMAN BREVIARY FOR ADVENT. 

HESE Anthems express and represent the ardent desires 
and wishes of the prophets for the coming of Christ, and 
ought to express the desire we have that Christ may be born in us 
by His grace. 

* From the " Visitation Manual." 



io34 



Psalter of Jesus. 



O WISDOM, Who didst proceed out of the mouth of the 
Most High, reaching from end to end, with might and 
with sweetness disposing all things: come and teach us the way 
of prudence. 

OADONAI, and Leader of the house of Israel, Who didst 
appear to Moses in the fire of the flaming bush, and 
didst give him the law on Sinai, come and save us with an out- 
stretched arm. 

OROOT of Jesse, Who art a signal to the people; in Whose 
presence kings shall be silent, and to Whom the Gentiles 
shall pray, come and deliver us now, and delay not. 

OKEY of David, and scepter of the house of Israel, Who 
openest and no man shutteth; Who shuttest and no man 
openeth, come and take out of prison him who is in fetters, and 
who sitteth in darkness and in the shadow of death. 

O ORIENT brightness of eternal light, and Sun of righteous- 
ness, come and enlighten those that sit in darkness and 
in the shadow of death. 

OKING of the Gentiles, and their desired One, the corner- 
stone that joinest the two walls; come and save man, 
whom Thou didst form out of slime. 

O EMMANUEL, our King and Lawgiver, the expectation 
of the Gentiles, and their Saviour, come and save us, O 
Lord, Our God. 

Prayer. 

HOU art already come, O Lord Jesus Christ! all the 
earth is filled with Thy mercies, and the Church through- 
out the world gives Thee thanks for having been made man 
for our salvation; yet, at the same time, she incessantly entreats 
Thee by her tears, her sighs, and fervent prayers, to save Thy 
people, and deliver them from the evils which they experience. 

Come, then, O Saviour of the world! to rescue my soul from 
the imminent dangers to which my past sins and my present 
weakness daily expose me. Come, and live in me by Thy grace, 
in the spirit of Thy sanctity, in the plenitude of Thy strength, 
in the perfection of Thy ways, in the truth of Thy virtues, and 
in the communion of Thy mysteries. Triumph over all adverse 
powers in Thy Holy Spirit, for the glory of Thy Father. Amen. 



A Liitte Book of Novenas, 



Ember Bags* 

HE Ember Days were instituted — 1. To consecrate by 
penance each of the four seasons of the year; 

2. To pray to God for the preservation of the fruits of the 
earth, and to give Him thanks for those already received; 

3. To beg of God worthy pastors for the Church, and to 
implore His blessing on those who are promoted to Holy Orders. 

Prayer. 

E beseech Thee, O Lord, mercifully to regard the devo- 
tion of Thy people, that mortifying their bodies by fast- 
ing, their minds may be refreshed by good works. Through 
Christ our Lord. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all He hath done 
for thee. 

Receive, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the offerings of our 
homage, and mercifully sanctify Thy own gifts. 

Bless and preserve, O Lord, the fruits of the earth. Enable 
us, by Thy grace, so to enjoy these and all other temporal bless- 
ings, that we may not lose those which are eternal. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst institute in Thy Church a sacred 
hierarchy, to be perpetuated without interruption to the end 
of the world, by the Sacrament of Holy Orders, hear the prayers 
which we humbly offer up to Thee, for those who are to be 
ordained at this time, that, strengthened by Thy grace and 
directed by Thy Spirit, they may please Thee to Whom they 
engage themselves, and by word and example, contribute to 
the salvation of souls, redeemed by Thy blood. W T ho livest 
and reignest, world without end. 1 Amen. 

H Xtttle Boofe of novcnas* 

IRovena for Gbristmae. 

1. GOD and Saviour of our souls, sweet Infant Jesus, 
Whom the angels and shepherds adored in the 
stable of Bethlehem on that holy night when Thou wert 
born of the Virgin Mary, we offer Thee our profound adora- 
tion and our most earnest thanksgiving for having become 
man for our redemption and salvation; grant that we may 
apply all our powers to fulfil Thy gracious designs, that we 

* We are indebted to Pagani and to the Sisters of Mercy 
" Choir Manual " for many novenas. 



1036 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



may become perfectly renewed in heart and inflamed with 
Thy holy love. 

Pater; Ave; Gloria. Sweet Jesus, be my love. 

2. O merciful Redeemer, Who didst vouchsafe to remain 
in the chaste cloister of Mary's womb, hidden and unknown, 
though Thou wast the Eternal Word, and the wisdom of 
the Father; grant that we may learn from Thee to love soli- 
tude and silence, and escape the evils that are found in the 
tumult and distractions of the world; grantus greater purity 
of mind and of heart; grant that we may glorify Thee, and 
edify others by our purity and modesty. 

Pater; Ave; Gloria, etc. 

3. O Infant God, Who, from the moment of Thy concep- 
tion in holy Mary's womb, didst offer Thyself to Thine 
eternal Father for the salvation of our souls, vouchsafe to 
give us a lively sense of the one thing necessary, so that we 
may labor zealously for others, and work out our own salva- 
tion in fear and trembling, yet with confidence in Thy love. 

Pater; Ave; Gloria, etc. 

4. O sweetest Jesus, Who didst go up to Bethlehem In 
the womb of Mary, to obey the commands of Caesar, who 
had ordered all his subjects to be enrolled; grant us grace to 
obey with alacrity the most arduous commands from those 
who hold Thy place over us. 

Pater; Ave; Gloria, etc. 

5. O most adorable Jesus, Who, upon Thy arrival at 
Bethlehem, wast rejected by all men; grant us to follow 
Thy example in sufferings and contempt, that we may wel- 
come Thee joyfully into our hearts, when Thou seekest an 
entrance there, either by holy inspirations or by Thy divine 
Sacraments. 

Pater; x\ve; Gloria, etc. 

6. O Divine Infant, Who, when excluded from Bethlehem, 
didst inspire Thy holy Mother to retire to a poor and wretched 
stable, in w r hich obscure and humble place it was Thy will 
to be born, in order to confound our pride, and to teach us 
humility. O grant that henceforward, conforming ourselves 
to Thy will; we may renounce all pomp and pride, and become 
truly meek and humble of heart. 

Pater; Ave; Gloria, etc. 

7. O Divine Word, Who for the love of us, Thy poor 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1037 



creatures, wast pleased to be born under the most lowly 
roof, to be wrapped in the meanest swaddling-bands, and 
to hi laid in a vile manger, amongst beasts, and to suffer a 
thousand evils. O grant that we also may renounce all 
♦worldly vanities, and embrace poverty of spirit, and morti- 
fication of the flesh, so necessary for our perfection. Grant 
that we may be thoroughly detached from creatures, and 
poor in all things save in Thy love and Thy grace. 
Pater; Ave; Gloria, etc. 

8. O divine Saviour, O King of peace, Who wast pleased 
to make Thy appearance amongst us when the whole world 
was in peace; vouchsafe to send us Thy peace, so that all 
our powers being brought into subjection to Thee, Thou 
mayest at the approaching solemnity be born anew in our 
souls. 

Pater; Ave; Gloria, etc. 

9. O divine Saviour, O King of immortal glory, Who, 
in Thy great mercy, didst come into the world to redeem 
us and to make us holy; grant that, denying all ungodliness 
and love of this world, we may live soberly in ourselves, 
justly toward our neighbor, and piously before Thee, that, 
so we may be happy with Thee for all eternity. 

Pater; Ave; Gloria, etc. 

PRAYER TO THE INFANT JESUS. 

aOME to me, O Divine Saviour! vouchsafe to be born in 
my heart; grant that, taught by Thine example, and 
assisted by Thy grace, I may be poor in spirit and humble of 
heart. Keep me chaste and obedient. I wish to live but for 
Thee, and to do all things purely for love of Thee. 

O my Jesus, my supreme and true Good! what can have 
attracted Thee from heaven to be born in a cave, if it be not 
the love that Thou bearest to man? What has drawn Thee 
from the bosom of Thy Father to lay Thyself down in a manger ? 
What has brought Thee down from Thy throne above the stars, 
to stretch Thyself on a little straw? What, from the midst of 
the nine choirs of angels, has placed Thee between two animals ? 
Thou dost inflame the seraphim with holy fire, and lo, Thou 
art trembling with cold in this stable! Thou dost give motion 
to the heavens and the sun, and now Thou canst not move 
without being carried in some one's arms! Thou dost provide 
both man and beast with food, and dost Thou now require a 
little milk to sustain Thy life! Thou art the delight of heaven,. 



io 3 8 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



and yet I hear Thee weep and moan ? Tell me who hath re- 
duced Thee to such misery ? "Who hath done this ? Love hath 
done it," says St. Bernard; the love that Thou bearest to man hath 
done it. 

O dearest Infant! tell me what Thou earnest on earth to do? 
Tell me whom Thou art seeking? Ah, I understand Thee now; 
Thou art come in order to die for me, to deliver me from an 
unhappy eternity. Thou art come to seek me, a lost sheep, 
in order that I may no more fly from Thee, but love Thee. Ah, 
my Jesus, my treasure, my life, my love, my all; if I do not 
love Thee, whom, then, shall I love ? Where can I find a father, 
a friend, a spouse more worthy of love than Thou, and who 
has loved me more than Thou hast done ? I am sorry because 
I did not love Thee and serve Thee more fervently. Forgive 
me, O my beloved Redeemer; for I repent of having treated 
Thee with ingratitude. I am sorry for it with all my heart. 
Pardon me, and give me Thy grace, that I may never again 
separate myself from Thee, and that I may love Thee constantly 
during the years that remain to me in this life. My Love, I 
give myself entirely to Thee. Dispose of all that I am, and 
of all that I have according to Thy will. May Thy holy will 
be done in me and through me. O Mary, thou art my advo- 
cate; thou dost obtain by thy prayers whatever thou wilt from 
thy Son; beg of Him to forgive me my offences, and to grant me 
holy perseverance unto death. St. Joseph, do thou also pray for 
me, that I may become daily more pleasing to Jesus. 



Venite, venite in Bethlehem; To Jesus, to Jesus in Beth- 



ADESTE FIDELES. 





TTH hearts truly grateful, 
i Come, all ye faithful, 



Natum videte 
Regem Angelorum: 
Venite adoremus, 
Venite adoremus, 
Venite adoremus Dominum. 



lehem ; 
See Christ your Saviour, 
Heaven's greatest favor. 
Let's hasten to adore Him; 
Let's hasten to adore Him; 
Let's hasten to adore Him; 
Our God and King. 



Deum de Deo, 
Lumen de Lumine, 
Gestant puellse viscera: 
Deum verum, 
Genitum, non factum: 
Venite adoremus, 



God to God equal; 
Light of Light eternal; 
Carried in Virgin's ever spot- 



less womb. 
He all. preceded, 
Begotten not created. 



A Little Book of Xovenas. 



1039 



Yenite adoremus, 

Venite adoremus Dominum. 

Cantet nunc Io! 

Chorus Angelorum: 

Cantet nunc aula ccelestium, 

Gloria 

In excelsis Deo! 

Yenite adoremus, 

Yenite adoremus, 

Yenite adoremus Dominum. 

Ergo qui natus 

Die hodierna, 

Jesu tibi sit gloria: 

Patris aeterni 

Yerbum caro factum; 

Yenite adoremus, 

Yenite adoremus, 

Yenite adoremus Dominum. 



Let's hasten to adore Him, etc. 



Angels now praise Him, 

Loud their voices raising, 

The heavenly mansions with 

joy now ring. 
Praise, honor, glory, 
To Him Who is most holy. 
Let's hasten to adore Him, etc. 



To Jesus, born this day, 
Grateful homage repay; 
To Him Who all heavenly 

gifts doth bring. 
Word uncreated, 
To our flesh united. 
Let's hasten to adore Him, etc. 



HYilX FOR CHRISTMAS DAY. 

{Another Version or the Adeste fideles.) 

Oh, come! all ye faithful! 

Triumphantly sing ! 
Come, see in the manger 

The angels' dread King! 
To Bethlehem hasten! 

With joyful accord; 
Oh, hasten ! oh, hasten ! 

To worship the Lord. 

True Son of the Father! 

He comes from the skies; 
The womb of the Yirgin 

He doth not despise; 
To Bethlehem hasten, etc. 

Not made but begotten, 
The Lord of all might, 

True God of true God, 
True Light of true Light; 

To Bethlehem hasten, etc. 



1 040 



A Littte Book of Novenas. 



Hark! to the angels! 

All singing in heaven, 
"To God in the highest 

High glory be given." 
To Bethlehem hasten, etc. 

To Thee, then, O Jesu! 

This day of Thy birth, 
Be glory and honor 

Through heaven and earth 
True Godhead Incarnate ! 

Omnipotent Word! 
Oh, hasten! oh, hasten! 

To worship the Lord. 

anotber IFtovena to tbe fbolg Gbito Jeaus. 

IN PREPARATION FOR CHRISTMAS. 

First Day. 

To the adorable interior of the holy Infant — His spirit, 
designs, thoughts, and intentions. 

NTER into the sanctuary, the divine interior of the 
holy Infant Jesus, and learn to form yours according 
to it. All divine, noble, humble, simple, generous, recollected, 
:-nd detached from the world, His every thought and inten- 
tion are solely directed to His Father's glory. There you 
will find no idle thoughts and projects — no vanities or self- 
seeking — no suspicious thoughts contrary to charity. 

Prayer. 

DORABLE interior of the Infant Jesus! I revere You 
from my heart. How do You confound our pride 
and human wisdom! Ah, teach me, divine Jesus, after Your 
example, to despise the world, and not to seek the eyes of 
others in my devotion. You, O my God! humbly conceal 
the treasures of grace and wisdom contained in Your divine 
mind, taking on Yourself the appearance of weakness, 
ignorance, and incapacity. Oh, heal my pride; remove my 
blindness and ignorance of interior things — dissipate my 
darkness — destroy my worldly notions — and render my 
thoughts, views, desires, and sentiments like to Yours. Amen 





A Little Book of Novenas. 



1041 



Eidi day say to Mary and Joseph: 

O BLESSED parents of the Infant Jesus, Mary, and 
Joseph, if we came to solicit you to obtain for us 
worldly prosperity, joys, honors, and comforts, our sighs 
could never reach the cradle of a God, poor, humble even 
to annihilation, forgotten, suffering, weak, and lying in a 
manger; but these are not our desires or petitions. No; 
we humbly and earnestly implore you to beg for us, at the 
crib of your Infant Son, that, like Him. and as His true and 
faithful followers, we may love to live in true humility — dis- 
engagement from creatures — contempt of the world and its 
vanities — constant recollection of the holy presence of God — 
fervor and fidelity in all our duties — and in the practice of 
the tenderest charity to all persons. May we never blush 
at the humility of the crib, nor at the poverty and simplicity 
of Bethlehem. May we ever rejoice at our happy lot as 
true spouses of Jesus Christ : ever in tender charity look 
with a compassionate eye on those who live but for this 
world, and continually pray that all may come to bless, to 
praise, and to love the Saviour Who comes to redeem them. 
Infant Jesus, poor and simple, grant our petition! 
Infant Jesus, humble and obedient, grant our petition! 
Infant Jesus, silent and recollected, grant our petition! 
Infant Jesus, inflamed with love for us, grant our petition! 
Holy Mother of the Infant Jesus, pray for us! 
Blessed St. Joseph, pray for us! 

All ye saints, devoted to the Holy Infancy of Jesus, pray 
for us! 

Second Day. 
To the Sacred Heart of the Infant Jesus. 
HIS day adore the Sacred Heart of your Infant Saviour — 
that Heart so full of tenderness and charity, that Heart 
so pure and holy, the beloved retreat of all interior and faithful 
souls. 

Prayer. 

O BLESSED Heart of the Infant Jesus! I adore and 
love you as the center of all hearts, and humbly en- 
treat you to give me grace henceforth to rest and repose in 
you, as in my true home. May you be my oratory, in 
which, and through which, I shall offer to the Eternal Father 



1042 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



all my requests, that He may receive them more propitiously. 
May you be my school, wherein I may learn that celestial 
science so different from worldly wisdom — those pure prin- 
ciples which lead to the interior life. In fine, may you, O 
Sacred Heart! be my treasury, and may I find abundant 
riches in your poverty, love, suffering, and fidelity. xAxnen. 
{Prayer as first day, to Mary and Joseph.) 

Third Day. 

To the sacred mouth of the Infant Jesus. 

HIS day adore, love, and reverence the sacred mouth 
of your Infant Saviour, which now keeps a profound 
silence; but which will soon be opened to announce the 
truths of life and salvation, to speak in your behalf to the 
Eternal Father, and which at the close of life will pronounce 
your final sentence. 

Prayer. 

O SACRED mouth of my Infant Saviour, I sincerely 
adore you. O blessed infantine lips! I love and 
venerate you. O sweet Jesus! how loudly does Your silence 
speak to my heart. Ah! attract me to love and practice 
this holy virtue, as far as my state permits, and let all my 
words be stamped with the seal of charity. O adorable, 
Incarnate Word of the Father! Eternal Wisdom silent in 
the womb of Your Virgin Mother, endow me with that spirit 
of sweetness, patience, and mildness, of which You are the 
Model. Teach me how to speak, and how to be silent. 
May this tongue, on which You so often repose in the Ador- 
able Sacrament, rather cleave to my jaws than ever pro- 
nounce an unbecoming word; and may charity, humility, 
modesty, sweetness, prudence, and simplicity accompany all 
my words and expressions. Amen. 

{Prayer as first day, to Mary and Joseph.) 

Fourth Day. 
To the sacred hands of the Infant Jesus. 

^^HIS day kiss in spirit those pure and liberal hands, 
now so weak, cold, and trembling, which will be one 
day instruments of so many great works, healing the sick, 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1043 



curing the blind, and which will, at length, be fastened with 
huge nails to the cross. 

Prayer. 

OMOST pure and generous hands of my Infant Saviour! 
I adore, revere, and love you. O innocent hands! 
which have been so often raised to heaven in our favor, may 
I imitate your charity and compassion for the poor and 
afflicted, in constantly praying for the salvation of my neigh- 
bors, as well as for my own. O blessed hands! pierced 
with huge nails, may I rather die than ever again (by sin) 
fasten you to the cross. O most holy Infant! grant me con- 
tinually to hold fast Your blessed hands, that I may securely 
walk through the slippery paths of this life, always moving 
according to Your holy will, and with submission to my 
spiritual guides. Amen. 

{Prayer as first day, to Mary and Joseph.) 

Fifth Day. 

To the pure and benign eyes of the Infant Jesus. 

HIS day adore and love the pure and benignant eyes of 
your Infant Saviour, those eyes which beam purity, 
love, and sweetness; those eyes which have wrought such 
wonders in souls; those eyes, in fine, which have shed over 
our miseries abundant tears. O may they impart to us the 
grace of true contrition for our sins, and compassion for the 
miseries of others. 

Prayer. 

OMOST pure and benignant eyes of our Infant Saviour! 
Eyes beaming love, tenderness, and compassion for 
us, wretched sinners! Eyes ever intent upon all our works 
and ways, watching over us with unceasing care, we honor 
and revere you. O grant me, dear Jesus, in honor of the 
purity and sanctity of Your holy eyes, carefully to guard mine, 
to look on and consider but You, and what may lead to Your 
love and service. "Turn away from me all vanities," take 
from me the spirit of curiosity, so opposed to the spirit of the 
Gospel, and grant that I may live under Your all-seeing eye 
with all possible respect, modesty, and love; continually 
remembering Your holy presence, and ever lamenting my 



io44 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



past and present infidelities with greater love and regret. 
Amen 

(Prayer as first day, to Mary and Joseph.) 

Sixth Day. 

To the sacred feet of our Infant Jesus. 

HIS day adore those sacred feet, bound for your love 
in swathing bands, to teach you to love holy obedience, 
submission to the divine law, and to all the duties of your 
state. 

Prayer. 

OMOST holy feet of my Infant Saviour! I adore, love, 
and venerate you with my whole heart, and embrace 
you in spirit: especially those parts destined to be pierced 
on the cross by your executioners. O give me grace to 
walk faithfully and constantly in the paths of your counsels 
and commandments, continually exhorting me to greater 
sanctity and perfection. May I, with your grace, steadily 
advance in your sacred footsteps, in true contempt of all 
worldly vanities, in hatred and aversion for worldly maxims, 
in a faithful discharge of my duties to you, my neighbor, 
and myself; in a patient endurance of the faults of others, 
and in profound humility of heart and conduct. Thus shall 
I be ever in security, for they who follow you walk not in 
darkness. 

{Prayer as first day, to Mary and Joseph.) 

Seventh Day. 

To the precious blood of the Infant Jesus. 

HIS day adore the precious blood of our Infant Saviour, 
flowing through His sacred veins, and one day to be 
poured out on Calvary, for the remission of our sins. 

Prayer. 

OMOST pure and precious blood of my Infant Saviour! 
drawn by the Holy Ghost from the virginal veins of 
your immaculate Mother. O saving blood! shed for our 
redemption on Calvary, and daily offered on our altars in 
the adorable sacrifice, our nourishment and strength in the 
Holy Eucharist, I adore, love, and venerate you, and humbly 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



i°45 



pray that you may abundantly flow on me, and on all poor 
sinners, on all my friends, relatives, benefactors, and enemies, 
May I receive the happy fruits of such a blessing with love, 
gratitude, and compunction, especially at the holy Mass, 
and in the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. Through 
these sacred channels may you constantly flow, to nourish 
my soul to everlasting life, and to impart to me that purity, 
innocence, love, and fervor of which you are the source and 
preservative. Amen. 

(Prayer as first day, to Mary and Joseph.) 

Eighth Day. 

To honor the poverty, obedience, etc., of the Infant Jesus. 

HIS day adore and try to imitate the blessed Infant, 
as the true model of that perfection to which all 
Religious are bound to aspire; and renew your sacred en- 
gagements at the feet of your Infant Saviour with increased 
fervor. 

Prayer. 

OMOST holy Infant Jesus! my King, my Master, and 
Saviour! I adore You in this state of poverty, suffer- 
ing, and submission, and humbly beg grace to observe faith- 
fully the solemn vows by which I bound myself to renounce 
the world, with its pomps— the flesh, with its vices — the 
devil, with his temptations — to lead a life of innocence, 
prayer, sincere humility, and ardent love of God and my 
neighbor. O dearest Jesus! may my only treasure hence- 
forth be Your grace — my only pleasure Your service and 
love — and my only desire the accomplishment of your most 
holy will. O grant that I may always fulfil it. Amen. 
(Prayer as first day, to Mary and Joseph.) 

Ninth Day. 

To adore and welcome the Infant Saviour, just coming 
into the world. 

HIS day adore, love, bless, praise, and welcome the 
little Saviour, Who comes to redeem you — prepare 
Him a cradle in your hearts, and do not imitate the unfeeling 
inhabitants of Bethlehem. 



1046 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



Prayer. 

LL hail! most lovely, most holy, most amiable, 
Infant Jesus, King of my soul! Ah! blessed be 
the hour in which Your holy Mother will give You to 
me as my ransom. O most beautiful above the children of 
men! give me grace to prepare to receive you worthily on 
the glorious feast of Your nativity. Give me a heart ail 
glowing with holy desires, love, gratitude, and ardent zeal, 
to correspond with the designs which bring You on earth. 
Give me the true spirit of Your holy nativity, a spirit of 
humility, silence, detachment, docility, meekness, and true 
and ardent charity. Give me grace daily to advance in devo- 
tion to Your blessed Infancy, and faithfully to persevere in 
the discharge of all my duties, in spite of the allurements of 
Satan, or the railleries of the world. Bless me then, divine 
Infant, as You blessed the humble and simple shepherds 
watching over their flocks; and let me ever remember, that 
it is to the humble, simple, and faithful You most willingly 
communicate Your choicest gifts. Amen. 

(Prayer as first day, to Mary and Joseph.) 

PRAYER TO THE INFANT JESUS. 

{Suitable for those in charge of children.) 

O ETERNAL God, made an Infant for love of us, to 
Thee do I offer each little child, whom for Thy love 
and in honor of Thy holy childhood I will devote my whole 
strength to instruct and save. Grant that I may ever 
behold Thee in the children confided to my care: and never, 
oh, never permit, my Jesus, that any act or word of mine 
should scandalize Thy little ones. 

Give ma a share in Thy humility, Thy charity, and Thy 
gentleness to all. Grant Thy blessing to my labors and 
bring me safely to heaven, where surrounded by these little 
ones whom I taught to love Thee, I may praise Thee and 
bless Thee for ever. 




Zbe Xast S>a$ of tbe l>ear.* 

^^HE end of the year should naturally make you think 
of the end of your life. This reflection should in- 
duce you to place yourself in the state in which you would 

* From the "Visitation Manual." 



A Little Book of Xovenas. 



1047 



like to be found at the hour of your death. We ought, 
said a great saint, to ask of God, through Jesus Christ, the 
grace to repair all the spiritual losses we have sustained 
through our negligence. We should beseech Him, in the 
name and through the merits of this divine Saviour, to 
enable us to attain that degree of perfection to which He 
wished to conduct us, if we had corresponded with fidelity. 
This practice suits particularly the end of the year. 

In thanksgiving to almighty God, for the spiritual and 
temporal blessings bestowed on you, on your parents, on 
all mankind, during the past year, recite with lively senti- 
ments of gratitude the Te Deum or Magnificat. 

And in expiation of your infidelities, recite the Miserere. 

AN OFFERING OF THE NEW YEAR. 

OMY God! another year is added to the number of those 
for which I am accountable to Thee. Well may I 
recount them all in the bitterness of my soul, for they have 
been filled with infidelities and ingratitude. Thou hast granted 
them to me to know, to love, and serve Thee, and every one 
of them brings to my recollection numberless omissions of 
these essential duties. Have mercy on me, O Lord, have 
mercy on me, for I have no hope but in Thy mercy. It now 
offers me this new year to repair the evils and retrieve the 
losses of those which are past. Grant, O Lord, that it be 
entirely consecrated to Thy glory, sanctified by Thy love, 
and wholly employed in Thy service. 

A PRAYER TO TFfE ADORABLE NAME OF JESUS. 

OMOST sweet Jesus, how glorious is that name which 
is given to Thee this day! I rejoice that it is not borne 
by Thee a mere empty name, the shadow of a name, as others 
have borne it; but a name full of truth, and of all perfection. 

I thank Thee, O good Jesus, for the will which Thou hadst 
to save us, accepting the office, with the name, of Saviour; 
fulfil it, O Lord, effectually in me; and seeing Thou art Jesus, 
Esto mihi Jesus. Be to me Jesus, be my Saviour. Amen. 

O blessed Virgin, beseech thy Son to imprint in my heart 
that esteem and love of this holy name, which He imprinted 
in thine. 

May the adorable name of Jesus be the sweet and daily 



J048 



A Little Book 0/ Novenas. 



music of my soul, and the seal of my heart; and, when in 
the agony and cold sweat of death, I shall give the last look 
to heaven for mercy, may the parting sigh of my soul be Jesus, 
sweet Jesus, Amen. 



THIRTY-THREE PETITIONS. 



Offered through the merits of the sacred humanity of Our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 



o 



GOOD Jesus! Word of the Eternal Father, convert 
O good Jesus! Son of Mary, make me her child! 



my Master, teach me! 
Prince of peace, give me peace! 
my Refuge, receive me! 
my Pastor, feed my soul! 
Model of patience, comfort me! 
my Redeemer, save me! 
my God and my All, possess me! 
the true Way, direct me! 
eternal Truth, instruct me! 
Life of the blessed, make me live in Thee! 
my Support, strengthen me! 
my Justice, justify me! 
my Mediator, reconcile me to Thy Father! 
Physician of my soul, heal me! 
my Judge, absolve me! 
my King, govern me! 
my Sanctification, sanctify me! 
Abyss of goodness, pardon me! 
living Bread from heaven, satiate me! 
the Father of the prodigal, receive me! 
Joy of my soul, refresh me! 
my Helper, assist me! 
Magnet of love, attract me! 
my Protector, defend me! 
my Hope, sustain me! 
Object of my love, make me love Thee! 
Fountain of life, cleanse me! 
my Propitiation, purify me! 
my last End, let me obtain Thee! 
my Glory, glorify me. Amen. 

Prayer. 

3ESUS! name of Jesus! sweet name! delightful name! con- 
soling name! for what else is Jesus than Saviour! Where- 
fore, Jesus, for Thy sweet name's sake, be to me a Jesus, 



O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 
O good Jesus 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1049 



and save me. Suffer me not to be eternally lost, whom Thou 
didst create out of nothing. O good Jesus! let not my 
iniquities destroy me, whom Thy bounty made. O sweet 
Jesus! recognize in me what is Thine, and efface all that is 
not Thine. O sweet Jesus! show mercy now in the time of 
mercy, and condemn me not in the day of justice. What 
profit to Thy precious blood, or what honor will my destruc- 
tion give Thy holy name, O Jesus! "The dead shall not 
praise Thee, O Lord Jesus! nor all they that go down to 
hell." O most amiable Jesus! most meek, most loving 
Jesus! O Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! admit me to the number of 
Thy servants! O Jesus, comfort of all who fly to Thee! O 
sweet Jesus! forgive me my sins! O Jesus! Son of the Virgin 
Mary, infuse into my soul grace, wisdom, charity, chastity, 
and humility, that I may love Thee perfectly, praise Thee, 
serve Thee, and eternally rejoice and glory in Thee, with all 
who devoutly honor and fervently invoke Thy holy name, O 
Jesus. Amen. 

1Ro\>ena to tbe fnfant Jesus* 

PRAYER TO THE HOLY CHILD. 

O CHILD Jesus, I have recourse to Thee; by Thy holy 
Mother, I implore Thy assistance in this necessity 
(here mention your request), for I firmly believe that Thy 
divinity can assist me. I confidently hope to obtain Thy 
holy grace. I love Thee with my whole heart and my whole 
soul. I am heartily sorry for my sins, and I entreat of Thee, 
O good Jesus, to give me strength to overcome my evil pas- 
sions. I make the resolution of never again offending Thee, 
and I resolve to suffer everything rather than displease Thee. 
Henceforth I wish to serve Thee faithfully. For the love 
of Thee, O divine Child! I will love my neighbor as myself. 
O Jesus, omnipotent Child, I again implore Thy assistance on 
this occasion (mention it) . Grant that I may possess Thee 
eternally, with Mary and Joseph, and adore Thee with the 
angels and saints in heaven. Amen. 



1050 



A Little Book of Novenas, 



PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY. 

To be said before a representation of the Holy Family. 

OMOST loving Jesus, Who by Thy sublime and beautiful 
virtues of humility, obedience, poverty, modesty, charity, 
patience, and gentleness, and by the example of Thy domestic 
life, didst bless with peace and happiness the family which 
Thou didst choose on earth, in Thy clemency look down upon 
this household, humbly prostrate before Thee and imploring 
Thy mercy. Remember that this family belongs to Thee; for 
to Thee we have in a special way dedicated and devoted ourselves. 
Look upon us in Thy loving-kindness, preserve us from danger; 
give us help in time of need; and grant us the grace to persevere 
to the end in the imitation of Thy Holy Family; that having 
revered Thee and loved Thee faithfully on earth, we may bless 
and praise Thee eternally in heaven. O Mary, most sweet 
Mother, to thy intercession we have recourse, knowing that thy 
Divine Son will hear thy prayers. And do thou, O glorious 
Patriarch, St. Joseph, assist us by thy powerful mediation, 
and offer, by the hands of Mary, our prayers to Jesus. Amen. 



IRovena for tbe 1Re\v J^ear* 

OMOST amiable Redeemer! Whose infinite love for 
man far exceeded Thy corporal strength in the crib of 
Bethlehem, receive our fervent adorations and most ardent 
thanksgiving for the first effusion of that adorable blood 
which Thou didst afterwards shed to the last drop for us on 
the cross. Oh, how ardently must Thou have desired our sal- 
vation, since Thou didst so soon begin to suffer for us! How 
much must Thou have wished for our confidence, since Thou 
didst so early assume that name which, above all names, is 
best calculated to render Thee amiable in our eyes and 
dear to our hearts. O Jesus! our infant, but most power- 
ful Saviour! we now feel that Thou art Our Redeemer, and 
therefore most confidently approach Thy crib, to represent 
to Thee all our wants, and in particular to implore, by Thy 
adorable infancy, by Thy painful circumcision, and above all 
by Thy sacred name, which is the joy of heaven, the terror of 
hell, the consolation of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners, 
that Thou wouldst grant us the intentions of this no vena. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1051 



Pardon us, O adorable Jesus, all our negligences, tepidity, 
and sloth in Thy divine service during the past year, and 
mercifully deign to accept the oblation which we now make 
of every day, hour, and moment of the year we commence. 
Give efficacy by Thy precious blood to the resolutions we 
now make, of living from this moment in the manner we 
should wish to have done when time shall be about to close 
for ever for us. We fervently offer Thee each and every 
action of this year, in unison with the adorable actions of 
Thy mortal life: we offer Thee our intentions and every 
movement of body and soul, (most solemnly renouncing 
every motive but Thy love) ; the most perfect obedience to 
Thy holy will, and ardent zeal for Thy glory. O merciful 
Jesus! by the helplessness of infancy, to which Thou didst 
descend for our sakes, strengthen our weakness and fortify 
our resolutions never more to offend Thee. By the silence 
of childhood, which Thou wouldst not break, though Thou 
wert the uncreated Word of God, grant us that spirit of 
silence, recollection, and prayer which will best enable us 
to acquire the other virtues of our holy state. May the 
most ardent love so deeply imprint Thy saving name on our 
hearts that it may be always in our minds, frequently on our 
lips, that it may be our defence in temptation, our refuge in 
danger, and at length our certain passport to a happy eternity. 

IRovena for Bptpban£* 

1. /~\ HOLY Magi! you were living in continual expecta- 

tion of the rising of the Star of Jacob, which 
would announce the birth of the true Sun of justice; obtain 
for us an increase of faith and charity, and the grace to live 
in continual hope of beholding one day the light of heavenly 
glory and eternal joy. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

2. O holy Magi! who at the first appearance of the won- 
drous star left your native country to go and seek the new- 
born King of the Jews ; obtain for us the grace of correspond- 
ing with alacrity to every divine inspiration. 

Glory be, etc. 

3. O holy Magi! who regarded neither the severity of 
the season, nor the inconveniences of the journey, that you 



1052 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



might find the new-born Messias; obtain for us the grace 
not to allow ourselves to be discouraged by any of the diffi- 
culties which may meet us in the way of salvation. 
Glory be, etc. 

4. O holy Magi, who, when deserted by the star in the city 
of Jerusalem, sought humbly, and without human respect, 
from the rulers of the Church, the place where you might 
discover the object of your journey; obtain for us grace to 
have recourse, in ffiith and humility, in all our doubts and 
perplexities to the counsel of our superiors, who hold the 
place of God on earth. 

Glory be, etc. 

5. O holy Magi, who were gladdened by the reappear- 
ance of the star which led you to Bethlehem; obtain for us 
from God the grace, that, remaining always faithful to Him 
in afflictions, we may be consoled in time by His grace, and 
in eternity by His glory. 

Glory be, etc. 

6. O holy Magi, who, entering full of faith into the stable 
of Bethlehem, prostrated yourselves on the earth, to adore 
the new-born King of the Jews, though He was surrounded 
only by signs of poverty and weakness; obtain from the 
Lord for us a lively faith in the real presence of Jesus in the 
Blessed Sacrament, the true spirit of poverty, and a Christ- 
like charity for the poor and suffering. 

Glory be, etc. 

7. O holy Magi, who offered to Jesus Christ gold, incense, 
and myrrh, thereby recognizing Him to be at once King, God, 
and Man; obtain from the Lord for us the grace never to 
present ourselves before Him with empty hands; but that 
we may continually offer to Him the gold of charity, the 
incense of prayer, and the myrrh of penance and mortifi- 
cation. 

Glory be, etc. 

8. O holy Magi, who, when warned by an angel not to 
return to Herod, travelled back to your country by another 
road ; obtain for us from the Lord the grace that, after having 
found Him by true repentance, we may avoid all danger of 
losing Him again. 

Glory be, etc. 

9. O holy Magi, who were the first among the Gentiles 



A Little Book of JVovenas. 



called to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and who persevered 
in the faith till your deaths, obtain for us of the Lord the 
grace of living always in conformity to the baptismal promises 
and especially in accordance with our Religious Vows, lead- 
ing ever a life of faith; that like you we may attain to the 
beatific vision of that God Who now is the object of our faith. 
Glory be, etc. 



IRovena to tbe 1bol£ IRame of Jesus* 

O MERCIFUL Jesus! Who didst in Thy early infancy 
commence Thy office of Saviour by shedding Thy 
precious blood, and assuming for us that name which is 
above all names: we thank Thee for such early proofs of 
Thine infinite love. We venerate Thy sacred name in union 
with the profound respect of that angel who first announced 
it to the earth, and unite our affections to the sentiments of 
tender devotion, which the adorable name of Jesus has, in 
all ages, enkindled in the hearts of Thy saints. Animated 
with a firm faith in Thy unerring word, and penetrated with 
confidence in Thy mercy, we now most humbly remind Thee 
of the promise Thou hast made, that when two or three should 
assemble in Thy name, Thou Thyself wouldst be in the 
midst of them. Come then into the midst of us, most amiable 
Jesus, for it is in Thy sacred name we are here assembled. 
Come into our hearts, that Thy Holy Spirit may pray in and 
by us; and through that adorable name which is the joy 
of heaven, the terror of hell, the consolation of the afflicted, 
and the solid ground of our unlimited confidence, mercifully 
grant us all the petitions of this novena. 

O Mary ever Virgin, and blessed Mother of Our Redeemer, 
who didst participate so sensibly in the sufferings of thy dear 
Son, when He first shed His sacred blood, and assumed for 
us the name of Jesus, obtain for us through that adorable 
name the favors we petition Him. Beg also that He may 
inflame our hearts with His divine love, and imprint thereon 
His most sacred name; that it may be always in our minds, 
frequently on our lips, our refuge and hope during life, and 
our consolation and support at the hour of death. Amen. 



io54 



A Little Book of TSovenas. 



IFlovena for tbe purification of ©ur Xaty?,* 

O ETERNAL God! Whose adorable Majesty was so 
imperfectly honored by the sacrifices of the Old Law, 
we rejoice, from the bottom of our hearts, in the homage 
Thou didst receive from Thy beloved Son, on His presenta- 
tion in the Temple. Sacrifice and sin-offering had ceased to 
please Thee ; they were no longer agreeable in Thine eyes — 
when, behold! He came, in Whom from eternity Thou wert 
well pleased, to offer Thee that Victim of adoration which 
Thine infinite Majesty expected — that Sacrifice of expiation 
which Thy justice required — that Victim of thanksgivings 
which Thy benefits deserved — and that Host of impetration 
to which Thy mercy had reserved the most precious favors. 
But, Lord, the glorious advantage of presenting Thee a 
Victim worthy of Thy greatness was not confined to that pro- 
pitious moment. From the rising to the setting of the sun, 
there is now offered to Thy name a clean oblation. In all 
parts of the earth, at this moment, that holy, innocent, un- 
dented oblation is presented to Thee, which must always 
ascend before Thee as an odor of sweetness. Oh, permit us, 
then, to unite an unreserved oblation of our whole being, 
and a fervent renewal of our vows, to the first oblation which 
Jesus offered in the Temple, and also to all the Masses now 
going on throughout the world. We most humbly beg of 
Thee to accept this Victim, infinitely greater than any favors 
we could ask, as a powerful motive for granting us the inten- 
tions of this novena. O most happy Virgin! from whom 
the Almighty first received a Victim worthy of Himself, let 
us not be excluded from a share in the graces which, through 
thee, have been granted to the world. Since we are so often 
in possession of that same sacred Victim, which thou didst 
present to God, obtain for us a share in that ardent love which 
consumed thy pure soul — in that spirit of sacrifice which 



* Many prayers suitable for Novenas to the Holy Ghost, to the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus, to the Blessed Sacrament, to the Passion 
of Our Lord, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary will be found in 
those sections which are reserved for these special devotions. 
Consult the Index. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1055 



accompanied thy oblation — and in that profound humility, 
which on this solemnity concealed thy glorious privileges 
from all the world. Do thou thyself give us the Divine Infant 
in each of our communions, as thou didst to holy Simeon. 
Obtain that, like him, a lively faith may discover to us Our 
Lord and Salvation, in the mystery of His humiliation; that 
our hearts may love Him therein ardently, and that frequent 
union with Jesus, in the Sacrament of His infinite goodness, 
may so detach us from the world, that we may never cease 
to sigh after that kingdom of peace, where we shall never sin, 
and never cease to love. Amen. 



IRovena to St. Josepb. 

O GLORIOUS descendant of the kings of Juda! inheritor 
of the virtues of all the patriarchs! just and happy 
St. Joseph! listen to our prayers. Thou art our glorious pro- 
tector, and shalt ever be, after Jesus and Mar) 7 , the object 
of our most profound veneration and tender confidence. 
Thou art a hidden saint, though one of the greatest of saints, 
and art peculiarly the patron of interior souls. 

In union with all those who have ever been most devoted 
to thee, we now dedicate ourselves to thy service, beseeching 
thee, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Who vouchsafed to love 
and obey thee as a Son, to become a father to us, and to obtain 
for us the filial respect, confidence, and love of children 
toward thee. O powerful advocate of all Christians! whose 
intercession, as St. Teresa assures us, has never been found 
to fail, deign to intercede for us now and to implore for us 
the particular intentions of the novena. (Specify them.) 
Present us, O great saint, to the adorable Trinity with Whom 
thou hadst so glorious and so intimate a correspondence. 
Obtain that we may never efface by sin the sacred image 
according to the likeness of which we were created. Beg 
for us that our divine Redeemer may enkindle in our hearts, 
and in all hearts, the fire of His love, and infuse therein the 
virtues of His adorable infancy — His purity, simplicity, 
obedience, and humility. Obtain for us likewise a lively 
devotion to thy Virgin spouse, and protect us so powerfully 
in life and in death that we may have the happiness of dying, 



1056 



A Little Book of JVovenas. 



as thou didst, in the friendship of Our Creator, and under the 
immediate protection of the Mother of God. 

LITANY OF ST. JOSEPH.* 

*~| * ORD, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. 
Ji — a Lord, have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity one God, have mercy on us. 
Holy Mary, spouse of St. Joseph, pray for us. 
St. Joseph, just man, 

St. Joseph, guardian of the Word Incarnate, 
St. Joseph, favorite of the King of heaven, 
St. Joseph, ruler of the family of Jesus, 
St. Joseph, spouse of the ever-blessed Virgin, 
St. Joseph, nursing-father to the Son of God, 
St. Joseph, example of humility and obedience, 
St. Joseph, mirror of silence and resignation, 
St. Joseph, patron of innocence and youth, 
St. Joseph, exiled with Christ into Egypt, 
St. Joseph, intercessor for the afflicted, 
St. Joseph, advocate of the humble, 
St. Joseph, model of every virtue, 
St. Joseph, honored amongst men, 
St. Joseph, exponent of all Christian perfections, 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, 
O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously 
hear us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy on us. 

V. Pray for us, St. Joseph. 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 
Let us pray. 

*ZX*SSIST us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, by the merits of 
eJ<-*~* spouse of Thy most holy Mother: that what our un- 
worthiness can not obtain, may be given us by his intercession 
with Thee, W T ho livest and reignest world without end. Amen. 



IRovena for tbe annunciation of ©ur Xafcg* 

O ADMIRABLE Virgin! the most exalted yet the most 
humble among all creatures! we salute thee, in union 
with the respect and veneration of the angel who was deputed 



* For private devotion. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



from heaven to hail thee as full of grace, and as the choosen 
Mother of the Author of grace. O most happy Mother! 
most pure Virgin! most favored among all women, why 
can not we join with the generations yet unborn, which 
will call thee blessed? (Luke i.). Why can not we 
share in the profound feelings of humiliation which filled 
thy soul, even in the moment of thy glorious exaltation? O 
most humble, but most privileged handmaid of the Lord! 
since thou hast found grace before God, obtain for us 
that we may persevere in grace to the end of our lives. 
Since thou hast never felt the anguish which springs from 
sin, and wert never degraded by a single imperfection, thou 
hast no cause to fear those tremendous judgments which 
certainly await us if we continue to lead imperfect, tepid 
lives in the sanctuary of religion. O powerful Protectress 
of those who trust in thee! O Refuge of sinners! whose mis- 
fortunes thou well knowest how to compassionate! shield us 
from the anger of thy divine Son; obtain for us that we may 
be like thee ever docile to holy inspirations and ever ready 
to say with thee: "Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum": 
"Be it done unto me according to thy word;" and since it 
is by thee that Our Lord comes to us, may we, by thee, attain 
to the enjoyment of His adorable presence in heaven. Amen. 

St. Gabriel, angel of the Annunciation, pray thou also for 
us in our present needs. Amen. 

IRovena in Ibonor of ©ur Savrtout'a paasion. 
3for Xent * 

1. S~\ JESUS, my Saviour, Who didst sweat blood in 
V-J the garden at the sight of the sufferings which 
my sins and my ingratitude were to cause Thee: I adore 
Thee bathed in Thy blood; I give thanks to Thy Sacred 
Heart which suffered so much for me, I hate my sins which 
were the cause of Thy sufferings; and I am resolved to die 
rather than to afflict Thee again. Grant me grace to under- 
stand the great evil of sin; that I may resist even unto blood 

* The " Litany of the Passion," and other prayers suitable for 
Lent and Novenas in honor of the Sufferings of Our Lord are 
given in this book among the Devotions to the Passion. "The 
Jesus Psalter " is also recommended for Lent. 



1058 A Little Book of Novenas. 

the temptations of the world, the devil, and the flesh; and 
that I may be conformed in all things to the will of Thy 
divine Father, however contrary to my own inclinations. 
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc. 

2. O my Lord Jesus, Who wast so cruelly maltreated in 
the house of Annas and Caiphas; I thank Thee that Thou 
didst vouchsafe to suffer for love of me insults so atrocious, 
and contempt so shameful. Ah! how often have I insulted 
Thee in the person of my neighbor! I humbly ask Thy par- 
don, and resolve, with Thy holy aid, to suffer whatever may 
be done against me with patience and gentleness, and never 
to offend Thee again, either in word or work. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc. 

3. O Jesus my King! Who wast so scorned by the Jews that 
they preferred to Thee a malefactor, a murderer; I pray Thee 
to grant me pardon for having often preferred to Thee some 
miserable creature, some base gratification. Grant that 
I may rather die than again offend against Thy infinite 
Majesty. Be Thou henceforward the King of my heart; 
and grant that by the help of Thy grace I may ever love and 
serve Thee, until I shall have the happiness to see and enjoy 
Thee in the kingdom of Thy glory. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc. 

4. O most pure Jesus, most chaste among men! Whose 
innocent flesh was thus torn by the scourging in the house of 
Pilate, to purge away the wicked pleasures which we enjoy 
in ours; I confess that it was for me Thou didst suffer such 
•cruel torments. I am confounded when I reflect on the 
blows I have caused Thee, and how often I have wounded 
Thee by my sensual gratifications. I entreat of Thee by all 
Thy sufferings to sanctify my body and my soul, to wash 
me and purify me by Thy precious blood from all my filthy 
stains. Ah! let not that flesh which was once cleansed in 
Thy blood, be again defiled with sin. May I serve Thee to 
the end of my life with a clean heart, and may all my actions 
be guided by the purest intentions. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc. 

5. O Jesus, greatest of all sovereigns, Who wast crowned 
with thorns, rnd treated with cruel mockery; all derided 
and despised as Thou art, I acknowledge Thee for my King. 
And since there was no part of Thy sacred body which was 



A Little Book of Xovenas. 



io59 



not bruised for me, I will no longer delight in indulging 
mine, but live in the practice of constant mortification, that 
so I may have some resemblance to Thee, my only true and 
sovereign good. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc. 

6. O adorable and divine blood, shed for my salvation, 
flow over me, to wash me, to purify me, to sanctify me: flow 
over sinners, that they may be reclaimed; over the heathen, 
that they may be enlightened; over the perfidious Jews, 
that they may be softened; over all, that all being united in 
the same faith, in the same hope, and in the same charity, 
we may reign with Thee and in Thee, in that charity which 
shall subsist for ever. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc. 

7. O Jesus, my Redeemer, Who wast for my sake nailed 
upon the cross, and didst shed Thy blood to free me from 
the slavery of the devil; I thank Thee for the incomparable 
love which Thou hast borne me, and the pain which Thou 
hast suffered for me. I kiss with the deepest respect Thy 
feet and Thy hands; I adore Thy Sacred Heart, which was 
opened for love of me; and I resolve, from this time forth, 
rather to lay down my life than to crucify Thee again by any 
mortal sin. For love of Thee, I crucify myself anew on the 
cross of my vows, and resolve to imitate Thy example faith- 
fully to the end of my life. O good Lord, my blessed Saviour! 
By that glorious triumph, which, in Thy death, Thou didst 
achieve over sin and hell, and by that throne of glory to which 
Thou wast exalted by Thy Eternal Father in heaven: grant 
that I also, in the hour of death, may triumph over all my 
enemies, and come at last with Thee to the joys of paradise. 
Yes, O my Jesus, grant me this grace by the merits of Thine 
agony and Thy death on the cross. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be, etc. 

PRAYER BEFORE A PICTURE OP CHRIST CRUCIFIED.* 

BEHOLD, O kind and sweetest Jesus, I cast myself 
upon my knees in Thy sight, and with the most fer- 
vent desire of my soul I pray and beseech Thee, to impress 



* A plenary indulgence, applicable to the souls in purgatory, 
is granted to all, who with due dispositions recite this prayer 



io6o 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



upon my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, 
with true repentance for my sins and a most firm desire of 
amendment, whilst with deep affection and grief of soul I 
consider within myself and mentally contemplate Thy five 
most precious wounds; having before my eyes that which 
the prophet David said of Thee, O good Jesus: "They have 
pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my 
bones." 

Iftovena for jBaeter* 1fn Ibonor of tbe (Slortoue 
IReaurrectton of our %otb. 

JESUS, Who didst confound all Thine enemies by 
clothing in glory and splendor that body which had 
been the victim of the cruelty of man, give me grace to die to 
myself that I may rise again with Thee, and after Thy like- 
ness lead a new, divine, immortal life : new, by change of con- 
duct, divine by the generosity and purity of my love, immor- 
tal by perseverance in well doing. Work in my heart, O 
Lord, this happy change; make me pass from death to life, 
from darkness to light, from a life full of imperfections to a 
life perfect and worthy of Thee. Make me go on from light 
to light, from virtue to virtue, till I come at last to Thee, O 
God of virtue, source of all life, and of all light. To thee 
also I turn, O holy Virgin, who had the greatest share in 
the sufferings and the glory of thy divine Son; deign to make 
me a partaker of that divine joy which thou didst feel on the 
blessed day of His Resurrection. Dry my tears and free my 
heart from all oppressive sadness. Let Thy risen Son enter 
into my heart, as through the closed doors, into the upper 
chamber. Let Him say to me, as to the Apostles, "Peace 
be to thee;" let Him show to me, as to Thomas, His sacred 
wounds; let Him abide with me continually, and never more 
depart from me. 

TO THE GLORIOUS WOUNDS OF JESUS RISEN. 




Y risen Jesus, I devoutly kiss and adore the glorious 
wound of Thy left foot, and pray Thee to give me 



before any image or representation of Christ crucified, provided 
they confess, and receive holy communion, saying, at the same 
time, five Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glory for the intentions 
of the Sovereign Pontiff. 



A Little Book of Novenas, 



1061 



grace to fly from all occasions of sin, and ever more to walk in 
the way of salvation according to the spirit of my holy vows. 
Glory be to the Father, etc. 

2. My risen Jesus, I devoutly kiss and adore the glorious 
wound of Thy right foot, and pray Thee to give me grace to 
walk constantly in the way of Christian holiness till I come 
to the home of paradise. 

Glory, etc. 

3. My risen Jesus, I devoutly kiss and adore the glorious 
wound of Thy left hand, and pray Thee to deliver me from all 
evil, whether of the body or the soul, and most especially from 
the unhappy fate of the wicked who shall stand at Thy left hand 
at the day of judgment. 

Glory, etc. 

4. My risen Jesus, I devoutly kiss and adore the glorious 
wound of Thy right hand, and pray Thee to bless my soul there- 
with, and after death to open to me the gates of paradise. 

Glory, etc. 

5. My risen Jesus, I devoutly kiss and adore the glorious 
wound of Thy side, and pray Thee to kindle in my heart the fire 
of Thy love here, that I may hereafter love Thee eternally in 
heaven. 

Glory be, etc. 

To Mary. 

*TT"! ASTLY, I pray thee, O most holy Virgin Mary, by thy 
r . fl * great joy on seeing thy risen and glorified Son, to obtain 
for us the grace to rise also after our death to the eternal glory 
of paradise. Hail Mary (three times). 

iflovena for pentecoet* 

O JESUS! triumphant Conqueror of sin and death! Who 
hast taken possession of that seat of bliss purchased 
by Thy blood, remember Thy tender promise that Thou 
wouldst not leave us orphans. Send down upon us and upon 
Thy whole Church that Spirit of light, of truth, and of love 
Who alone can bring to our minds, and imprint on our hearts, 
the divine lessons of humility, poverty, obedience, and con- 
tempt of the world which Thou hast taught us during Thy 
mortal life. But, alas! if Thine apostles themselves were 
rendered unworthy of receiving the plenitude of Thy Spirit, 
by too natural an attachment to Thy adorable humanity, 

* Consult the section on " Devotions in Honor of the Holy 
Ghost" for appropriate prayers for the Feast of Pentecost. 



1062 



4 Little Book of Novenas. 



which was so lovely, so amiable, so deserving of their tenderest 
love, how can we hope for His descent into our hearts, which 
are defiled by a thousand imperfect and sinful inclinations? 
O my God, if Thou desirest to give us Thy divine Spirit, pre- 
pare Thyself His dwelling in our souls; unite our hearts and 
affections to the ardent sighs and perfect dispositions with 
which Thy blessed Mother and apostles awaited His coming. 
And Thou, O adorable Spirit! Who breathest where Thou 
wilt, deign to descend on us, w T ho are here assembled in Thy 
name, and on all the members of Thy Church, to which Thou 
wilt teach all truth to the end of time. O Spirit of purity! 
Spirit of peace! Whom the foulest stains of sin can not resist, 
purify our souls, and infuse therein that peace which the 
world can not give. Oh, rend the heavens and come down, 
consoling Spirit! that, strengthened and encouraged by 
Thee, we may faithfully comply with the duties of our holy 
state, embrace the cross, in whatever shape it is presented, 
and study to accomplish the divine will with the utmost per- 
fection. 

HYMN TO THE HOLY GHOST. 

aOME, Holy Ghost, send down those beams 
Which sweetly flow in silent streams 
From Thy bright throne above; 
O come, Thou Father of the poor. 
O come, Thou Source of all our store; 

Come fill our hearts with love. 
O Thou, of Comforters the best, 
O Thou, the soul's delightful guest, 

The pilgrim's sweet relief; 
Thou art true rest in toil and sweat, 
Refreshment in the excess of heat, 

And Solace in our grief. 
Thrice blessed light, shoot home Thy darts, 
And pierce the centers of those hearts 

Whose faith aspires to Thee; 
Without Thy Godhead, nothing can 
Have any price or worth in man, 

Nothing can harmless be. 
Lord, wash our sinful stains away, 
Water from heaven our barren clay, 

Our wounds and bruises heal; 
To Thy sweet yoke our stiff necks bow; 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1063 



Warm with Thy fire our hearts of snow, 

Our wand'ring feet repel. 
Grant to Thy faithful, dearest Lord, 
Whose only hope is Thy sure Word, 

The seven gifts of the Spirit: 
Grant us in life Thy helping grace, 
Grant us at death to see Thy face, 
And endless joys inherit. Amen. 
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and kindle 
in them the fire of Thy love. 

V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created. 
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who hast taught the hearts of the faithful by the 
light of the Holy Spirit: grant that we may, by the gift 
of the same Spirit, be always truly wise, and ever rejoice in His 
consolation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

lprager for tbc /Ifcontb of /lfca£* 

OMOST august and blessed Virgin Mary! Holy Mother 
of God! glorious Queen of heaven and earth! power- 
ful protectress of those who love thee, and unfailing advocate 
of all who invoke thee! look down, we beseech thee, from 
thy throne of glory on thy devoted children; accept the 
solemn offering we present thee of this month, specially 
dedicated to thee, and receive our ardent, humble desire, 
that by our love and fervor we may worthily honor thee, 
who, next to God, art deserving of all honor. Receive us, 
O Mother of mercy, among thy best beloved children; ex- 
tend to us thy maternal tenderness and solicitude; obtain 
for us a place in the Heart of Jesus and a special share in the 
gifts of His grace. Oh, deign, we beseech thee, to recognize 
our claims on thy protection, to watch over our spiritual 
and temporal interests, as well as those of all who are dear 
to us; to infuse into our souls the spirit of Christ and to 
teach us thyself to become meek, humble, charitable, patient, 
and submissive to the will of God. 

May our hearts burn with the love of thy divine Son, and 
of thee, His blessed Mother, not for a month alone, but for 
time and eternity; may we thirst for the promotion of His 
honor and thine, and contribute as far as we can to its exten- 
sion. Receive us, O Mary, the Refuge of sinners; grant us 



1064 A Little Book of Novenas, 

a mother's blessing and a mother's care now and at the 
hour of our death. Amen.* 

movena for Corpus Gbrtetu 

O AMIABLE Jesus! Who hast given us, in the adorable 
Eucharist, so convincing a proof of Thine infinite love, 
permit us to thank Thee, in the name of all Thy creatures, 
for the blessings included in this one precious gift. We 
adore Thee, O hidden Deity! and most ardently wish we 
could offer Thee such love as would atone for our own offences, 
and those committed by all mankind, against this most 
amiable mystery. But, my God, if all creatures are so deeply 
indebted to Thy mercy for this Adorable Sacrament, how 
much more sensibly shoud we feel our obligations, since, 
by Thy special predilection, we have been chosen to dwell 
under the same roof with Thyself, to see Thee daily offered 
on our altars, and to receive so frequently Thy precious body 
and blood. Convinced by these Thy lender mercies, that 
our confidence in Thy goodness can not be too great, we come 
now to implore of Thee, by that infinite love which induced 
Thee to institute this Adorable Sacrament, and by all the 
graces which have ever flowed from this source of every 
blessing, to grant us the favor we ask in this novena. 

We firmly purpose to become more fervent and de- 
voted adorers of this Sacrament of love, and to take Thy 
Eucharistic life for the rule and model of ours. Give us 
grace to honor Thy silence on our altar, by the spirit of recol- 
lection and prayer; Thy poverty, obedience, and adorable 
sanctity, by detachment from all things — renunciation of 
self-will, and horror of sin; above all, we beseech Thee, 
O living Bread of eternal life! to remove all obstacles to our 
more fruitfully and worthily receiving Thee; and to grant us 
so tender a devotion to this amiable mystery that our hearts 
and thoughts may ever be turned to Thee, present on our 
altars, and every action of our lives be directed to the per- 
fect accomplishment of Thy holy wilt Amen. 



* For other suitable prayers and novenas during the Month 
of May see the section on " Devotions in Honor of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary." 



A Little Book of Novenas. 1065 
Wovena for tbe ffeast of tbe SacreD Ibeart. 

O ADORABLE Jesus! Who hast discovered to us Thy 
most Sacred Heart, that we may form some idea of 
the extent of Thy love, send forth Thy light and Thy grace 
into our hearts, that we may value as we ought so precious a 
favor. We adore thee, O infinitely amiable Heart, and 
beseech thee to receive our adorations, in union with those 
thou thyself renderest to the Divinity on our altars, in 
union with the perfect homage of all thy saints, and in par- 
ticular, in union with the unceasing adorations of the heavenly 
spirits, who crowd thy sanctuary during this glorious solem- 
nity, and honor the presence of thy amiable Heart on our 
altars. Yet it is not for those pure and ardent spirits that 
thou burnest with love in the Holy Eucharist, it is for us, it 
is for all creatures, even for those who are most unmindful 
of all thy mercies. 

But though all the world should forget Thee, O divine 
Victim of charity, surely we, at least, should return Thee 
love for love, since Thou hast loved us with an eternal 
charity, and selected us long before our existence, as the 
favorites of Thy Divine Heart, the objects of its ten- 
derest affection and peculiar favors. Penetrated with the 
confidence which should arise from the recollection of all 
Thou hast already done for us, and art willing to do for 
those who trust in thee, we humbly represent our present 
necessities to Thee, O adorable Heart, the Fountain of all 
grace, the Ocean of mercy and exhaustless Source of con- 
solation and strength! We most fervently entreat thee to 
infuse into our hearts the dispositions thou requirest, and 
then, for thine own sake, to grant the earnest petitions of 
this no vena. 

Thou art, O Furnace of love, a public Victim. Thy 
mercies and graces are offered to all who will onlv ask, that 
they may receive; but Thy tenderest compassion seems 
peculiarly directed to all unhappy sinners. 

For them Thou wert overwhelmed with sorrow in the 
Garden of Olives, and wounded on the cross; for them we 
most particularly pray, and most earnestly entreat the grace 
of conversion. 

For ourselves, and every member of this Community, 



io66 



A Litile Book of Novenas. 



we beg the true spirit of our holy state, whatever particular 
graces Thou knowest to be most necessary for each of us; 
but particularly that ardent charity and sincere humility 
which seem to have been the favorite virtues of Thine adorable 
Heart. 

Animate us with Thy zeal for the salvation of those com- 
mitted to our care; model their young hearts on Thine, and 
assist us all to learn o. Thee, Who art meek and humble of 
Heart, that thereby we may find rest to our souls in this life 
and everlasting repose in a happy eternity. 

IRovena for tbe tfe&ttval of the liMsitattotu 

1. /~\ MARY! by that purity of intention through 

which you quitted your home and proceeded 
to visit your cousin Elizabeth: obtain for us, we pray, the 
grace of seeking, simply, in all that we do, the sole glory of 
God. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

2. By that care with which you journeyed to the mountains 
of Judea; obtain for us, we pray, the grace to walk continu- 
ally in the way of holiness, and that we may never be driven 
back by any obstacles which our enemies may oppose against 
us. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

3. By the profound humility which made you, O Mary! 
the first to salute your cousin Elizabeth; obtain for us, we 
pray, the grace to turn to our profit whatever occasions may 
be offered us for the practice of this virtue, so beautiful and 
so necessary for our salvation. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

4. By that extreme joy which you infused into the soul 
of Elizabeth when you tenderly embraced her; obtain for 
us, we pray, the grace to continue until death in the profession 
of our vows and in the exercise of piety and charity, that we 
may attain to the fulness of heavenly happiness. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

5. By that extraordinary favor which you, O Mary! ob- 
tained for John, that he should be sanctified in his mother's 
womb before he saw the light; obtain for us, we pray, the 
grace of preserving ourselves free from all stain till death. 

Hail Mary, etc. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1067 



6. By the most humble confession which you made, O Mary! 
of that marvelous work which almighty God had performed 
in you, by which you became the object of the benediction 
to all mankind; obtain for us the grace always to acknowl- 
edge the blessings which we receive from the Lord, and to 
employ them to His honor and glory. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

7. By that ardent charity which you, O Mary! practiced 
during the three months in which you dwelt in the house of 
Elizabeth; obtain for us, we pray, the grace to be always 
ready to assist with affection all the necessities of our neigh- 
bors. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

8. By the model which you, O Mary! exhibited of every 
virtue in your daily intercourse with your relations, Elizabeth, 
and her holy spouse, Zacharias; obtain for us, we pray, that 
we may have grace to give continual edification to our neigh- 
bors by all our words and actions. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

9. By that admirable detachment from your nearest rela- 
tives, O Mary! which you exhibited when, having com- 
pleted all the duties which you had undertaken in the house 
of Elizabeth, you returned immediately to your home in 
Nazareth; obtain for us, we pray, that we may be enabled 
always to live so detached from the things of the world as 
never to mingle in the affairs of men, except when summoned 
by necessity or charity, that our hearts may be fixed on God 
alone, from Whom we hope for peace in this life, and eternal 
blessedness in the kingdom of heaven. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

IRovena for tbe assumption* 

O GLORIOUS Queen of all the heavenly host! whose 
sacred body, the immaculate temple of the divinity, 
is now assumed into heaven, we unite our voices to the choirs 
of angels who celebrate thy triumph. Winter is now past 
for thee, O fervent follower of thy crucified Son. In this 
world, like Him, thou hadst not any parts in its perishable 
possessions; but now all the treasures of heaven are thine; 
they are thine to enjoy, and thine to distribute; ' for thy 
intercession is now an infinite treasure to man, by which they 



io68 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



that use it become the friends of God. Thou wert buried 
in obscurity in this valley of tears, but now thou art elevated, 
O Mother of God, to the highest pinnacle of glory! Should 
not thy triumphant exaltation encourage us to despise this 
world, and aspire after the next? For, O amiable Virgin! How 
short were thy sufferings on earth, yet for all eternity thou 
shalt be admired in the holy assembly; among the elect thou 
shalt have praise, and among the blessed thou shalt be blessed. 
Look down then with compassion on us poor banished 
children of Eve; draw our hearts after thee, by filial con- 
fidence and vigorous exertions, to imitate thy virtues: above 
all, obtain for us true humility, which neither seeks nor 
values any earthly distinction; poverty of spirit — purity of 
heart — that thirst after the strong and living God, which can 
never be satisfied until His glory appears — and such ardent 
love of our Divine Spouse, as may cause us to despise the 
whole world, and incessantly sigh after those eternal joys, 
of which it is written: " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things 
God hath prepared for them That love Him." (Cor. II, 9.) 

IRovena for tbe IRativtte of tbe Meeseb Vxvgux Mars. 

OMARYj the channel of God's tenderest mercies to man! 
thou wert promised from the beginning of the world 
to crush the serpent's head, to bring forth the Redeemer of 
mankind. In thy sacred birth appears the dawn of that 
glorious day of grace for which all nations ardently sighed. 
O blessed infant, already thou beginnest to accomplish 
the predictions of the prophets, and to satisfy the longing 
desires of the just; already thou hast conceived in thy heart, 
by the most perfect love, that adorable Being, Who was 
afterwards to be born of thee! O happy Virgin! who, on 
entering the world, didst become a victim of charity, per- 
fectly and unreseivedly submissive to the will of God, may 
I, even at the last hour of my life, be enriched with a share 
of the dispositions with which thy soul was adorned in thy 
earliest infancy. Thou art the dignified descendant of 
kings, patriarchs, and prophets, yet thy birth so little cor- 
responds with thy rank, that even the commencement of 
thy life makes thee like to Him, Whom thou wert destined 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1069 



to resemble in all things. Inspire me, then, by thy example 
and intercession, with that spirit of renunciation, detach- 
ment from the world, and self- contempt, which I promised 
at my baptism, but which I solemnly engaged to practice 
at my religious profession. Thou knowest the weakness 
and perverse inclinations which I brought into the world, 
and which, unhappily, have gained strength with increasing 
years. I conjure thee, O immaculate Virgin! by the purity 
and sanctity of thy nativity, by the riches of grace and virtue 
which the weakness of childhood then concealed in thee, 
to obtain for me strength to fulfil the duties of my exalted 
state, to co-operate with the graces of heaven, and to advance 
daily and even hourly toward that perfection to which I 
am bound to aspire. 
R. Amen. 

1Rov>ena to ©ur Hafcg of /llbe^CE* 

O IMMACULATE and ever-glorious Mary! Mother of 
mercy! ever gracious, ever bountiful, behold, we thy 
suppliants, prostrate before thee in all humility, most earnestly 
implore thee to be our protectress and advocate with God, 
to obtain for us those graces and blessings which may best 
conduce to His greater glory and our own sanctification. 
More particularly we beseech thine intercession in behalf 
of this Institute, for the exercise of those works of mercy 
and charity, which Jesus Christ, the Almighty Son of God,, 
did so love when on earth. 

Defend it, O Blessed Lady, against its enemies. May 
it extend and prosper; and may the worship of God, thine 
honor, and the welfare of His servants, be promoted wherever 
it is established throughout the world. 

May the unity of charity prevail in all our Communities, 
and all scandals be unheard of amongst us. May those 
whom thy Divine Son has made His spouses by calling them 
from their homes and kindred to dispense His mercies to 
their fellow-creatures, possess the true spirit of their divine 
vocation. 

May they in all things seek to be united to Him and to 
thee, to advance in all perfection by the observance of their 
Holy Rule and their vows; to deny themselves and be con- 
formable to God's holy will. 



1070 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



Obtain for them an ardent and ever-increasing zeal for 
the functions of the Institute. May their zeal be blessed 
by God, and efficacious for the welfare of the suffering, the 
erring, and the ignorant. Preserve them from all illusions, 
and sustain them amidst temptations. Beseech Our Lord 
to add to their numbers subjects capable of glorifying Him, 
by efficaciously laboring for their own sanctification in the 
service of the poor; and so enlighten and direct all the 
Superiors of the Institute, that they may neither admit nor 
retain any save those to whom He has granted a due voca- 
tion. 

May the blessing of God and thy protection be with all 
whom the Sisters protect and instruct. Comfort and de- 
fend our parents, relatives, and friends, and bring them to 
the enjoyment of eternal life with all our benefactors. 

That thou canst obtain for us these benefits we know, O 
lioly Mother of God; and we have filial confidence that thou 
wilt be favorable to us, because thou art the Mother of 
mercy, our Mother, and patroness. Amen. 

IRovena for tbe JFeast of tbe Guarfcian RnQele. 

OPURE and happy spirits, whom the Almighty selected 
to become the angels and guardians of men! I most 
humbly prostrate before you, to thank you for the charity 
and zeal with which you execute this commission. Alas! 
how many pass a long life, without ever thanking that invisible 
friend to whom they a thousand times owed its preservation! 
O charitable guardians of those souls for whom Christ died! 
O burning spirits, who can not avoid loving those whom 
Jesus eternally loved! permit us to address you on behalf 
of all those committed to your care, and to implore for them 
all in general a grateful sense of your many favors, and also 
the grace to profit by your charitable assistance. O angels 
of those happy infants who as yet are without spot before 
God, preserve their innocence we earnestly conjure you. 
Angels of youth who are exposed to so many dangers, con- 
duct them safely to the bosom of God, as Tobias was con- 
ducted back to his father. Angels of those who employ 
themselves in the instruction of youth, animate them with 
your zeal and love; teach them to emulate your purity and 
ever to keep God in view, as you do, that they may worthily 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1071 



and successfully cooperate with the invisible guardians of 
those who are in their care. O angels of the clergy, who 
have the eternal Gospel to preach to those who abide on 
earth, present their words, their actions, and their intentions 
to God, and purify them in that fire of love which consumes 
you. Angels of those who are destined to follow the Lamb 
whithersoever He goeth, obtain for them the true spirit of their 
holy state, particularly the spirit of silence, recollection, and 
prayer, that in life and death they may be worthy to be 
united to their heavenly Spouse. O angels of all those 
who, throughout the world, are deprived of religious in- 
struction, open for them some source of salvation, raise up 
some one to break for them the Bread of the Word; and you, 
O guardian angels of sinners, charitable guides of those un- 
happy mortals, whose perseverance in sin would embitter 
even your unutterable joys were you not established in the 
peace of God, O join us, we ardently beseech you, in imploring 
their conversion. Angels of all those who at this moment 
struggle in the agonies of death, strengthen, encourage, and 
defend them against the attacks of their infernal enemy. 
O faithful guides! holy spirits! ardent adorers of the Divinity! 
guardian angels of all creatures! protect us all; teach us to 
love, to pray, to combat on earth, and rather obtain for us 
an instant death, than permit us to commit one mortal sin. 
R. Amen. 

Iftovena to tbe patron Saint of tbe IReiteious ©rDer to 
wbicb One ^Belongs* 

O ILLUSTRIOUS and blessed saint (N.), our glorious 
patron ! favored friend and servant of God! we, thy 
devoted children, prostrate ourselves before thee, and salute 
thee as our beloved Father, the faithful guardian and advo- 
cate of our Order. 

We return thee thanks for the many blessings we have 
hitherto received through thine intercession, and for thy 
continual care and protection of this Community; and with 
all the fervor of our hearts we desire to testify our love and 
gratitude toward thee. We praise and magnify God for 
the innumerable favors He bestowed on thee during thy 
mortal life; for those precious gifts and graces wherewith 
He enriched and adorned thy pure soul even from thine 



1072 



A Little Book of Novenas, 



earliest years: and for those eminent virtues by which thou 
didst glorify Hirn and become so bright a model to thy people. 
We rejoice with thee, O most beloved and blessed saint, 
for that glory and bliss to which thou art now exalted in 
recompense of thine heroic virtues and many sufferings, 
and which thou wilt for ever enjoy in the bosom of God. Oh, 
then, since thou art so happy, take pity on us thy children, 
who claim thy powerful intercession with lively confidence. 
Remember the many miseries and dangers to which we are 
still exposed; speak to God in our behalf; implore for each 
one of us all the graces we ask, both for ourselves and those 
who are dear to us, and especially the favor we petition for 
in this no vena. (Here mention it.) 

Deign also, we conjure thee, O blessed saint, to beseech 
the Holy Spirit to infuse into our soul those virtues which 
will render us most pleasing to God and conformable to our 
divine Spouse — humility, meekness, patience, charity, and 
obedience — fervent and constant devotion to the mysteries 
of His life, Passion, and death; tender love of His Blessed 
Mother; confidence in her protection and zeal for her honor; 
the spirit of prayer and recollection; sincere esteem and 
affection for our state; fidelity to each observance, together 
with the true spirit of our Holy Rule, and a generous and 
perfect love of God and of His holy will above all things. 

Take also under thy special patronage, O glorious saint, 
the children confided to our care; watch over them unceas- 
ingly, and obtain for them a solid piety and a great horror 
of sin. 

Intercede also for our suffering poor and assist us in all 
our undertakings, that we may ever promote the greater 
glory of God here, and that we may bless Him and love Him 
eternally with thee. Amen. 

IRovena for tbe jFeaet of tbe 3>resentatton of tbe 
JBleseeD Virgin /lfear£, 

O INCOMPARABLE Virgin, destined from all eternity 
to become the living temple of the most High! per- 
mit thy devoted clients to remind thee of that entire, fervent, 
and most perfect oblation, which thou didst offer of thyself 
on the day of thy Presentation in the Temple. 

O sacred model of those who are called to leave all and 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1073 



follow Christ! thou art that Virgin by excellence, whose 
innocence and sanctity were never defiled. 

To thee, then, it peculiarly belongs, not only to follow the 
Lamb whithersoever He goeth, but also to lead many virgins 
in thy train. Oh, receive us into the happy number of those 
whom thy glorious example has urged to trie heroic practice 
of religious perfection; obtain for u^ a share in the disposi- 
tions o thy heart, when, though a child in years, thou wast 
already far advanced in eminent holiness, and, forgetting 
thy people and thy father's house, didst enter the Temple, 
to live to God, and for Him alone. We beseech thee, by 
the singular graces bestowed on thee then, to employ thy 
powerful interest in our behalf, and to obtain for us the inten- 
tions of this novena. 

Remember, O most holy Virgin! that thine early flight 
from the world, thy spirit of sacrifice and heroic perfection, 
even in childhood, were graces which entitle thee not only to 
our veneration, but to our tender confidence. Listen, then, 
to the petitions we now make, and obtain for us the true 
spirit of the interior life, that the Heart of Jesus may be our 
sanctuary, where we abide secure from all dangers. Teach us 
to commemorate thy consecration of thyself to God on the 
day of thy Presentation by a fervent renewal of our vows; 
that, after thine example, we may leave all in heart and will, 
and find all in Christ, and thus love God above all things 
most ardently, and all creatures, for His sake; that His ador- 
able will may be ours, and that every exertion of our mind 
and body may be happily consecrated to the promotion of 
His greater glory. Amen. 

Iflovena for tbe ITmmaculate Conception. 

OMOST pure and immaculate Virgin! the most privileged 
of all creatures! the only one amongst the descendants 
of Adam who wert never for an instant an enemy of thy Crea- 
tor! O most perfect image of the holiness of God, ^lary, con- 
ceived without sin! remember, we conjure thee, the ends 
for which thou wert enriched with graces which no mortal 
before or since has ever enjoyed. Remember thou wert 
miraculously preserved from even the shadow of sin, not 
only that thou mightest become the Mother of God, but also 
the Mother, the Refuge, and Advocate of man; penetrated 



io74 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



therefore, with the most lively confidence in thy never-failing 
mediation, we most humbly implore thine intercession that 
we may obtain the intentions of this novena. . . . Thou 
knowest, O Mary, how often our hearts are the sanctuaries of 
God, who abhors iniquity. Obtain for us, then, that angelic 
purity which was thine earliest and favorite virtue, that 
purity of heart which will attach us to God alone, and that 
purity of intention which will consecrate every thought, 
word, and action to His greater glory. Obtain also for us a 
constant spirit of prayer, silence, and self-denial, that we 
may recover by penance that innocence which we have lost 
by sin, and at length attain safely to that blessed abode of 
the saints, where nothing defiled can enter. 

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have re- 
course to thee. 

Recite the " Litany of the Blessed Virgin/ ' or the following 
hymn: 



V. /^OTA pulchra es, 
\ZJ Maria. 

R. Tota pulchra es, Maria. 

V. Et macula originalis non 
est in te. 

R. Et macula originalis non 
est in te. 

V. Tu gloria Jerusalem. 

R. Tu lsetitia Israel. 
V. Tu honorificentia populi 
nostri. 

R. Tu advocata peccatorum. 



V. 



T^HOU art all 
Vil O Mary. 



fair, 



R. Thou art all fair, O Mary. 

V. And the original stain is 
not in thee. 

R. And the original stain is 
not in thee. 

V. Thou art the glory of 
Jerusalem. 

R. Thou art the joy of Israel. 

V. Thou our people's special 
honor. 

R. Thou the Advocate of 



V. O Maria. 

R. O Maria. 

V. Virgo prudentissima. 

R. Mater clementissima. 

V. Ora pro nobis. 

R. Intercede pro nobis ad 
Dominum Jesum Christum. 

V. In conceptione tua, Virgo 
Immaculata fuisti. 

R. Ora pro nobis Patrem 
cujus Filium peperisti. 



V. O Mary. 
R. O Mary. 

V. Virgin prudent above all. 

R. Mother most tender. 

V. Pray thou for us. 

R. Intercede for us with 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

V. In thy conception, Holy 
Virgin, thou wast immaculate. 

R. Pray for us to the Father, 
Whose Son thou didst bring 
forth. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who by the Virgin's immaculate conception didst 
prepare a worthy dwelling for Thy Son, we beseech 
Thee, that Thou, Who, by the death of that same Son of Thine, 
foreseen by Thee, didst preserve her from every stain, wouldst 
grant that by her intercession we also may be purified, and so 
come to Thee. 

Then the following: 

OGOD, the Shepherd and Ruler of all the faithful, look 
mercifully down on Thy servant, our Holy Father, Pope 
N., whom Thou hast chosen to be the shepherd of Thy Church. 

Grant, we beseech Thee, that he may both by word and 
example benefit those over whom he governs, that, together with 
the flock entrusted to his care, he may come to life everlasting. 

O God, our refuge and our strength, listen to the holy prayers 
of Thy Church, Who art Thyself the Author of holiness, and 
grant that we may obtain what we ask for with faith and con- 
fidence through Christ our Lord. Amen. 



Iprag-er to St. Bugusttne, 

(Feast August 28th.) 

O GLORIOUS St. Augustine, our dear holy father, 
vouchsafe me your blessing; look down upon me with 
compassion, and obtain for me to be a worthy child of yours. 
Make me say with a love like that with which your seraphic 
heart burned for Jesus: " Too late have I known Thee, too 
late have I loved Thee," so that I may repair my past sinful 
life by the most ardent, generous love for my divine Spouse, 
' 'for many sins are forgiven those who love much." Ask 
for me a share in your profound humility, that I may ever 
be little and humble in my own eyes, preferring to be made 
little account of, in order to resemble Him, who underwent 
such deep humiliations for the love of me. Obtain also for 
me, my beloved holy father, an unbounded courage and con- 
fidence, and that the sight of my faults may humble, but 
not deject me. Make me unchangeably patient and kind 
to all; at the hour of death, may you own me for your child, 
and may I, in your dear company, praise almighty God for 
all -eternity. Amen. 



1076 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



PRAYER IN HONOR OF ST. MONICA. 

OGOD, the Comforter of the sorrowful, and the salvation 
of those that hope in Thee, who didst mercifully accept 
the pious tears of blessed Monica for the conversion of her 
son Augustine, grant us, by the intercession of both, to deplore 
our sins, and to find Thy pardon and Thy grace through 
Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen. 

PRAYER TO THE SAINTS OF OUR ORDER. 

O GLORIOUS saints of our Order, I heartily con- 
gratulate you upon the glory you now enjoy. 
You who are assured of eternal bliss, take us under your 
protection, so that we may one day rejoice in your holy 
company. Beg almighty God to bestow upon us your 
spirit of fidelity and devotedness to duty that we may 
always be faithful in little things as well as in great. 
Amen. 

THE CITY OF THE SAINTS. 

Hymn to the Saints and Martyrs oj Religious Orders. 

Question. * I "iROM your blissful thrones of glory, 
% 1 \ Look on us, O ye elect; 
Tell us what repays your combats, 
Tell us what we may expect. 

Answer. Our delights no words can utter, 

Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard; 
Nor can mortals feel the pleasure 
That for us God hath reserved. 

Q. Ye bright martyr-throng, whose courage 
Never quailed amid the strife, 
What is now to be your portion 
After giving up your life ? 

A. We with waving palms all standing, 
And with banners bright unfurled, 
Sing for ever Alleluia 
To the Saviour of the world. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1077 



Q. Famous Doctors, ye whose voices 
Have resounded here below, 
By what new and wondrous doctrines 
Are your minds enlightened now? 

A. From the everlasting fountain 
Of the unerring truth of God, 
We are learning untold secrets 
Ever in our blest abode. 

Q. Ye whose unabated penance 
Made the desert so renown'd, 
Hermits tell us, for your rigors, 
What delights ye now have found? 

A. For the pleasures we relinquished, 
For our homes and friends below, 
Joys delicious pour in torrents, 
Fill our hearts and overflow. 

Q. Ye, the Virgins, whose betrothals 
Bound you to a heavenly Spouse, 
With what favors does He own you, 
Faithful to your threefold vows? , 

A. Happy brides, in spotless garments, 
Close beside Our Lord we throng; 
Where the Lamb goes, there we follow, 
While we sing "the unknown song." 

Q. As we gaze upon your glory 

Saints of God, in heaven's own light, 
Teach us how we, too, may join you, 
How to win those crowns so bright. 

A. Would you come where we have entered, 
Fight with all your strength and power; 
Would you live the life eternal, 
Die to self at every hour. 

Q. Ah! we shrink from pain and sorrow, 
We are frightened when we hear; 
We must live in constant struggles, 
We must die to all that's dear. 

A. If the path be rough and thorny, 
At the end all pain shall cease; 
If the battle be a fierce one, 
There shall be eternal peace.* 



* From the Hymn-Book of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. 



1078 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



IRovena to St. JSeneDict, abbot* 

x. *T£JY that extraordinary love which you, O great 
«-*-^ Patriarch St. Benedict, evinced for retirement 
and mortification when you concealed yourself at the age 
of fifteen in the wilderness, where you were not content to 
feed solely on roots and to sleep on the bare ground, but 
also tormented your body with a rough hair shirt which you 
wore till your death: obtain for us all the grace to abhor all 
the pomps and vanities of the seductive world, and to apply 
ourselves continually to the abnegation of our own will and 
the mortification of the flesh. 

Glory be, etc. 

2. By the heroic intrepidity with which you, O great Patri- 
arch St. Benedict, despised all the artifices of the devil, who 
attempted to drive you from your solitude, and by the com- 
plete victory which you obtained over your evil imaginations 
by casting yourself naked amidst thorns and briars: obtain 
for us all the grace to rise superior to all the assaults of the 
infernal enemy, and to be always ready to endure any evil 
rather than to stain our souls with a single sin. 

Glory be, etc. 

3. By the generosity with which you, O great Patriarch 
St. Benedict, pardoned your subjects, who, after having 
chosen you superior, began to persecute you in the most 
unworthy manner, even attempting to poison you: obtain 
for us all the grace to suffer in peace the persecutions and 
contempt with which it shall please God to visit us during 
the few days of this our mortal life. 

Glory be, etc. 

4. By that truly apostolic zeal with which you, O great 
Patriarch St. Benedict, broke the idols in pieces, pulled 
down the temples, burnt the woods which retained the 
inhabitants of Monte Cassino in the darkness of paganism, 
and established the faith of Jesus Christ, through the whole 
neighborhood, by the erection of your monastery; by that 
ardent love of God and your neighbor which led you to lay 
the foundation of that great Order which has given to the 
Church hundreds of saints, and so many distinguished labor- 



* Feast on March 21st. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1079 



ers in literature and science, obtain for us the grace to em- 
ploy our powers for the good of our neighbor. Glory be, etc. 

5. By that supernatural light, by which you, great Patri- 
arch St. Benedict, revealed to your religious brethren the 
time at which you would pass to eternity, obtain for us all 
the grace to be always Hike you, humble, mortified, and 
fervent, and that we may receive from God the lights needful 
to guide us in the way of sanctity, and may continually and 
diligently seek our eternal salvation. 

PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH IN HONOR OF ST. BENEDICT. 

OHOLY father St. Benedict, blessed by God, both in grace 
and in name, who, whilst standing in prayer with thy 
hands raised up to heaven, didst most happily yield thy angelic 
spirit into the hands of thy Creator, and hast promised zealously 
to defend against all the snares of the enemy, in the last struggle 
of death, those who shall daily commemorate thy glorious depart- 
ure, and thy heavenly joys; protect me, I beseech thee this 
day, and every day, by thy paternal blessing, that I may never 
be separated from our blessed Lord, from thyself and the com- 
pany of all the blessed. Through the same Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

PRAYER TO ST. SCHOLASTICA. 

E beseech thee, St. Scholastica, do thou, who couldst not 
be sated or wearied with the words of grace which flowed 
from the lips of thy brother, the great Patriarch St. Benedict; 
do thou, whose pure soul, on its departure from its mortal habi- 
tation, was seen soaring toward heaven in the likeness of a 
dove, as if to give testimony that thy life had been enriched 
with the fullest gifts of the Holy Spirit, obtain for us from God 
the gift of prayer and of contemplation, and of listening with 
zeal and docility to all instructions; come to our aid in the 
pursuit of all the virtues that should adorn a good Religious, 
and be our defence against all our enemies, "that we may stand 
in the evil day and be in all things perfect," through Jesus Christ 
Our Lord. Amen. 

2>ev>otkms to &U JFrancia of Bsstei. 

PIOUS PRACTICE OF THE FIVE SUNDAYS IN HONOR OF THE 
SACRED STIGMATA. 

O all the faithful who, upon the five Sundays which imme- 
diately precede the feast of the sacred Stigmata of St. 
Francis of Assisi, or upon any other five consecutive Sundays 



io8o 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



during the year, shall exercise themselves either in pious medi- 
tation, or in vocal prayer, or in any other work of Christian piety, 
in honor of the said sacred Stigmata, a plenary indulgence, once 
a year, on each of the five Sundays, on usual conditions. — Leo 
XIII., Nov. 21, 1885. 

{Feast of Stigmata, Sept. 17th.) 

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH IN HONOR OF THE SACRED STIGMATA OF 
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISE 

OLORD Jesus Christ, Who, when the world was growing 
cold, in order to inflame our hearts with the fire of Thy 
love, didst in the body of the most blessed Francis renew the 
marks of Thy Passion, grant graciously that, by his merits and 
prayers, we may ever bear our cross in imitation of Thee, and 
bring forth worthy fruits of penance, Who livest and reignest 
for ever. Amen. 

IRovena to St. 3f rancts of Bsslsu* 

1. GLORIOUS St. Francis, who voluntarily re- 

nounced all the comforts and riches of your 
home to follow more perfectly the life of poverty and abne- 
gation of Jesus Christ: obtain for us, we pray, a generous 
contempt of all things in this world, that we may secure the 
true and eternal things of heaven. 
Glory be, etc. 

2. O glorious St. Francis, who, during the whole course 
of your life, continually wept over the Passion of the Re- 
deemer, and labored most zealously for the salvation of souls: 
obtain for us, we pray, the grace of weeping continually over 
those sins by which we have crucified afresh Our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that we may attain to be of the number of those who 
shall eternally bless His supreme mercy. 

Glory be, etc. 

3. O glorious St. Francis, who, loving above all things suf- 
fering and the cross, didst merit to bear in your body the miracu- 
lous stigmata, by which you became a living image of Jesus 
Christ crucified: obtain for us, we pray, the grace to bear 
in our bodies the mort ; fications of Christ, that we may merit 
one day to receive the solid and unfailing consolations which 
are infallibly promised to all those that now weep. 

Glory be, etc. 



* Feast on October 4th. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1081 



IRovena to St. Clara.* 

1. Y that spirit of penance which made you take delight 
A?-} in the most rigorous fasts, in the most rigid 

poverty, and in the most severe mortifications in divesting 
yourself of all your wealth, and enduring the greatest suffer- 
ings that you might live for Jesus Christ alone: obtain for 
us, O admirable St. Clara, the grace to prefer at all times 
abjection to glory, poverty, to riches, and mortifications to 
pleasures, that we may become not in name only, but in deed, 
true disciples of Jesus Christ 
Glory be, etc. 

2. By that ardent charity and lively faith which were 
your characteristics, and by the wonderful miracles which 
you performed for the sake of charity: obtain for us all, O 
admirable St. Clara, that we may at all times put our trust 
in God alone, and thus be made worthy to receive from His 
bountiful Providence all that we may need for soul and body. 

Glory be, etc. 

3. By that especial devotion which you had to Jesus Christ 
in the Blessed Sacrament, and which caused you to be ravished 
into ecstasies in His presence, by the fervent prayer which 
your society made before the sacramental Host, when you 
were forced to make a precipitate flight before the barbarous 
Saracens; obtain for us, O admirable St. Clara, the grace to 
take our delight in frequenting the sacraments, assisting at 
the holy mysteries, and in paying the most fervent devotion 
to the Most Blessed Eucharist: that we may receive consola- 
tion during the present life, and attain to the possession of 
eternal beatitude in heaven. 

Glory be, etc. 

IRovena to SL 2>ommtc.t 

1. f\ GLORIOUS St. Dominic, who were from your 
earliest infancy the admiration of all the world, 
by the continual practice of prayer, fasting, vigils, and all 
kinds of austerity, as well as by the most zealous custody 



* Feast on August 12th. 
t Feast on August 4th. 



1082 



A Little Book of ' Xovenas. 



of all your senses, and the most active charity to your neigh- 
bor, depriving yourself of all your wealth that you might 
supply the necessities of the poor: obtain for us the grace 
to apply ourselves continually to exercises of piety, penance, 
and charity, and, by the sanctification of our own souls, to 
promote the salvation of our neighbor. 
Glory be, etc. 

2. O glorious St. Dominic, who by the new Order which 
you instituted, became the support of the Church in the most 
stormy times: obtain for us, we pray, the grace to be at all 
times zealous for the glory of the Church, that, regarding her 
interests as our own, we may never spare ourselves in defend- 
ing her, but endeavor to make her glorious and triumphant 
throughout the whole world. 

Glory be, etc. 

3. O glorious St. Dominic, who received from the hands 
of the Blessed Virgin herself, and spread, at her command, 
through the whole world, the efficacious devotion of the 
Rosary, which, from the beginning, operated innumerable 
miracles: obtain, we pray, that we may be always most 
devout to Mary, especially in her Rosary, which she estab- 
lished to confound heresy, arouse faith, drive away scandals, 
promote virtue, merit the divine mercy, and to support and 
defend the holy Church. 

Glory be, etc. 

4. O glorious St. Dominic, who never felt the smallest 
sentiment of vanity, either at the increase of your Order or 
at the important victories you obtained over heretics, nor at 
all the miracles which God deigned to work by your means: 
obtain for us, we pray, the grace to tread faithfully in the 
way of humility, that we may at length share in the eternal 

• reward to which you have attained. 
Glory be, etc. 

5. O glorious St. Dominic, whose characteristics were, 
besides humility and apostolic zeal, an eminent spirit of 
prayer and the constant recollection of thy soul in God, 
obtain for us the grace that we may love prayer, and walk 
constantly in the presence of God, so that we may attain to 
eternal union with Him in heaven. 

Glory be, etc. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



Wovena to St. Catbarine ot Siennas 

1. C^V T. Catharine, fairest and most glorious of the 
^5 daughters of St. Dominic, by that spirit of prayer, 

which was your delight from your infancy, obtain for us 
the love and practice of prayer, and the grace so to converse 
with God as to become daily more pleasing to Him. 
Glory be, etc. 

2. By that especial love which you, O great saint, bore to 
the virtue of purity, consecrating yourself at eight years of 
age to the Lord by an irrevocable vow, and afterwards by 
cutting off your hair, by sighs and tears, rejecting the most 
honorable and advantageous offers of marriage: obtain for 
us, we pray you, the grace to be always pure in mind and 
heart, and to detest and abhor everything which could offend 
in the smallest degree against a virtue so sublime, which 
raises men to the rank of angels, and makes them most be- 
loved by God. 

Glory be, etc. 

3. By that spirit of retirement which made you, O great 
sa nt, desire to behold no one but your Jesus, who when you 
were distracted by continual employment in your family, taught 
you to build a solitude in your heart and keep it at all times 
filled with thoughts of heaven: obtain for us, we pray, the 
grace so to love solitude and retirement, however the world 
may invite us to share its p'easures and its pomps, that our 
hearts may always turn to God amidst the most dissipating 
cares which may come upon us in our state of life. 

Glory be, etc. 

4. By the spirit of penance which taught you to inflict 
upon yourself, even in your earliest years, the most painful 
mortifications: obtain for us the grace to bear w th patience 
whatever afflictions God may be pleased to order for our 
good, and to mortify voluntarily all the perverse inclinations 
of our hearts, and all the unruly desires of our senses, that we 
may become, in some measure, like our crucified model, Jesus. 

Glory be, etc. 

5. By that heroic charity which led you, O great saint, to 
attend and minister with your own hands to the poor sick 



* Feast on April 30th. 



A Little Book of Xovenas. 



who had been abandoned by all others in disgust, and for 
which you were repaid only by insult, rudeness, and perse- 
cution: obtain of the Lord for us the grace to be, at all times, 
equally ready to assist our neighbor in his necessities, and 
to pardon him generously when he returns only insults for 
the benefits we confer on him, that we may merit the blessed- 
ness promised in this life and the next to meekness and true 
mercy. 

Glory be, etc. 

6. By that wonderful constancy with which, by redoubling 
your prayers, your austerities, and your zeal, O great saint, 
you dispersed the powers of hell, which, arrayed against you, 
persecuted you for so long a time with frightful images and 
violent temptations, and for which you received as a reward 
from your divine Spouse the privilege of speaking familiarly 
with His saints and His most blessed Mother Mary, and also 
were favored with ecstasies, visions, and revelations, and 
the most intimate communications with His divine Majesty; 
obtain for us, we pray you, the grace to be equally powerful 
against the assaults of our spiritual enemies, and that we 
may, in reward of our fidelity, increase in divine love, and 
obtain an inseparable union with our true Good. 

Glory be, etc. 

7. By that supernatural light with which you, O great 
saint, were miraculously enabled to counsel the Roman Pon- 
tiff, who came in person to consult you, when you obtained 
for him a reconciliation with his adversaries, and his return 
to Rome: obtain for us of the Lord the grace to know, in 
all our doubts, that which is most conformable to the will of 
God, and most conducive to the salvation of souls, that in all 
our actions we may promote the honor of God and the wel- 
fare of our neighbor. 

Glory be, etc. 

8. By that especial devotion which you, O great saint, 
had to Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, Who some- 
times communicated you with His own hands: obtain for us, 
we pray you, the grace to feel toward the Blessed Sacrament 
the most fervent devotion, that we may rejoice to converse 
with Jesus and receive Him into our bosoms, for His honor 
and glory, and for the salvation of our own souls. 

Glory be, etc. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



9. By the extraordinary love which you had for suffering, 
for which you were accounted worthy to share in the most 
bitter pains of your crucified Spouse; and, through which, 
though reduced to the extremest weakness, you became a 
spectacle of admiration to all around you by the serenity 
and joy with which you endured the most frightful torments: 
obtain for us, of the Lord, grace to receive with Christian 
resignation and holy joy all the crosses with which God shall 
be pleased to visit us, so that, after bearing the mortification 
of Christ in our bodies, we may, with you, share in the fulness 
of His blessedness for all eternity. 

Glory be, etc. 

IRovena to St afrancts fce Salee** 

GREAT prelate, most blessed saint, model of bishops, 
the glory of the Church! thou wast and ever shalt be 
revered on earth as a man according to God's own heart, 
and a most perfect imitator of our adorable model, Jesus 
Christ. Thou wast the champion of the faith whose zeal 
extirpated heresy; the ardent victim of charity and docile 
disciple of that heavenly spirit Who spoke by thy pen, and 
rendered thy inspired doctrine the treasure of the Church, 
O good and faithful servant! thou hast now entered into the 
joy of thy Lord; the divine and holy object of thy love on 
earth is now thy reward exceedingly great in heaven. O 
amiable saint, whose tender, compassionate charity was 
always the refuge of the miserable, despise not our supplica- 
tions. Since thy conduct on earth toward all thy fellow- 
creatures, particularly the weakest, marked thee out, like 
thy beloved Master, as the friend of sinners, show thyself 
such to us, thy daughters, by obtaining for us the intentions 
of this novena. Receive us, O great Master of solid perfec- 
tion! into the number of those whom thou didst form accord- 
ing to the true spirit of the religious state. Teach us 
those heavenly virtues which thy blessed life, no less than 
thy word, so constantly inculcated. Thou wast one of the 
most humble of men, though gifted with all that could exalt 
thee before God and the world: O plant in our hearts that 



* Feast on January 29th. These prayers to St. Francis de 
Sales and to St. Jane Frances are from the " Visitation Manual.'' 



io86 



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root of every virtue. Thou wast an angel of peace, whose 
presence alone gave consolation to the most afflicted hearts, 
and whose heavenly meekness succeeded in gaining the most 
obdurate sinners; obtain then for us, also, that peace of God 
which surpasseth all understanding; a condescending meek- 
ness in our conduct toward our neighbor. But principally 
teach us thy own favorite lesson of perfect conformity to the 
will of God, that we may repose tranquilly in the arms of 
His adorable Providence; that we may cast all our solicitude 
on God, so as "to ask for nothing and refuse nothing;" at 
least to ask for nothing more earnestly than the treasure 
of His divine love, and refuse nothing so resolutely as the 
misfortune of consenting to sin. Amen. 

PRAYER TO ST. FRANCIS. 

O GLORIOUS St. Francis, model of the interior life, and 
full of zeal for the salvation of souls! obtain for me the 
grace to employ all my faculties, not for my own sanctification 
alone, but for that of my neighbor also; that continually spread- 
ing abroad the sweet odor of Jesus Christ by my words and 
works, I may attain with thee the blessedness promised to the 
merciful: " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy ; " 
and that I may one day have a share in the glory which thou 
didst enjoy in paradise with the angels and saints, where those 
that edify and instruct to justice shall shine as stars for all 
eternity. (Dan. xii. 3.) 

PRAYER FOR THE ORDER OF THE VISITATION. 

To ask for the True Spirit of St. Francis de Sales for his whole 

Order. 



XCITA X quaesumus, Do- 
mine, in tota Congre- 
gatione tua Spiritum, cui 
beatus Franciscus Confessor 
tuus atque Pontifex servivit; 
ut eodem nos repletae, studea- 
mus amare quod amavit, et 
opere exercere quod docuit. 
Per Christum Dominum no- 
strum. Amen. 



BTIR up, we beseech Thee, 
O Lord, in all Thy 
Congregation, the Spirit which 
animated the Blessed Francis, 
Thy confessor and pontiff; 
that, being filled with the 
same, we may endeavor to love 
what he loved, and to practice 
what he taught. Through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



PRAYER TO OBTAIN THE PROTECTION OF ST. FRANCIS 
DE SALES. 

O GREAT St. Francis, glorious apostle of Jesus Christ, 
seraph of the earth, who didst breathe but for the glory 
of God; perfect imitator of thy meek and humble Saviour, 
and devoted child of the holy Mother of God! deign to receive 
me among the number of thy special clients; be henceforth 
my advocate, my counselor, my friend, and my father. 
Thy prayers, even on earth, were the instruments of innumer- 
able miracles of grace; Oh, vouchsafe to offer one for me, 
now that their efficacy is so greatly increased in heaven. 
May my entire conversion now add another to the already 
countless triumphs of thy charity. Teach me, like thee, 
to see God in my fellow-creatures; and for His sake, to make 
myself all to all, weeping with them that weep, rejoicing 
with them that rejoice. May the example of thy wondrous 
meekness sink into my soul and excite my earnest, persever- 
ing efforts to imitate it. Strengthen me, by thy prayers, to 
pursue the difficult practice of interior mortification, without 
which I can not hope to possess my soul in peace and 
patience. Oh! enkindle in my heart one spark of the heavenly 
fire of charity which glowed in thine. Teach me, like thee, 
to seek and find my happiness in God, and to feel that it 
is good to live, to labor, and rejoice in Him alone. Shield 
me against the many perils which beset my path: watch 
over my immortal interests, and obtain that my soul may 
die the death of the just, and my last end be like unto 
thine. Amen. 

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. 

OGOD, Who wast pleased to give blessed Francis, Thy 
confessor and bishop, success in the salvation of 
souls, mercifully grant that being plentifully enriched with 
the sweetness of Thy charity, by following his directions 
and by the help of his merits, we may obtain life everlasting > 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



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IRovena anD praters to St 5ane jf rancee fce ObantaL* 

O GLORIOUS saint, blessed Jane Frances, who, by thy 
fervent prayer, attention to the Divine Presence, and 
purity of intention in thy actions, didst attain on earth an 
intimate union with God, be now our advocate, our mother, 
our guide in the path of virtue and perfection. Plead our 
cause near Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, to whom thou wast so 
tenderly devoted, and whose holy virtues thou didst so 
closely imitate. Obtain for us, O amiable and compas- 
sionate saint! the virtues thou seest most necessary for us; 
an ardent love of Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament, a tender 
and filial confidence in His blessed Mother, and, like thee, 
a constant remembrance of His sacred Passion and death. 
Obtain also, we pray thee, that our particular intention in 
this novena may be fulfilled. 

V. St. Jane Frances, pray for us, 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 

O ALMIGHTY and merciful God, Who didst grant blessed 
St. Jane Frances, so inflamed with the love of Thee, a 
wonderful degree of fortitude through all the paths of life, 
and wast pleased through her to adorn Thy Church with a 
new Religious Order; grant, by her merits and prayers, that 
we, who, sensible of our weakness, confide in Thy strength, may 
overcome all adversities with the help of Thy heavenly grace, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PRAYER TO IMPLORE FIDELITY TO DIVINE GRACE. 

OGRE AT St. Jane Frances! who, to follow the inspirations 
of the Holy Spirit, when thou wert called to the religious 
state, didst despise all the ties of nature and of blood; obtain for 
us also the grace to correspond faithfully with all divine impulses, 
and to sacrifice to God whatever is most dear and precious to us. 

FOR PERFECT CONFORMITY. 

O GREAT St. Jane Frances, who didst execute, with the 
utmost exactness, thy singular and difficult vow to do 
always what thou didst recognize as most perfect; obtain for 



* Feast on August 21st. 



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1089 



us the grace always to aspire to the acquisition of the most sub- 
lime sanctity, and never to omit any means which we know 
may conduce to this end. 

movena in Ibonor of St llMncent fce fl>auL* 

O all the faithful who make, at any time during the year, 
the novena in honor of St. Vincent de Paul, with any 
formula of prayer, provided it be approved by competent ecclesi- 
astical authority, an indulgence of 300 days, each day; a plenary 
indulgence, during the course of the novena, on usual conditions. 
—Pius IX., Nov. 23, 1876. 

PRAYER TO ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 

O GLORIOUS St. Vincent, heavenly patron of all associa- 
tions of charity and father of all the miserable; who 
during thy life never didst reject any one who had recourse to thee, 
ah! behold by how many evils we are afflicted, and come to our 
assistance. Obtain from Our Lord help for the poor; relief 
for the sick; consolation for the afflicted; protection for the 
abandoned; charity for the rich; conversion for sinners; zeal 
for priests; peace for the Church; tranquillity for the people; 
salvation for all. Let all experience the effects of thy merciful 
intercession, that, succored by thee in the miseries of this life, 
they may be united with thee above, where there will be neither 
sorrow, nor weeping; nor pain; but eternal joy and happiness. 
Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., June 23, 1885. 

ANOTHER PRAYER TO ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 

OGOD, Who, for the sanctification of souls, and for the 
salvation of the poor especially, hast raised up, by our 
spiritual father, the blessed Vincent, a new family in Thy Church, 
grant, we beseech Thee, through his intercession, the favor 
that we now request (mention it), and the grace that we may 
imitate his virtues, and that, animated by his spirit, we may 
love what he loved and practice what he taught, through Our 
Lord Jesus Christ, Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, 
liveth and reigneth, God, world without end. Amen. 

Pray for us, St. Vincent; take us under thy fatherly protec- 
tion, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 
Amen. 



* Feast on July 19th. 



1090 



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Iftcwena to St* Ifgnatfus Xogola** 

t. GLORIOUS St. Ignatius, who, on reading the 
KJ lives of saints, resolved to imitate them, renoun- 
cing for ever all worldly honors, and seeking nothing but 
the greater glory of God: obtain for us also an efficacious 
resolution to practice all divine virtues, and like you, free 
from all earthly love, to desire nothing but to see Our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ glorified throughout the whole 
world. 

Glory be, etc. 

2. O glorious St. Ignatius, who, after your conversion 
to the Lord, macerated your body with vigils, fasts, disci- 
plines, hair-shirts, and other similar austerities; obtain 
for us also the grace to look upon our body as our enemy, 
and by continual mortification at length to cancel the heavy 
debt to the divine Justice which we by our sins have con- 
tracted. 

Glory be, etc. 

3. O glorious St. Ignatius, who, when tempted to moderate 
your fervor, and to change your manner of life, instead of 
listening to the suggestions of the enemy, redoubled your 
austerities, for which you merited to receive a visit from the 
most holy Virgin Mary; obtain for us the grace to persevere 
until death in the practice of penance, in the mortification of 
our senses, and in the subjugation of our will, so as to make 
it perfectly conformable to the will of God and the will of 
our Superiors, and thus to attain, through thy intercession 
and the merits of obedience, to the beatific vision and 
the company of the angels and saints in the kingdom of 
heaven. 

Glory be, etc. 

4. O glorious St. Ignatius, who, resolving to imitate with 
perfection the poverty, the humility, and the patience of 
Jesus Christ, renounced all the comforts of your home, 
lived on alms, and suffered joyfully the most unjust persecu- 
tions: obtain for us the grace of living so detached from 
all the things of the world, and of enduring so tranquilly 



* Feast on July 31st. 



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1091 



all its persecutions, that we may be indeed faithful disciples 
and true imitators of Jesus Christ. 
Glory be, etc. 

5. O glorious St. Ignatius, who through your Spiritual 
Exercises, and the instrumentality of your Society, have 
converted innumerable souls to God, and in a great measure 
repaired the ruin caused by heresy and evil customs: obtain 
for us the grace to be always ready to make any sacrifice to 
convert souls to God, and to promote the glory of His Church; 
that we also may at length share in that blessedness 
which is promised to those who hunger and thirst after 
justice. 

Glory be, etc. 

6. O glorious St. Ignatius, chosen in the designs of God 
from eternity to be the founder of the Society of Jesus and 
the father of innumerable saints, vouchsafe to protect me, 
to direct me, to pray for me, and to guide my petitions, that 
I may ask and do only what is according to your maxim: 
u Ad major em Dei gloriam:" "For the greater honor and 
glory of God." Obtain for me, also, and for all poor sinners 
light and salvation through the sacred wounds of Jesus 
Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. Amen. 

Glory be, etc. 

PRAYER TO ST. ANGELA MERICI, FOUNDRESS OF THE URSULINE. 
ORDER.* 

OST blessed St. Angela, who art now in possession of 
that eternal crown which is promised to those who instruct 
others unto justice, permit me to have recourse to thee, as to 
my glorious patroness, and to choose thee for my special advo- 
cate before the throne of God. In union with all those happy 
souls who, under God, are indebted to thee for the glory they 
now enjoy in heaven, I thank God for having raised thee up to 
provide for thousands the great blessings of religious instruction. 
How grateful should I be for the happiness of being ranked 
among the number of those who are thy spiritual daughters, 
and who, under thy direction and in imitation of thy zeal and 
charity and of all thy other beautiful virtues, sanctify their own 
souls and labor unceasingly for the spread of God's kingdom. 
O glorious patroness and mother of the weakest portion of 




* Feast on May 31st. 



1092 A Little Book of Novenas. 



Christ's flock, do not abandon thy charge, now that thou seest 
more clearly than ever the dangers to which we are exposed. 
I entreat thee, by that lively zeal for God's glory which caused 
thee to devote thy life to the instruction of the ignorant, to adopt 
me as thy child, and to obtain for me the grace to profit of the 
blessings which the Almighty has bestowed on me through thee. 
Procure for me by thy prayers a docile heart — a lively horror 
of sin — sincere love of God and my neighbor — and so great a 
share in that tender compassion for the poor which distinguished 
thee, that I may never neglect an opportunity of affording them 
any spiritual or corporal assistance in my power. Teach me, by 
thy example, to practice works of mercy, that like thee I may 
find mercy, and join thee for all eternity in praising and blessing 
the infinite goodness and mercies of God. Amen. 

COLLECT OF ST. ANGELA MERICI. 

(From the Missal.) 

OGOD, Who didst bring to pass that, through the 
Blessed Angela, a new company of sacred virgins 
should flourish in Thy Church; grant that through her 
intercession w r e may live after the ways of the angels in our 
lives, and that, renouncing all earthly joys, we may be 
found worthy to enjoy those pleasures that are eternal. 
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

IRovena to St. THrsula.* 

1. *"¥T> Y that most tender love which you always bore 

to Jesus Christ, and which led you, though born 
a princess, and educated at your father's court, and sought 
in marriage by the most renowned princes of Europe, to 
renounce all earthly delight and consecrate your virginity 
to God: O ask for us, glorious St. Ursula, that we may 
never sully the purity which is suitable to our state of life, 
and never deviate, either through menaces or allurements, 
from any good resolutions. 
Glory be, etc. 

2. By that magnanimous resolution which you infused 
into your companions, of preferring their espousals with 
Jesus Christ to a union with the most distinguished person- 
ages in the world; by the joy which you felt when the ship 



* Feast on October 21st. 



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1093 



in which you were sailing was forced to take shelter in a 
barbarous land, preferring to fall into the hands of bar- 
barians than into the hands of those who were waiting for 
you and your companions to make you their spouses; inter- 
cede for us, O glorious St. Ursula, that we may recognize 
the hand of God in all the evils which happen to us on earth, 
and use all our powers to assist our neighbors in the way 
of salvation. 
Glory be, etc. 

3. Ey that admirable courage with which you and your 
companions united in sacrificing your blood and your lives 
sooner than fail in the fidelity you had vowed to Jesus, your 
Spouse; and by the infinite blessings which have flowed 
from the various Orders, instituted under your protection 
and your name, to instruct youth in the most solid piety: 
intercede for us all, O most glorious St. Ursula, that we 
may always be ready to suffer any torments rather than 
violate the dictates of our consciences, -and so to live as 
always to merit your particular patronage on earth and a 
share of your glories in heaven. 

Glory be, etc. 



movena to St. J£emarD * 

1. *7"T*DMIRABLE St. Bernard, who, after having been 
<%Jr-*-> the delight of your parents by the innocence of 

your manners, became the model of Religious by the austerity 
of your penances and the fervor of your piety; and who had 
also the happiness of drawing with you, to a life of holiness, 
your whole family and an infinite number of distinguished 
persons: obtain for us, of the Lord, the grace that we may 
correspond to the divine inspirations, and live up to the 
perfection of our state. 
Glory be, etc. 

2. Admirable St. Bernard, who, advancing in sanctity 
as you progressed in learning, practiced the most severe 
mortification of your senses, and conceived the deepest 
hatred for every kind of sin: obtain for us, of the Lord, the 



Feast on August 20th. 



io94 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



grace, by the practice of penance, always to mortify our 
unruly passions. 
Glory be, etc. 

3. Admirable St. Bernard, who, after founding many 
monasteries, and filling them with fervent and holy monks 
effected the greatest good by your counsel and advice; so 
that not only kings and princes, but bishops and popes 
applied to you to heal public discords and distresses: obtain 
for us, of the Lord, the grace to labor continually for His 
glory, and to walk so faithfully in the way of His precepts, 
that we may at all times merit His aid. 

Glory be, etc. 

4. Admirable St. Bernard, who, passing like an apostle 
through all the kingdoms of the West, carried to all peace 
and joy, deciding the most difficult questions/ concluding the 
most complicated affairs, assisting at counsels, confuting 
errors, converting the most hardened sinners: obtain for us, 
of the Lord, the grace, that by our lives we may shed the 
odor of Jesus around, and have, like you, a lively faith and 
an ardent love for the Most Holy Eucharist, the greatest 
and the most precious treasure of Christianity. 

Glory be, etc. 

5. Admirable St. Bernard, who, notwithstanding your 
numberless occupations, your continual journeys, and 
your delicate health, never ceased your meditations, your 
prayers, and your penances; who, not content to announce 
the word of God by your voice, also composed most valuable 
works, for which you have merited the glorious titles of 
Doctor and Father of the Church; and who, by your beautiful 
writings for her glory, promoted devotion to Mary: obtain 
for us, of the Lord, the grace of perseverance till death, in 
all the practices of piety and penance suitable to our state, 
and always to breathe the most fervent devotion to our Mother 
Mar>\ \ 

Glory be, etc. 

PRAYER TO ST. ANSE%M.* 

OTRUB light of the world and salt of the earth, glorious 
St. Anselm, obtain for us of the Lord that our souls 
may be always seasoned with the blessed salt of the eternal 



Feast on April 21st. 



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io 95 



truth, that, delivered from the corruptions of sin, we may 
relish, in future, nothing but the sweetness of divine love; 
obtain for us also a great fervor in the pursuit of perfection 
according to the spirit of our vows, and furthermore a devo- 
tion like yours to our blessed Lady, whose feast of the Im- 
maculate Conception you aided to establish in the West. 
Enable us to follow the light of your heavenly doctrine, 
that we may always walk in the light; and, as you were 
made by God a Doctor and Master upon earth, deign to be 
our advocate and protector in heaven. Let us be, not your 
disciples only, but your imitators also: so that, following 
faithfully your instruction, we may one day merit to be your 
companions in paradise. 
Pater, Ave, Gloria. 

PRAYER TO ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI.* 

Y glorious and most loving protector, St. Alphonsus, 
thou who didst toil and suffer so much to secure to 
men the fruit of redemption, behold the wretchedness of 
my poor soul, and take pity on me. Through the powerful 
influence of intercession, which thou enjoy est with Jesus 
and Mary, obtain for me forgiveness of my past sins with 
true repentance for them, a great horror of sin, and strength 
always to resist temptations. I entreat thee to commu- 
nicate to me a spark of that burning charity with which 
thy heart was ever inflamed, and help me to imitate thee in 
this, that the only standard and rule of my life may be to 
please God in all. Obtain for me, also, a fervent and unfail- 
ing love of Jesus and a tender and filial devotion to Mary, 
with the grace to pray always and to persevere in the ser- 
vice of God till the hour of my death, so that I may finally be 
united with thee in praising God and Mary most holy for 
all eternity. Amen. 

Indulgence of 200 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., June 18, 1887. 

PRAYER OF ST. ALPHONSUS DE LIGUORI TO ST. TERESA. 

O SERAPHIC Virgin, St. Teresa, beloved spouse of the 
Crucified, thou who didst burn with such ardent love whilst 
on earth for thy God and mine, and who art now inflamed with 
an even purer and greater love in heaven; who didst always 
long to see Him loved by all men, obtain for me also, I beseech 
thee, a spark of that holy flame which may make me forget the 




Feast on August 2d. 



1096 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



world and creatures and self; and may all my thoughts, all 
my desires and all my affections be occupied always in carrying 
out, in all things, whether pleasant or painful, the will of the 
Supreme Good, Who deserves to be infinitely obeyed and loved. 
Obtain for me this grace, thou who findest so great favor with 
God, that I may be wholly inflamed, as thou art, with divine 
Jove. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., April 22, 1898. 

Hovena to St. Gbarles JBorromeo* 

1. GLORIOUS St. Charles, by the joy which you 
V>J found from tender infancy in the practices of 

piety, obtain for me, I pray, a constant and tender affection 
for all religious exercises. 
Glory be, etc. 

2. O glorious St. Charles, model for ecclesiastics, by 
your generous detachment from all worldly concerns and 
by your zeal for the glory of God, and the relief of the poor, 
obtain for me, I pray, the grace to apply myself, like you, 
faithfully to all the duties which belong to the holy state 
to which it has pleased God to call me. 

Glory be, etc. 

3. O glorious St. Charles, whose care it was to observe 
in the most minute details and most perfectly the discipline 
of holy Church, obtain for me, I pray, the grace ever to love 
tenderly and observe exactly our holy Rule and Customs. 

4. O glorious St. Charles, who always prepared for death 
by the sanctity of your life, and accepted it with holy joy 
when it overtook you in the midst of your most glorious 
career: obtain for me, I pray, the grace always to accept, 
with Christian resignation, all that is painful to the senses 
which it shall please the Lord to send me; and that my 
life may be a continual preparation for death; so that when 
I arrive at my great passage, instead of feeling the terror of 
the sinner, I may enjoy the peace of the just, a prelude to 
eternal blessedness with the elect in heaven. 

Glory be, etc. 



* Feast on November _ith. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1097 



PRAYER TO ST. ANN. 

ITH a heart full of sincere filial veneration, I prostrate 
myself before thee, O blessed St. Ann. Thou art that 
beloved and privileged creature who, because of thy extraordinary 
virtue and sanctity, didst deserve of God that chief of graces 
of giving life to the treasury of grace, the blessed among women, 
the Mother of the Incarnate Lord, the blessed Virgin Mary. 

Ah! in consideration of such exalted favors deign, O most 
tender saint, to receive me among the number of thy truly de- 
voted servants, for such I protest myself to be and wish to remain 
for the rest of my life. Surround me with thy efficacious patronage 
and obtain for me, from God, the imitation of those virtues with 
which thou wert so profusely adorned. Obtain for me a knowl- 
edge of my sins and sorrow for them; an ardent love for Jesus 
and Mary; a faithful and constant observance of the duties 
of my state of life. Save me from all dangers in life and assist 
me at the hour of my death, that I may safely reach paradise, 
there to praise, with thee, most happy mother, the Word of 
God made man in the womb of thy most pure daughter, the 
hjlessed Virgin Mary. Amen. 

Three Our Fathers, Hail Marys, Glory be to the Father. 
Indulgence of 300 days, once a dav. — Leo XIII., March 20, 
1886. 

TTbe IRovena of (Brace in Ibonor of St jf rancis $a\>tet\ 
Bpostle of tbe ITnDtes* 

HIS novena in honor of St. Francis Xavier is called the 
Novena of Grace because so many graces and marvelous 
"blessings have been bestowed by God upon numerous souls 
who have made it, in response to the intercession of St. Francis 
Xavier, the great Apostle of the Indies. We learn from a leaflet 
issued by the press of the Apostleship of Prayer, that the origin 
of this novena, which is celebrated in many parishes of the 
Jesuit Fathers, annually from the 4th to the 12th of March, is 
due to the saint himself, who appeared to Father Marcello 
Mastrilli, S.J., at Naples, in December, 1633, when he lay 
mortally wounded in the head by a blow from an iron hammer, 
which had fallen one hundred feet out of the hand of a workman. 
All hope of his recovery had been abandoned. The prayers of 
the Church for those who are at the point of death were being 
said for the suffering priest, who had already received the last 
sacraments, when suddenly St. Francis appeared at his side, 
in the garb of a pilgrim, staff in hand, and radiant with heavenly 



1098 



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light. "Will you go to heaven or to India?" the saint asked, 
having in view a promise recently made by the dying man, to 
go to India if his life would be prolonged. The good Father 
replied: "I have no will save the will of God." "Very well," 
came the saint's answer; "Renew your vow. Be of good cheer. 
You shall be made well." He recovered his health. 

St. Francis Xavier then promised his aid to all who would 
make a novena from the 4th to the 12th of March, and receive 
the sacraments. The efficacy of this novena is not restricted 
to the days mentioned. It may be made in preparation for the 
feast of the saint, which is the 3d of December. 



PRAYERS FOR THE NOVENA OF GRACE. 

St. Francis Xavier 1 s Prayer for Unbelievers. 

TERNAL God, Creator of all things, remember that 
the souls of unbelievers have been created by Thyself 
and formed to Thine own image and likeness. Behold, O 
Lord, how, to Thy dishonor, hell is being filled with them. 
Remember Lord, that Jesus Christ, Thy only Son, shed 
His most precious blood, and suffered a most cruel death 
for their salvation. I beseech Thee, O my God, do not 
permit that Thy beloved Son be any longer despised by 
unbelievers, but rather, being appeased by the prayers and 
supplications of the saints, and of the Church, the most 
blessed spouse of Thy divine Son, vouchsafe to be mindful 
of Thy mercy, and, forgetting their idolatry and infidelity, 
bring them to know Him Whom Thou didst send, Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who is our life and resurrection, 
through Whom we are redeemed and saved, to Whom be 
all glory for ever. Amen. 



PRAYER TO ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 

OMOST lovable and charitable saint, in union with 
thee I adore the divine Majesty. My heart is filled 
with joy at the remembrance of the marvelous favors with 
which God blessed thy life on earth, and of the great glory 
that came to thee after death. In union with thee I praise 
God, and offer Him my humble tribute of thanksgiving. 




A Little Book of Novenas. 



1099 



I implore thee to obtain for me, through thy powerful inter- 
cession, the greatest of all blessings — that of living and 
dying in the state of grace. I also beg of thee to secure 
for me the special favor I ask in this no vena [mention your 
request]. May the will of God be done. If what I am 
praying for is not for God's glory or for the good of my 
soul, I beseech thee to obtain for me what is most conducive 
to both. 

V. Pray for us, St. Francis Xavier; 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Let us pray. 

OGOD, Who hast vouchsafed, by the preaching and 
miracles of St. Francis Xavier, to join unto Thy 
Church the nations of the Indies; grant, we beseech Thee, 
that we, who celebrate his glorious merits, may also imitate 
his example, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

ANOTHER PRAYER TO ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 

O FERVENT apostle, indefatigable laborer in the vine- 
yard of the Lord, glorious St. Francis Xavier, who, 
urged by a burning zeal for the salvation of souls, didst expose 
thyself to extreme dangers, and didst welcome the most appalling 
labors and sacrifices, vouchsafe also to take charge of my per- 
fection. 

Obtain that I may imitate thy perfect detachment from crea- 
tures, thy confidence in God, thy abandonment to the divine 
will, thy humility, obedience, and charity, thy generosity in the 
practice of virtue, and thy zeal for souls. Enkindle in my heart 
the sacred fire with which thy great soul was always inflamed, 
that I may labor earnestly to make Jesus Christ reign in all 
hearts, and that, having had the happiness of walking in thy 
footsteps here below, I may one day enjoy with thee the bliss 
of heaven. Amen. 

St. ffrancts favier, ©ne of tbe Eminent ipatrons 
of tbe Bpostlesbip of prater, an£> of IReltgtous, 
especially in tbetr #eal for tbe Spread of tbe 
Iking&om of <3oD. 

BRANCIS XAVIER, a young Spanish gentleman, in the 
dangerous days of the Reformation, was making a name 
for himself as a professor of philosophy in the University of 



I IOO 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



Paris. He had seemingly no higher aim, when St. Ignatius 
of Loyola won him to heavenly thoughts. Then, and for ever 
after, Francis gave himself unreservedly to gain souls to God. 
After a brief Apostolate amongst his countrymen in Rome, 
he was sent by St. Ignatius to the Indies, where, for twelve 
years, like another St. Paul, he was to wear himself out bear- 
ing the Gospel to Hindustan, to Malacca, and to Japan. Though 
vested with the dignity of Nuncio Apostolic, and Superior over 
his religious brethren, he only used his authority to take for 
himself the largest share of the toils and dangers of the work. 
Thwarted by the jealousy, covetousness, and carelessness of 
those who should have helped and encouraged him, neither 
their opposition nor the difficulties of every sort which he en- 
countered could make him slacken his labors for souls. He 
was ever preaching, baptizing, hearing confessions, discussing 
with the learned, instructing the ignorant; and yet all this was 
done with the greatest pains, as the elaborate instructions and 
the long letters which he has left behind prove. 

The vast kingdom of China appealed to his charity, and he 
was resolved to risk his life to force an entry when God took 
him to Himself, and he died, like Moses, in sight of the land 
of promise. 

This great saint was born in Navarre, at the castle of Xavier, 
eight leagues from Pampelona, in 1506, and he died, under 
the circumstances related, in 1552. His feast is celebrated 
on the third of December. As Butler tells us, " He was so abso- 
lute a master of his passions that he knew not what it was to 
have the least motion of anger and impatience, and in all events 
was perfectly resigned to the divine will, from whence proceeded 
an admirable tranquillity of soul, a perpetual cheerfulness in 
the midst of physical pains and other troubles, and equality of 
countenance. By humility the saint was always ready to follow 
the advice of others, and attributed all blessings to their prayers, 
which he most earnestly solicited. The union of his soul with 
God by holy prayer raised him above the world. Engulfed in 
deep meditations, he was sometimes found suspended in the 
air, with beams of glory round his countenance, as many ocular 
witnesses deposed." 

Some are specially called to work for souls, but there is no 
one who can not help much in their salvation. Holy example, 
earnest prayer, the offerings of our actions and sufferings in 
their behalf — all this needs only the spirit which animated 
St. Francis Xavier, the desire to give glory to God, the love of 
God, and the love of our neighbor. 



A Little Book of Xovenas. 



1 1 o I 



A PRAYER TO THE HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL. 

O BLESSED apostles Peter and Paul! I take you this day 
for my special protectors and advocates with God. In 
all humility I rejoice with thee, blessed Peter, prince of the 
apostles, because thou art the rock whereon God hath built 
His Church; and I rejoice with thee, too, blessed Paul, because 
thou wert chosen of God for a vessel of election and preacher 
of the truth throughout the world. Ask for me, I pray you 
both, lively faith, firm hope, and perfect charity; entire detach- 
ment from myself, contempt of the world, patience in adversity, 
humility in prosperity, attention in prayer, purity of heart, 
right indention in my works, diligence in the fulfilment of all 
the duties cl my state of life, constancy in my good resolutions, 
resignation to the holy will of God, perseverance in His grace 
even unto death — that, by your joint intercession and your 
glorious merits, I may overcome the temptations of the world, 
the flesh, and the devil, and be made worthy to stand before 
the face of the chief and eternal Pastor of souls, Jesus Christ, 
to enjoy Him and to love Him for all eternity, Who, with the 
Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth world without 
end. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father. 
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius YL, July 28, 1778.- 

PRAYER TO ST. PATRICK. 

O BLESSED apostle of Ireland, glorious St. Patrick, look down 
upon thy children who have received through thy zealous 
preaching the priceless gift of faith, and hear the prayers with 
which we address thee for protection. Watch over us with a 
father's care, and help us always by thy powerful intercession, 
that we may ever cling to the faith which, under God's in- 
spiration and guidance, thou didst preach to our forefathers, and 
that we may ever live according to the teaching of that holy 
faith. Watch over our pastors, and bless all their works for 
the salvation of their flocks. Defend our dear country from 
all the assaults and snares of Satan, and from all irreligion and 
vice, and obtain for us the grace to sanctify our lives by the 
practice of piety and of all the Christian virtues, that we may 
merit to be associated with thee and all glorious saints of our 
dear native land in the kingdom of our heavenly Father. Amen. 

(From the Missal.) 
O God, W r ho didst vouchsafe to send the blessed Patrick, 
Thy confessor and bishop, to declare Thy glory to the nations, 
grant, through his merits and intercession, that what Thou 



I 102 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



commandest us to do, we may by Thy mercy be able to ac- 
complish. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

IRovena for tbe JFeast of Bll Saints** 

1. QUEEN of All Saints, O most powerful mediatrix 
V>J between God and man! O supreme arbitress 

of grace, holy Mary, vouchsafe to look upon us with Thine 
eyes of mercy: obtain for us that we may follow thee in 
the path of virtue, and merit the favor of thy most powerful 
intercession, by which we may attain to a share of thy glory 
in paradise. 

Three Hail Marys. 

2. O heavenly spirits, who from the beginning of the 
world encircled the throne of the Most High, and who are 
continually employed in singing His praises, in executing 
His commands, and who burn in the fire of His love: obtain 
for us the grace to place all our happiness in obeying the 
divine laws, and in faithfully performing the duties of our 
calling, that so we may one day attain to the possession of 
those thrones which were made void by the rebellion of 
your companions. 

Three Glorys. 

3. O most faithful patriarchs, most holy prophets, most 
zealous apostles, most invincible martyrs, most righteous 
confessors, most chaste matrons, most pure virgins, who now 
reign with Christ in heaven, from the bright seats of your 
blessedness cast your eyes of pity upon us, unhappy exiles 
in this vale of tears. O happy spirits, pray for us. Obtain 
for us all grace to walk faithfully in your footsteps, to follow 
courageously your example, and to copy your virtues in 
our lives; and that, meditating upon your victories ; we 
may attain to a participation of your immortal glory. 

Three Glorys. 

1Rov>ena to St. Bntbons of paDua-t 

1. ^{LORIOUS St. Anthony, who from thy earliest 
\s) years wast consecrated to the service of God, 
and didst practice the greatest austerities; who, devoured with 



* Feast on November 1st. 
f Feast on June 13th. 



A Little Book of Novenas. 



1103 



zeal for justice, didst cause thyself to be conveyed to the coast 
of Africa that thou mightest preach the Gospel to the Saracens: 
obtain for us the grace to apply ourselves continually to 
the sendee of God, to our personal mortification, and the 
salvation of our brethren, that we may thus become true 
disciples and faithful imitators of Jesus Christ. 
Glory be, etc. 

2. Glorious St. Anthony, thou didst hide thy rare talents with 
the greatest care and didst suffer patiently the contempt of 
men: obtain for us grace to despise the esteem and the 
honors of the world, and always increase in merit before God. 

Glory be, etc. 

3. Glorious St. Anthony, who by thy sanctity and thy elo- 
quence didst triumph over the hardest hearts: obtain for us 
grace so faithfully to follow the divine call, that we may 
attain the blessedness promised to those who faithfully 
keep the divine word. 

Glory be, etc. 

4. Glorious St. Anthony, who wast so frequently glorified 
by the most wonderful miracles: obtain for us grace so to 
live, as to merit from the Most High His choicest favors. 

Glory be, etc. 

5. Glorious St. Anthony, who from the tender devotion 
which thou didst always show to Jesus, didst merit to receive 
the holy Infant in thy arms, and also to be visited and con- 
soled by Him in thy agony: obtain for us grace to walk in 
holiness and justice all the days of our life, and to enjoy at 
our death the consolations of the just, and the glory of the 
blessed in eternity. 

Glory be, etc. 

IXDULGEXCED PRACTICES AND PRAYERS IN HONOR OF 
ST, ANTHONY OF PADUA. 

O the faithful who shall say thirteen Paters, Aves, and 
Glorias in honor of St. Anthony of Padua, an indulgence 
of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., June 9, 1896. 

PIOUS PRACTICE OF THE THIRTEEN TUESDAYS, OR OF THE THIR- 
TEEN SUNDAYS IN HONOR OF ST. ANTHONY. 

O the faithful who, on thirteen successive Tuesdays or 
as many successive Sundays, once only, at any time during 
the year, shall spend some time in pious meditation, or vocal 



1 104 



A Little Book of Xovenas. 



prayers, or any other works of piety, to the glory of God and in 
honor of St. Anthony of Padua, on the usual conditions; a plenary 
indulgence on each of the said Tuesdays or Sundays. — Leo XIII., 

March 1, 1898. 

PRAYER IX ANY NECESSITY TO ST. ANTHONY. 

E salute thee, St Anthony, lily of purity, ornament and 
glory of Christianity. We salute thee, great saint, 
cherub of wisdom and seraph of divine love. We rejoice at 
the favors Our Lord has so liberally bestowed on thee. In 
humility and confidence we entreat thee to help us, for we know 
that God has given thee charity and pity, as well as power. 

Oh! then behold our distress, our anxiety, our fears concern- 
ing (here name your request). We ask thee by the love thou 
didst feel toward the amiable little Jesus, when He covered 
thee with His caresses: Oh! tell Him now of our wants. Oh! 
remember how complete thy bliss was when thou didst hold Him 
to thy breast, didst press thy cheek to His, and didst listen to 
His sweet voice. 

We salute thee in spirit, O glorious favorite of God, and bow 
our guilty heads before thee in humble reverence, while we raise 
our sad hearts full of hope toward heaven and thee; — for He 
who placed Himself in thy arms will now fill thy hands with 
all we ask of thee. 

Give us, then, what we desire, angel of love, and we will 
make known the wondrous efficacy of thy intercession, for the 
honor and glory of God. 

ASPIRATIONS TO ST. ANTHONY. 

T. Anthony, whom the Infant Jesus so much loved and 
j^jy honored, grant us what we ask of thee. 

St. Anthony, powerful in word and work, grant us (here men- 
tion intention). 

St. Anthony, attentive to those who invoke thee, grant us 
the aid of thy powerful intercession for the grace of holy purity, 
meekness, and obedience. 

St. Anthony, pray for our priests, relatives, and benefactors, 
and for all in authority in Church and State. 

PRAYER IN AFFLICTION AND ANXIETY BEFORE A STATUE OF 
ST. ANTHONY. 

OGOOD and loving Jesus, safe refuge of my needy soul! 
here at Thy feet I implore Thee, by the love which 
St. Anthony bore Thee, and by the love of Thy Sacred Heart, 
which induced Thee to appear to him in the form of a gracious 



Miscellaneous Prayers. 



1105 



little child, in order to caress and comfort him: come to me 
in my present need and sore affliction. Come as my loving 
Father and God, and relieve me in my necessities. In Thee 
alone do I place all my hope and confidence. 

O my dear patron, St. Anthony! intercede for me before 
the throne of God and help me in my necessities, so that, like 
so many others whom thou hast aided, I may be able to exclaim 
with a joyful heart: Blessed be God, Who truly lives and reigns 
in His servant, St. Anthony! Amen. 

/HMscellaneouB praters* 

PRAYER TO ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, PATRON OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. 

O ANGELIC Doctor, St. Thomas, prince of theologians 
and guide of philosophers, shining ornament of the 
Christian world and light of the Church, heavenly patron of 
all Catholic schools, who hast imbibed wisdom without guile, 
and dost impart it without envy, implore for us the Son of God, 
Who is wisdom itself, that, receiving within us the Spirit of 
wisdom, we may understand what thou hast taught and imitate 
what thou hast done, and that, being made partakers of the 
wisdom and virtue in which thou, whilst on earth, didst ever 
shine, as the sun, we may at last enjoy with thee eternally in 
heaven their sweetest fruits, extolling the divine wisdom through 
endless ages. Amen. 

PRAYER TO ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST. 

O ANGELIC St. John! Jesus loved thee so much that He 
permitted thee to repose on His sacred bosom at the 
Last Supper; O favorite disciple of our divine Master, whom 
He appointed the son and protector of His most holy Mother, 
pray for us: obtain for us a special, a most fervent devotion to 
Our Lord in the Most Holy Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin 
Mary: obtain for us, also, the lights and graces we may need, 
perfect conformity to the divine will, and perseverance in the 
following of Christ and the imitation of Mary. Amen. 

PRAYER TO ST. MARY MAGDALEN. 

O GLORIOUS St. Magdalen, model of penitents, obtain 
for me the grace of perseverance in the practices of self- 
denial according to the spirit of my vows; pray to God for me 
that I may appear before Jesus, Our Lord and Master, at the 
moment of my death, with my lamp filled with the oil of faith 
and hope, and burning with the pure flame of charity, and thus 
merit to be received with thee into His eternal kingdom. Amen. 



1 1 o6 



Miscellaneous Prayers. 



Devout Exercise of the Biic SunOaga in Ibonor of 
St. Blo^tus Gonsaga* 



A plenary indulgence on each of the six Sundays which are 
wont to be kept in honor of this saint, either immediately before 
his feast, on June 21, or at any other time of the year. In order 
to gain this plenary indulgence, it is requisite that the six Sun- 
days should be kept consecutively; and that, on each of them, 
the faithful, being truly penitent, after confession and communion 
should employ themselves in pious meditations or vocal prayers, 
or other works of Christian, piety, in honor of the saint. — Clement 
XII., Dec. 11, 1739; Jan. 7, 1740. 

A PRAYER TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 

O BLESSED Aloysius, adorned with angelic graces, I, thy 
most unworthy suppliant, recommend specially to thee 
the chastity of my soul and body, praying thee by thy angelic 
purity to plead for me with Jesus Christ, the immaculate Lamb, 
and His most holy Mother, the Virgin of virgins, that they would 
vouchsafe to keep me from all grievous sin. O never let me 
be defiled with any stain of impurity; but when thou dost see 
me in temptation, or in danger of falling, then remove far from 
my heart all bad thoughts and unclean desires, and awaken 
in me the memory of eternity to come and Jesus crucified; im- 
press deeply in my heart a sense of the holy fear of God; and 
thus, kindling in me the fire of divine love, enable me so to 
follow thy footsteps here on earth, that, in heaven with thee, I 
mav be made worthy to enjoy the vision of Our God for ever. 
Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius VII., March 6, 1802. 

ACT OF CONSECRATION TO ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA. 

OST. ALOYSIUS, so renowned for thy purity of heart, thy 
humility and obedience, thy special devotion to the Most 
Holy Sacrament, and thy tender love for the Blessed Virgin 
Alary, I consecrate myself to thee, beseeching thee to number 
me among thy fervent clients. Obtain that I may perfectly 
imitate all thy virtues, especially thy purity and perseverance. 
Help me with thy prayers that I may never cease to love my 
God and sing His praises. Assist me by a special protection 
at the hour of my death, that I may present myself pure and 
stainless to the sovereign Judge and enjoy with thee eternal 
happiness. Amen. 



Miscellaneous Pro) 'ers. 



1107 



A PRAYER TO ST. ALOYSIUS. 

O GLORIOUS St. Aloysius! He Who possessed thy whole 
heart and Whose perfections engrossed even- thought 
of thine, is the same God Who dwells upon our altars in the 
Most Holy Sacrament. 

Happy as thou wert in loving Him on earth, most blessed 
as thou art in beholding Him in heaven, I know, nevertheless, 
that thou hast nothing brighter to love, nothing higher to adore, 
nothing holier to revere, than that which is my own Treasure 
on the altar. Oh, obtain for me faith like thine, to comprehend 
and value the gift of God; light like thine, to see and know 
the mercy of my hidden Saviour; love like thine to love with 
all the affection of my nature the infinite tenderness of Him 
Who conceals His glory and His -Majesty, that He may dwell 
at all times among His miserable children. Oh, pray that my 
happiness, like thine, may be in union with my divine Redeemer; 
that I may seek on the altar my light, my peace, my comfort, 
and my joy on earth; and that, imitating thy preparation for 
the holy communion, it may be to me, as it was to thee, the 
source of all grace and all strength here below, as well as the 
pledge of my eternal union with my God and Saviour in the 
everlasting kingdom of His glory. 

PRAYER TO ST. STANISLAUS KOSTKA. 

O AMIABLE St. Stanislaus, how admirable is the union 
I behold in thee of perfect contempt of all that the world 
esteems, and most ardent love of the things of eternity! Thou 
risest with pure affections, as upon the wings of a dove, above 
the ordinary plane of mortals, and thou livest among men as 
a seraph. Sweet it is simply to contemplate thee! But what 
happiness it would be if I could partake of the holy desires and 
ardent love of thy pure heart. Deign to obtain for me this 
favor through thy intercession. Amen. 

PRAYER ASKING FOR GOOD PRIESTS. 

HE harvest is great, but the laborers are few. Lord, Who 
art Master of the harvest, send laborers into Thy harvest. 
Cause to enter through Jesus Christ, Who is the door of the 
sheepfold, those whom Thou hast destined to be, under Him, 
the pastors of the flock which He purchased by His blood. 
Form and prepare by Thy grace those whom Thou hast 
deemed worthy to put in Thy ministry; and having tried 
them before confiding to them Thy Gospel, make them to an- 
nounce it neither through motives of vanity nor in words of 



no8 



Miscellaneous Prayers, 



flattery to please men, but to please Thee only, Who dost behold 
and fathom the depths of hearts. Render them faithful to 
the grace of their ordination. Make them attentive and de- 
voted to their duties, and let their advancement in virtue be 
known to all, that they may save both themselves and those 
who hear them. 



PRAYER TO ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE.* 

OGOD, we beseech Thee, do Thou, Who didst inspire 
and encourage St. John Baptist de la Salle to establish 
in Thy Church a new family, to labor at imparting a Christian 
education to the poor, and to confirm youth in the way of truth 
and justice, grant that, through his intercession and by the 
power of his example, we may be employed zealously for Thy 
glory, and for the salvation of souls, and thus deserve to be 
his companions in the glory of heaven. Amen. 

COLLECT OF ST. AGNES, j* 

LMIGHTY and everlasting God, Who choosest the weak 
things of the world to confound the strong; mercifully 
grant that we, who keep the solemn feast of Thy virgin and 
martyr, the blessed Agnes, may feel the benefit of her intercession 
with Thee. 

PRAYER IN HONOR OF ST. WALBURG A. % 

OGOD, Who, in bestowing Thy innumerable graces upon 
mankind, hast vouchsafed to perform many wonderful 
works even through the weaker sex; mercifully grant that we 
may experience the protection of blessed W T alburga, Thy virgin, 
who has given us not only an example of a most chaste and 
holy life, but has also rejoiced us by many glorious miracles. 
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

St. Walburga, pray for us in our present necessities; pray 
that we may sanctify our souls through the imitation of thy 
virtues. 

N.B. — The Collects or Commemorations of Founders of 
Religious Orders will be found at the end of the Office of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary. 

* Feast on May 2 2d. 

t Feast on January 21st. 

% Feast on May 13th. 




Miscellaneous Prayers. 



1 109 



PRAYER IN HONOR OF THE HOLY ARCHANGEL MICHAEL. 

OLY archangel Michael, glorious chief and champion of 
the heavenly host, conqueror of the rebel angels, valiant 
guardian of the souls of men, protector of the Church of God, 
our worthy leader; vouchsafe to free us from every ill, aid us, 
who have recourse to thee with full confidence, in all our neces- 
sities, and by thy incomparable guidance and protection enable 
us to make progress every day in the faithful service of our 
divine Spouse and blessed Master, Jesus Christ. Amen. 

PRAYER TO ST. RAPHAEL, ARCHANGEL, PROTECTOR OF TRAVELERS. 

^>('LORIOUS archangel, Raphael, great prince of the heavenly 
x£) court, illustrious by thy gifts of wisdom and grace, guide 
of travelers by land and sea, consoler of the unfortunate and 
refuge of sinners, I entreat thee to help me in all my needs and 
in all the trials of this life, as thou didst once assist the young 
Tobias in his journeying. And since thou art the "physician 
of God," I humbly pray thee to heal my soul of its many infirm- 
ities and my body of the ills that afflict it, if this favor is for 
my greater good. I ask, especially, for angelic purity, that I 
may be made fit to be the living temple of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., June 21, 1890. 

PRAYER FOR A DECEASED POPE. 

OGOD, Who wert pleased, in Thine ineffable providence* 
to number among the chief priests of the Church Thy 
servant, Pope N.; grant, we beseech Thee, that, having repre- 
sented Thy only-begotten Son on earth, he may be associated 
with Thy holy pontiffs in eternal glory. Amen. 

PRAYER FOP THE ELECTION OF A POPE. 

ITH humble hearts, we pray to Thee, O Lord, that, 
in Thy goodness, Thou wouldst grant to the Holy 
Roman Church a Sovereign Pontiff who shall be ever pleasing 
in Thy sight, on account of his tender solicitude for us, and 
ever reverenced by Thy people, on account of his salutary rule, 
unto the glory of Thy name. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 

PRAYER IN TIME OF WAR. 

OGOD, Who crushest wars, and fightest for Thy soldiers 
who put their trust in Thee, by the power of Thy defence; 
help, we beseech Thee, Thy servants, who implore Thy mercy, 
that the fierceness of the enemy being brought low, we may 
praise Thee with unceasing thanks. 




I I IO 



Indulgence*! Prayers. 



PRAYER FOR PEACE. 

OGOD, from Whom all holy desires, right counsels, and 
just works proceed; give to Thy servants that peace 
which the world can not give, so that our hearts being inclined 
to obey Thy commandments and the fear of our enemies being 
removed, our times, by Thy merciful protection, may be peaceful. 
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

ITnDulgenceD Bspirattons and Sbort ©racers- 

OLY, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts; the earth is full 
of Thy glory : glory be to the Father ; glory be to 
the Son; glory be to the Holy Ghost. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day; an indulgence of 100 days, 
three times every Sunday, as well as on the feast of the most holy 
Trinity, and during its octave. — Clement XIV., June 6, 1769. 

May the most just, most high, and most amiable will of 
God be done in all things; may it be praised and magnified 
for ever. 

Indulgence 100 days, once a day. — Pius VII., May 19, 1818. 

My God, my only good, Thou art all for me; grant that I 
may be all for Thee! 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 13, 

1902. 

TERNAL Father, we offer Thee the blood, the Passion, 
and the death of Jesus Christ, the sorrows of Mary 
most holy, and of St. Joseph, in satisfaction for our sins 
in aid of the holy souls in purgatory, for the needs of holy 
Mother Church, and for the conversion of sinners. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., April 30, i860. 
My God and my all! 

Indulgence of 50 days, each time. — Leo XIII., May 4, 1888. 

My God, grant that I may love Thee, and the only reward 
of my love be to love Thee always more and more. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 15, 

1890. 

Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth, come into our hearts; give 
to all peoples the brightness of Thy light, that they may be 
well-pleasing to Thee in unity of faith. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., July 31, 1897. 





Indulgenced Prayers. 



1 1 1 1 



My Jesus, mercy! 

Indulgence of 100 days, for each recital. — Pius IX., Sept. 24, 
1846. 

My sweetest Jesus, be not my judge, but my Saviour. 
Indulgence of 50 days, for each recital. — Pius IX., Aug. 11, 
1851. 

Jesus, my God, I love Thee above all things. 
Indulgence of 50 days, each time. — Pius IX., May 7, 1854. 
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! (Luke xviii. 38.) 
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIIL, Feb. 27, 1886. 

OMY Jesus, Thou knowest well that I love Thee ; but I 
do not love Thee enough ; Oh, grant that I may love 
Thee more. O love that burnest ever and never failest, my 
God, Thou Who art charity itself, enkindle in my heart 
that divine fire which consumes the saints and transforms 
them into Thee. Amen. 

Indulgence of 50 days, twice a day. — Leo XIIL, Feb. 6, 1893. 

RANT us, Lord Jesus, always to follow the example of 
Thy holy family, that at the hour of our death Thy 
glorious Virgin Mother with blessed Joseph may come to 
meet us, and so we may deserve to be received by Thee into 
Thy everlasting dwelling-place. 

Indulgence of 200 days, once a day. — Leo XIIL, March 25, 
1897. 

Sweetest Jesus, grant me an increase of faith, hope and 
charity, a contrite and humble heart. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIIL, Sept. 13, 1893. 

O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament divine! 

All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius VI., May 24, 1776. 

Cj EE where Thy boundless love has reached, my loving 
Jesus! Thou, of Thy flesh and precious blood, hast 
made ready for me a banquet whereby to give me all Thyself. 
Who drove Thee to this excess of love for me? Thy Heart, 
Thy loving Heart. O adorable Heart of Jesus, burning 
furnace of divine love! within thy sacred wound take thou 
my soul; in order that, in that school of charity, I may 
learn to love that God Who has given me such wondrous 
proofs of His great love. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius VII. Feb. 9, 18 18. 



1 1 1 2 Indulgenced Prayers. 

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the precious blood of Jesus, 
in satisfaction for my sins, and for the wants of holy Church. 

Indulgence of 100 days, for each recital. — Pius VII., Sept. 22, 
1817. 

AN OFFERING TO THE SACRED HEART. 

Y loving Jesus! I (N.N.) give Thee my heart, and I 
consecrate myself wholly to Thee, out of the grateful 
love I bear Thee, and as a reparation for all my unfaithful- 
ness; and with Thy aid I purpose never to sin again. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day, if recited before a picture 
of the Sacred Heart. — Pius VII., June 9, 1807. 

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere. 
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Sept. 23, i860. 

Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart like 
unto Thine! 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Jan. 25, 1868. 

May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament 
be praised, adored and loved wdth grateful affection, at 
every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to 
the end of time. Amen. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., Feb. 29, 1868. 

O sweetest Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may ever 
love Thee more and more. 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time. — Pius IX., Nov. 26, 1876. 
Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., May 21, 1892. 

Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us, inflame our hearts 
with love of thee. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., June 16, 1893. 
Mary! 

Indulgence of 25 days, each time. — Clement XIII., Sept. 5, 
1759. 

In thy conception, O Virgin Mary, thou wast immaculate ! 
Pray for us to the Father, Whose Son Jesus, conceived in 
thy womb by the Holy Ghost, thou didst bring forth. 

Indulgence of 100 days, each time. — Pius VI., Nov. 21, 1793. 

My queen 1 my Mother ! Remember I am thine own. 
Keep me, guard me, as thy property and possession. 
Indulgence of 40 days, each time, when tempted. — Pius IX., 
Aug. 5, 185 1. 




Lidiiigenced Prayers. n 13 

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation! 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time. — Pius IX., Sept. 30, 1852. 

Mary, who didst come into this world free from stain! 
obtain of God for me that I may leave it without sin. 
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Pius IX., March 27, 1863. 

Virgin Mother of God, Mary, pray to Jesus for me. 
Indulgence of 50 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 29, 1894. 

Holy Virgin Mary Immaculate, Mother of God and our 
Mother, speak thou for* us to the Heart of Jesus, Who is 
thy Son, and our Brother. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII. , Dec. 20, 1890. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my 
soul. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe out my soul 
in peace with you! 

Indulgence of 300 days, each time, for all three. — Pius VII., 
Aug. 26, 1814. 

To thee, Virgin Mother, never touched by stain of sin, 
actual or venial, I recommend and confide the purity of 
my heart. 

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have 
recourse to thee. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., March 15, 
1884. 

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us! 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIIL, June 25, 1902. 

Angel of God, my guardian dear, 
To whom His love commits me here, 
Ever this day be at my side, 
To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. 
Indulgence of 100 days, each time. — Pius VI., Oct. 2, 1795. 

Help us, Joseph, in our earthly strife, 
E'er to lead a pure and blameless life. 
Indulgence of 300 davs, once a day. — Leo XIIL, March 18, 
1882. 

Holy Archangel Michael, defend us in battle, that we may 
not perish in the tremendous judgment. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIIL, Aug. 19, 1893. 



1 1 14 Prayers for Various Occasions, 

St. Joseph, model and patron of those who love the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, pray for us. 

Indulgence of 100 days, once a day. — Leo XIII., Dec. 19, 1891. 

St. Joseph, reputed father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
true Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin, pray for us. 

Indulgence of 300 days, once a day. — Leo XIIL, May 15, 1891. 

PRAYER WHICH ST. THOMAS AQUINAS WAS ACCUSTOMED TO 
RECITE EVERY DAY BEFORE THE IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST. 



aONCEDB mihi, miseri- 
cors Deus, quae tibi 
placita sunt ardenter con- 
eupiscere, prudenter inves- 
tigare, veraciter agnoscere 
et perfecte adimplere, ad 
laudem et gloriam nominis 
tui. Amen. 



RANT me grace, O mer- 
ciful God, to desire 
ardently all that is pleas- 
ing to Thee, to examine it 
prudently, to acknowledge it 
truthfully, and to accom- 
plish it perfectly, for the 
praise and glory of Thy name. 
Amen. 




Indulgence of 300 days to all the faithful who, before studying 
or reading, shall recite this prayer. — Leo XIIL, June 21, 1879. 

FOR THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY. 

V. *"R> BQUIEM aster- V. /^TTERNAL rest give 
pL^, nam dona eis, V-^ to them, O Lord; 

Domine ; 

R. Et lux perpetua luceat R. And let perpetual light 
eis. shine upon them. 

Indulgence, applicable to the poor souls alone, 50 days each 
time.— Leo XIIL, March 22, 1902. 

BDoittonal ©racers for Various ©ccastone* 

PRAYERS OF A RELIGIOUS IN PRESENCE OF THE BLESSED 
SACRAMENT. 

Before the Adoration. 

OMY divine Saviour, behold me prostrate at Thy feet 
to adore Thy Sacred Heart, and repair the outrages 
which it incessantly receives. It is Thy voice which calls 
me, and may my obedience supply for my unworthiness ; 
for who am I, O my God! that I should fulfil on earth the 
sublime function of the angels in heaven. It is to them, 
and to all Thy saints, that I unite myself, O Lord, at this 



Prayers for Various Occasions, 



i"5 



moment, to adore and bless Thee, and to repeat from the 
bottom of my heart, praised, adored, and glorified be for 
ever the Sacred Heart of Jesus; I adore it as united to 
the Divinity; I love it as the principle and source of all 
Thy love for me; I honor it as the most amiable, the best, 
and the mildest of all hearts; I consecrate myself to adore 
it perpetually (by uniting myself to all those upon earth 
who are employed in this holy exercise), that I may con- 
tinue to adore it for all eternity in heaven. Amen. 

After the Adoration. 

I RETURN Thee thanks, O my God ! for permitting me 
to remain in Thy presence; I beseech Thee to pardon 
whatever negligence the want of a lively faith has caused. 
Do I not deserve the reproach Thou madest to Thy apostles — 
''Could you not watch one hour with Me? " (Matt. xxvi. 40). 
A heart consecrated to Thee should have profited better 
of these precious moments. I thank Thee, my God! 
for the graces Thou hast granted me, notwithstanding my 
unworthiness. 

I leave thee with regret, O Heart of my Saviour; where 
can I be better than with thee? But I return to where 
thy divine will calls me*; do not permit any interior or 
exterior dissipation to contradict the homages which I 
have offered, and which others are about to continue in my 
stead. I unite myself, O my God! to all that they shall 
say; I offer it to Thee to supply for all that was wanting to 
my fervor. I desire to atone, O divine Jesus, for all the 
crimes which dishonor Thy temples and altars, and for 
the ingratitude with which* Thy love is repaid. In the 
bitterness of my soul I call to mind the profanations of the 
Jews, of heretics who have pierced and trampled the sac- 
ramental species under foot, the sacrileges of bad Christians, 
who have received them on an impure tongue, and into a 
criminal heart. With sorrow I recall my own tepidity and 
negligence in the participation of Thy Divine Sacrament. 
It is in these sentiments I depart from Thy sanctuary. The 
hope of speedily returning to Thy altar consoles me under 
the necessity of quitting Thy sacred presence. 

Heavenly spirits, who adore with me the God of glory 
really present in this sanctuary, present to Him this public 
act of my regret and love. 

heart of Mary, which I also honor with my whole soul, 
heart most conformable to that of Jesus! O tender heart 
of my dear Mother, I conjure thee to present to thy divine 
Son our homages, vows, and petitions. Amen. 



1 6 Prayers for Various Occasions. 



ADORO TE DEVOTE. 

IDDEN God, devoutly I adore Thee, 
Truly present underneath these veils: 
All my heart subdues itself before Thee, 
Since it all before Thee faints and fails. 

Not to sight, or taste, or touch" be credit, 

Hearing only do we trust secure; 
I believe, for God the Son hath said it — 

Word of truth that ever shall endure. 

On the cross was veiled Thy Godhead's splendor, 
Here Thy manhood lieth hidden too; 

Unto both alike my faith I render, 
And, as sued the contrite thief, I sue. 

Though I look not on Thy wounds, with Thomas* 
Thee my Lord, and Thee my God I call; 

Make me more and more believe Thy promise, 
Hope in Thee and love Thee over all. 

O memorial of my Saviour dy.ing, 

Living Bread that givest life to man; 

May my soul, its life from Thee supplying, 
Taste Thy sweetness, as on earth it can. 

Deign, O Jesus, pelican of heaven, 

Me, a sinner, in Thy blood to lave, 
To a single drop of which is given 

All the world from all its sin to save. 

Contemplating, Lord, Thy hidden presence, 
Grant me what I thirst for and implore, 

In the revelation of Thine essence, 
To behold Thy glory evermore. 

ECCE PANIS ANGELORUM. 

O! upon the altar lies, 
, 1 1 Hidden deep from human eyes, 
Angels' Bread from paradise, 

Made the food of mortal man: 
Children's meat to dogs denied; 
In old types foresignified; 
In the manna from the skies, 

In Isaac, and the paschal lamb. 




Prayers for Various Occasions, 



ii 17 



Jesu! Shepherd of the sheep! 
Thy true flock in safety keep. 
Living Bread! Thy life supply; 
Strengthen us, or else we die; 

Fill us with celestial grace: 
Thou, Who feedest us below! 
Source of all we have or know! 
Grant that with Thy saints above, 
Sitting at the feast of love, 
We may see Thee face to face. 

AVE, VBRUM CORPUS NATUM. 

AIL to thee! true body, sprung 
From the Virgin Mary's womb! 
The same that on the cross was hung, 
And bore for man the bitter doom! 

Thou Whose side was pierced, and flowed 

Both with water and with blood: 
Suffer us to taste of Thee, 

In our life's last agony. 

Son of Mary, Jesus blest! 
Sweetest, gentlest, holiest. 

adoremus. 

Adoremus in seternum Prostrate in awe and love, 

Sanctissimum Sacramentum 1 let us adore 

This Holy Sacrament for 
evermore. 

JESU DULCIS MEMORIA. 

ESU! the very thought of Thee 
With sweetness fills my breast; 
But sweeter far Thy face to see, 
And in Thy presence rest. 

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame, 

Nor can the memory find, 
A sweeter sound than Thy blest name, 
O Saviour of mankind! 

O hope of every contrite heart, 

O joy of all the meek, 
To those who fall, how kind Thou art! 
How good to those who seek! 




iii8 Prayers for Various Occasions, 

But what to those who find? ah! this 
Nor tongue nor pen can show: 

The love of Jesus, what it is, 
None but His lovers know. 

Jesu! our only joy be Thou, 
As Thou our prize wilt be; 

Jesu! be Thou our glory now, 
And through eternity. 

JESU DECUS angelicum. 

OJESU! Thou the beauty art 
Of angel worlds above; 
Thy name is music to the heart, 
Enchanting it with love. 

Celestial sweetness unalloy'd! 

Who eat Thee hunger still; 
Who drink of Thee still feel a void, 

Which naught but Thou can fill. 

O my sweet Jesu! hear the sighs 

Which unto Thee I send; 
To Thee mine inmost spirit cries, 

My being's hope and end! 

Stay with us, Lord, and with Thy light 

Illume the soul's abyss; 
Scatter the darkness of our night, 

And fill the world with bliss. 

O Jesu! spotless Virgin flower! 

Our life and joy! to Thee 
Be praise, beatitude, and power, 

Through all eternity. 

ST. TERESA'S BOOK-MARK. 

*'■ 'ET nothing disturb thee, 

, I 1 Let nothing affright thee. 

All things are passing; 

God only is changeless. 

Patience gains all things. 

Who hath God wanteth nothing — 

Alone God sufficeth. 



Prayers for Various Occasions. 



1 1 t 9 



I always find almost all the wisdom I need in St. Teresa's 
book-mark. It is a volume in itself. My great comfort in 
distressing circumstances is that "all things are passing." — 
Father Joseph Farrell, Author of Lectures by a Certain 
Professor. 

praters for {Travelers. 

HE Breviary contains prayers for travelers that have 
received the consecration of the Church and of cen- 
turies — the "Itinerary," which priests seldom fail to recite 
for themselves and their companions as often as they begin 
a journey. As it may seem rather long for general use, we 
give an abridgment for the use of those who may wish to 
know and learn it: 

AY the almighty and merciful Lord direct us on our 
journey; may He make it prosper and maintain us 
in peace. 

May the Archangel Raphael accompany us along the way, 
and may we return to our homes in peace, joy, and health. 

Lord, have mercy on us! Jesus Christ, have mercy on us! 
Lord, have mercy on us! 

Prayer. 

O God, Who didst cause the children of Israel to traverse 
the Red Sea dryshod; Thou Who didst point out by a star 
to the Magi the road that led them to Thee; grant us, we 
beseech Thee, a prosperous journey and propitious weather; 
so that, under the guidance of Thy holy angels, we may 
safely reach that journey's end, and later the haven of eternal 
salvation. 

Hear, O Lord, the prayers of Thy servants. Bless their 
journeyings. Thou who art everywhere present, shower 
everywhere upon them the effects of Thy mercy; so that, 
insured by Thy protection against all dangers, they may 
return to offer Thee their thanksgiving. Through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Those who have a special confidence in St. Joseph may make 
use of the following prayer which solicits also supernatural 
graces, and especially that of traveling always in the way of the 
Commandments, so as ultimately to reach the celestial terminus. 

O blessed St. Joseph, who didst accompany Jesus and 
Mary in all their journeys, and who hast therefore merited 
to be called the patron of all travelers, accompany us in 
this journey that we are about to undertake. Be our guide 




ii2o Prayers for Various Occasions. 

and our protector ; watch over us ; preserve us from all acci- 
dents and dangers to soul and body; support us in our 
fatigue, and aid us to sanctify it by offering it to God. Make 
us ever mindful that we are strangers, sojourners here below ; 
that heaven is our true home; and help us to persevere on 
the straight road that leads thereunto. We beseech thee 
especially to protect and aid us in the last great voyage 
from time to eternity, so that, under Thy guidance, we 
may reach the realm of happiness and glory, there to re- 
pose eternally with thee in the company of Jesus and Mary. 
Amen. 

Still another prayer for travelers, asking in a special manner 
for the protection of the guardian angels, was composed by the 
saintly Mgr. Dupanloup. It reads: 

O almighty and merciful God, Who hast commissioned 
Thy angels to guide and protect us, command them to be our 
assiduous companions from our setting out until our return ; to 
clothe us with their invisible protection ; to keep from us all 
danger of collision, of fire, of explosion, of falls and bruises; 
and finally, having preserved us from all evil, and especially 
from sin, to guide us to our heavenly home. Through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen*. 

Another not less beautiful prayer runs thus : 

My holy angel guardian, ask the Lord to bless the journey 
which I undertake, that it may profit the health of my soul 
and body; that I may reach its end; and that, returning 
safe and sound, I may find all at home in good health. Do 
thou guard, guide, and preserve us. Amen. 

The following couplet was a favorite ejaculation of Columbus : 

Jesus cum Maria Jesus and Mary, we pray, 

Sit nobis in via. Be with us ever on our way. 

One should not fail at least to make the sign of the cross on 
beginning a journey. The neglect or performance of such acts 
of piety may make all the difference between having our names 
figure on the list of " killed and wounded" in some railway 
catastrophe, and having them appear as those of passengers 
" saved by a miracle.'' (Ave Maria Press.) 

PRAYER BEFORE VISITING THE SICK. 

I OFFER to Thee, O my heavenly Spouse! all the ser- 
vices which I shall render to the poor until the last 
moment of my life. That my actions may be more accept- 
able, I unite them to Thy infinite merits; vouchsafe to 

/ 



Prayers for Various Occasions. I'ttt 

accept of them, and to purify all my motives; I consecrate 
all to Thee, and humbly implore Thy assistance to over- 
come every obstacle which self-love, predilection, vanity, 
disgust, sloth, or tepidity may oppose to the fulfilment of 
my duties. I wish to renew my consecration to serve and 
assist them for the future with the same faith and ardor as if I 
saw Thee really present. Give me, Lord, strength and 
courage to accomplish my desire. Amen. 

PRAYER BEFORE SCHOOL.* 

HOU, Lord, art my strength and my patience, my 
light and my counsel; Thou confidest unto me the 
children whom I am appointed to instruct. leave me not 
a single moment to myself, but give me, for their guidance 
and my own sanctincation r the spirit of wisdom and of 
understanding, of counsel and of fortitude, of knowledge and 
of piety; and above all, the spirit of Thy holy fear, and an 
ardent zeal for Thy greater glory. I unite my labors to 
those of my divine Redeemer, and I beseech the immaculate 
heart of Mary, the Refuge of sinners, and all the holy angels 
and saints, to assist me this day in the performance of all 
my duties. Amen. 

PRAYERS TO BE SAID ALOUD BEFORE GIVING INSTRUCTION. 

REVEXT, we beseech Thee, Lord, our actions by 
Thy holy inspirations, and carry them on by Thy 
gracious assistance, that every prayer and work of ours 
may begin always from Thee, and by Thee be happily 
ended, to Thy greater honor and glory. Through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. (Say one Hail Mary.) 

PETITION FOR HELP. 
{May be said privately before giving instructions^) 

O DIVINE Jesus! I go in Thy name and for Thy love. 
Give me Thy Spirit, and teach me how to instruct 
these children according to Thy most holy will. Amen. 

PRAYER BEFORE GOING TO THE PARLOR. 

RANT, my God! that my whole deportment may 
be such as becomes a spouse of Jesus Christ. Close 
my heart against the spirit of the world, and against every 



* "Religious who instruct children should themselves be 
images of the sanctity of God, and mirrors of His perfection." 
—(Mother F. R. Drane). 





1 1 22 Prayers for Various Occasions. 



sentiment that would be in the least displeasing to Thee. 
Teach me Thyself what I ought to say. "Set a watch, O 
Lord, before my mouth, and a door round about my lips " 
(Ps. cxl. 3), so that I may be prudent and charitable in 
conversation, and likewise edifying from the desire of ad- 
vancing Thy honor and glory. Amen. 

PRAYER. 

(Which may be said on returning from School, Mission, In- 
structions, or any other duty.) 

CCEPT, my dear Lord and Master, the duty I have 
just performed. Pardon the faults I have com- 
mitted in doing it. I hope, with the assistance of Thy grace, 
to be more faithful in future. If it be Thy holy will, dear 
Lord, give success to my humble efforts to serve Thee, and 
grant that they may be always for the greater glory of Thy 
holy name. Amen. 

Or the following may be said: 

LLOW me not. O Lord, to spoil Thy work, but let 
Thy Sacred Heart teach me to do it in the way most 
pleasing to Thee. 

prater for Stetere in IRetreat* 

Yl* LMI GHT Y and most merciful God, we earnestly beg 
g^JL, Thy grace and blessing for the Sisters in retreat. 
Assist them, we humbly beseech Thee, to accomplish Thy 
holy will, direct them particularly in what they are about 
to undertake, and teach them to act in the manner most 
pleasing to Thy divine Majesty. Enlighten them by Thy 
wisdom, support them by Thy power, and by Thy infinite 
goodness direct all their exertions on this occasion to Thy 
greater glory and their own eternal salvation. Amen. 

Blessed Mother of God, and all ye happy angels and 
saints, intercede for them, that they may obtain the grace 
and protection of Jesus Christ, their divine Master. 

Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this habitation, and 
drive far from it the snares of the enemy : let Thy holy angels 
dwell therein to preserve us in peace, and may Thy blessing 
be always upon us, through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

OFFERING TO ST. JOSEPH SAID DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH. 

O BLESSED St. Joseph! we consecrate ourselves to 
thy honor, and give ourselves to thee, that thou 
mayest always be our father, our protector, and our guide 





Prayers for Various Occasions. 1T2 3 

in the way of salvation. Obtain for us a great purity of 
heart, and a fervent love of the interior life. After thy ex- 
ample, may we do all our actions for the greater glory of 
God, in union with the Divine Heart of Jesus, and with 
the immaculate heart of Mary, and do thou, blessed St. 
Joseph, pray for us, that we may share in the peace and 
joy of thy holy death. Amen. 



PRAYER TO THE SACRED HEART SAID DAH/Y DURING THE 
MONTH OF JUNE. 

E adore, praise, and love thee, Sacred Heart of 
our loving Jesus; and full of grief at the thought 
of so many offences which hitherto have been, and still are 
committed against thee in the Most Holy Sacrament of 
the altar, we offer thee the most amiable heart of Thy most 
beloved Mother, with the merits of the saints in satisfaction 
thereof. 

O sweet Jesus, enclose in Thy Sacred Heart, we implore 
Thee, all the members of this Community; and grant that 
faithfully observing our holy Rule and our vows, and com- 
plying fervently with the duties of our holy state, we may 
be daily more and more inflamed with divine love, and 
praise Thee with unceasing gratitude in eternity. Amen. 



ACT OF CONSECRATION TO OUR LADY, SAID AFTER THE IJTANY 
ON SATURDAYS IN SOME RELIGIOUS HOUSES. 

QOST Holy Virgin! Immaculate Queen! Mother of God! 
and our own dear Mother, Mary! Refuge of sinners! 
Comfortress of the afflicted! Prostrate at thy feet in the 
presence of thy heavenly court, we consecrate ourselves to 
thy service. We choose thee for our Mistress and our 
Queen; accept us for thy servants, and receive the offering 
of our bodies and souls, of our hearts and minds, of all that 
we are and posesss. We offer thee this House and Com- 
munity, our friends and relatives, and all who are entrusted 
to us. 

Take us all under thy piotection and give us thy blessing, 
O most dear Mother. Protect us against temptation, 
deliver us from danger, assist us in our infirmities, comfort 
us in our afflictions, preserve us from sin, and at the hour 
of our death, O come, dear Mother, and take our souls and 
bring them to paradise, that, in union with thee, we may 
praise God for ever. Amen. 



1124 



Prayers for Various Occasions. 



FORM OF CONSECRATING A CHILD TO THE SACRED HEART. 

OMOST Sacred and Adorable Heart of Jesus, we con- 
secrate to thee this child (here name the child), his 
soul with all its faculties, his heart with all its affections, his 
body with its senses, now and for all the days of his life. 
O most merciful Heart of Jesus! grant that this child may 
never sully by mortal sin the white robe of his baptismal 
innocence. O most loving Heart of Jesus, preserve this 
child in Thy divine fear and love all the days of his life, pro- 
tect him at the hour of his death, and grant him the grace 
to see his God "face to face" in the joys of paradise. Amen. 

SHORT ACT OF CONSECRATION. 

O Thee, O Jesus, I consecrate my heart. In Thy Sacred 
Heart I wish to live. In Thy Sacred Heart I wish to die. 
Inflame my heart with the fire of Thy love, and enlighten 
me with Thy. wisdom and Thy knowledge. 

Oh, let Thy loving Heart be to me my strength in temp- 
tation and my consolation in the day of tribulation and 
sorrow. Grant me grace, dear Jesus, ever to taste the sweet- 
ness of Thy Sacred Heart, not only during my lifetime, but, 
above all, at the hour of my death. Amen. 

PRAYER TO MARY TO OBTAIN THE SPIRIT OF OBEDIENCE. 

O DEAREST Mother, obtain for us, thy children, the 
grace ever to bear in mind that by the vow of Obe- 
dience we have for ever renounced our own will and re- 
signed it to the direction of our Superiors: Pray that we 
may be docile to all their directions, whether in matters 
of great or little moment, agreeable or disagreeable: that 
we may never murmur, but with humility and spiritual joy 
carry the sweet yoke of thy divine Son Jesus. Amen. 

FORM OF DEDICATING A CHILD TO MARY. 

OHOLY Mary, Mother of God, and our dear Mother 
also, behold we have come to dedicate this child 
(here name the child) to thy maternal care. We choose 
thee this day for her Mother, Patroness, and Advocate ; and 
we beseech thee to take Iter under thy powerful protection. 

O most tender and loving Mother, we most earnestly 
entreat thee, through the infinite merits of Thy divine Son 
Jesus, that thou wilt watch over this child and obtain for 
her the grace of guarding faithfully all her thoughts, desires, 



Prayers for Various Occasions, 



1125 



words, and actions, so that she may never displease thy 
divine Son, nor thee, His blessed Mother; but that all the 
faculties and powers of her soul, all the senses and members 
of her body — her whole being — may be offered a holocaust 
of praise and honor to the divine Majesty during her whole 
life, and at the hour of her death. And in that awful hour, 
come, O holy Mother, to assist thy child, protect her from 
her infernal enemies, and conduct her soul out of this miser- 
able world to see and enjoy God, and to love and bless thee, 
in the company of the blessed in heaven. Amen. 

Recite three Hail Marys, and "O Mary, conceived without 
sin," etc. 

DAILY PRAYER FOR THOSE WHO CARRY AN AGNUS DEI.* 

ESUS, my Saviour, true Lamb 0} God, that takest away 
the sins of the world, by Thy infinite mercy I beseech 
Thee to pardon my iniquities. By Thy sacred Passion, I 
beseech Thee, preserve me this day from sin and shield me 
from all evil. To Thy honor and glory, I carry about with 
me this blessed Agnus Dei, as a protection to my soul and 
to my body, and as an incentive to the practice of the virtues 
which Thou hast inculcated, especially of meekness, humility, 
purity, and charity. 

In memory of that sacrifice of love which Thou didst 
offer for me and all mankind on Calvary, I consecrate my 
whole being to Thee. 

Thou didst die on the cross for love of me; let me die to 
self for love of Thee! Keep me in Thy love and in Thy 
grace to the end of my life, that I may bless Thee forever 
with the saints in heaven. 

PRAYER TO OUR LADY OP GOOD COUNSEL. 

OST glorious Virgin, chosen by the eternal Counsel to 
be the Mother of the Eternal Word made flesh, treas- 
ure of divine grace, and advocate of sinners, we, the most 
unworthy of thy servants, supplicate thee to be our guide 
and counselor in this valley of teais. Obtain for us, by the 
most precious blood of thy Son, pardon for our sins, and 
the salvation of our souls. Grant that the holy Catholic 



* Agnus Dei : A cake of blessed wax. The figure of a lamb 
is stamped on the wax which remains from the Paschal candles, 
and which is solemnly blessed by the Pope on the Thursday 2J ter 
Easter, in the first and seventh years of his Pontificate. (Vide 
Catholic Dictionary^) 




I I 26 



Prayers for Various Occasions. 



Church may triumph over her enemies and that the kingdom 
of Christ may be propagated on earth. Amen. 

Oh! most loving and tender Mother, it is sufficient for 
me to tell thee my need and difficulty, for thy loving heart 
always longs to help thy children. Remember the Holy 
Ghost has made thee the Mother of Good Counsel in order 
that we might find in thee a guardian and a guide. Turn to 
me then, I beseech thee, and listen to my prayer. Show me 
how to act in this matter, for the glory of God and the good 
of my soul. Amen. 

PETITION TO ST. VINCENT DE PAUL. 

OMOST blessed and glorious St. Vincent de Paul! the 
model of evangelical perfection, permit us to join 
our thanksgivings for the favors bestowed on thee, to the 
transports which will eternally overflow thy pure soul. We 
thank the Almighty for having crowned thy profound humility 
and indefatigable zeal with eternal glory, and we beseech 
thee, by that tender charity which on earth would have 
made thee sacrifice a thousand lives to save one soul, to 
obtain for us that simplicity, mortification, and humility, 
that ardent zeal for the salvation of others, and constant 
union with God, which were thy favorite virtues, and which 
are the essence of our holy vocation. Ask for us, O blessed 
saint, the helps and cooperations of which we are in need, 
for promoting God's glory and for aiding the poor of Christ, 
whom thou didst love so exceedingly while on earth. 
Obtain for every member of our Community those virtues 
widen are required for our own perfection, while we labor for 
the good of others. Offer up thy prayers also for our par- 
ticular intention [N. N.]. 

Accept, O great saint, our united homage which is far 
short of that which thy virtues deserve, and teach us to 
become, like thee, all things to all, that we may gain all for 
Christ. Amen. 

St. Vincent exhorted the Sisters of Charity often to say: 

DESTROY in me, O Lord, all that is displeasing to Thee, 
and grant that I may no longer be so full of myself. 
Grant that in each of my actions I may have no other desire 
than that of pleasing Thee. 



Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 1 1 2 7 

LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT, OR THE PILLAR OF THE CLOUD.* 



Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see 
The distant scene, — one step enough for me. 

I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that Thou 
Shouldst lead me on. 

I loved to choose and see my path, but now- 
Lead Thou me on! 

I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, 

Pride ruled my will: remember not past years. 

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still 

Will lead me on. 
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till 

The night is gone; 
And with the morn those angel faces smile 
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile. 



/HMscellaneous JErtracts, /Ifoartms, anD praters. 

PRAYER TO IMPLORE DIVINE LIGHT. 
(Before any difficult or important undertaking.) 

"Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and 
lean not upon thy own prudence." 

"In all thy ways think on Him, and He will direct thy 
steps " 

"Be not wise in thy own conceit; fear God and depart 
from evil." (Prov. iii.) 

O ADORABLE Jesus! I come to Thee before I com- 
mence this undertaking to implore Thy divine assist- 
ance, and to consecrate this work to Thee. Thou know- 
est, O Lord, that of myself I can 'do nothing; assist me, 
therefore, I beseech Thee, to accomplish the will of 
God — that divine will which was so dear to Thee as to be 
Thy food whilst Thou wert on earth. Direct me particu- 




* By Cardinal Newman. 



ii28 Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims and Prayers. 



larly in this affair I am about to undertake, and teach me 
to act in a manner pleasing to Thy divine Majesty — or, 
rather, do Thou Thyself deign to act in and by me; govern 
me by Thy wisdom; support me by Thy power; and by 
Thy infinite goodness direct all my exertions on this and 
every other occasion, to Thy greater glory and my own 
salvation. 

"Always act on principle; never on feelings/ ' 

"Take no notice of feelings; they usually lead us wrong." 

EXTRACT. 

For those in charge of Children. 

CCUSTOM yourself to suffer in order to obtain grace for 
yourselves and the children who are in your charge. 
This suffering will come both from them and from yourselves, 
and will make you always practice virtue in some way or 
another for their sake. 

To succeed in training children you must strive to be self- 
possessed at all times, to be even in temper, and equitable 
in dealing justly with all. Virtue must be rather insinuated 
by example than daily enforced by punishment or constant 
admonition. 

Lead children to love God; let them learn from your ex- 
ample to sacrifice pleasure to duty. — (Henriette D y Os Seville.) 

AY my life, my sweet Jesus, be spent in the peaceful 
endeavor of trying to lead Thy "little ones" to 
know and to love Thee, and when I am weary and sick at 
heart and I long for rest and repose, may I ever find it in 
Thy sacramental presence, in the pure joy of the Holy 
Eucharist. Amen. 

What will afford you most consolation when you are on 
your bed of death? This question if rightly pondered will 
influence your whole life! 

"O! how sweet it is to die after having had a constant 
and ardent devotion to the Sacred Heart of Him Who is to 
judge us." 

END OF RELIGIOUS LIFE. 

'* j^j* HE end for which you have entered religion is to become 
V*) a new creature, and to become entirely transformed 
into Christ crucified. The cross and humiliations of Jesus 
must be your only aim. You are elected to be the spouse 
of Christ crucified, to follow Him in hunger and thirst and 
poverty — nay, even to death, for I hold out no other induce- 





Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 1129 



ment to you but the cross of Christ, my beloved Spouse. 
If His cross and His love will not content you, I have nothing 
more to offer." 

"Is any cross too heavy, 
Or any task too hard 
That Jesus lays upon thee, 
And Jesus will reward ? " 

PRAYER TO JESUS CRUCIFIED. 

O SWEET Jesus, mayest Thou be ever crucified in 
my heart by nails of love, Who for love of me wast 
crucified with nails of iron to the hard wood of the cross. 

I will draw near to my suffering Saviour; I will be sorrow- 
ful with my sorrowful Jesus, broken-hearted with my broken- 
hearted Jesus, and, above all, I will try to console Him, 
by promising in future to love Him more ardently, and to imi- 
tate Him more closely. Amen. 

EXTRACT. 

AINTAIN always the sense and posture of heart of 
a novice under training; and this very sense will 
be a great protection to your spirit, and will keep you open 
to correction and formation. 

As novices you considered yourselves as aiming and striv- 
ing at being what you were not as yet: a Religious who 
maintains this posture of soul with this sentiment is the 
only true disciple of religion — the only one w T ho gains new 
light and makes new progress. — {Bishop Ullathorne.) 

MY LESSON. 

ONLY to rest where He puts me ; 
Only to do His will; 
Only to be what He made me, 
Though I be nothing still. 

Never a look beyond me, 

Out of a little* sphere — 
If I could fill another, 

God would not keep me here. 

Only to take what He gives me, 

Meek as a little child ; 
Questioning naught of the reason, 

Joyful, or reconciled. 




1 130 Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 



Only to do what He bids me, 

Patiently, gladly to-day, 
Taking no thought for the morrow 

Leaning on Him all the way. 

Only to look to Him ever; 

Only to sit at His feet ; 
All that He sayeth, to do it — 

Then shall my life be complete. 

ENCOURAGEMENT. 

'OOK up continually to our predecessors, who are 
— 1 now in heaven, reaping the reward of all their vic- 
tories. 

"Have courage, and act as if every day were to be your 
last. Time is short : eternity for e er and ever, in joy or woe. 
. . . And this all depends on ourselves, our own free will!" 

SACRIFICE OF FREE WILL. 

I BESEECH Thee, O eternal Father, in the name of 
Thy Son Jesus, to take into Thy hands the free will 
which Thou hast bestowed upon me, and of which I now 
divest myself. I abandon it entirely and unreservedly to 
Thy holy disposal, in order that it may please Thee. And I 
beseech Thee, by the precious blood of Thy Son, that it 
may never be left at my disposal, to do anything contrary 
to Thy most holy will. 

"Act like a man, and take courage and 'do.' 
Fear not and be not dismayed, for the 
Lord thy God will not leave thee." 

— (Fr. Buckner, O.P.) 

ACT OF CONTRITION FOR RELIGIOUS- 

Y God, I come to Thee to beg contrition for my sins — 
for all my sins. Give me, I entreat Thee, true sorrow 
for every one of them, in particular for all the negligences 
Thou hast seen in the observance of my holy vows, and the 
little effort I have made to live in the spirit of my vocation. 
Filled with shame and sorrow, I come to renew my vows 
at Thy sacred feet, and I humbly implore of Thy infinite 
goodness and mercy that Thou wilt vouchsafe to admit this 
holocaust as an odor of sweetness, and that as Thou hast 




Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 1131 



already inspired me with the desire to offer it, so Thou wilt 
also bestow plentiful grace on me to fulfil it. Amen. 

PEACE IN UNION WITH GOD. 

IVE to each thing, no matter what, the perfection it reason- 
ably requires, or that in the circumstances you can give 
it ; then suppose your part done, dismiss the whole affair from 
your mind, and go on to the next. . . . Avoid re-examina- 
tions springing from dissatisfaction with self. . . . Once 
the duty done, as it presents itself at the time, go on without 
worry. This is a kind of exterior hold upon God — keep it 
firm. 

The interior one is all-important. That consists in receiv- 
ing every variety of apparent accident — people's virtues and 
vices, and the rough and smooth of events — believe all as 
direct agencies intended for your sanctification, ordered and 
shaped and sent for the purpose of union. In fact, even your 
imperfections, when you think of them, you may well say 
were permitted for the same purpose; and to speak more 
strongly, but not incorrectly — you may even be thankful for 
them, as the occasion of contrition and new resolve. . . . 

At once begin the formation of the soul on these principles, 
and keep everything else outside — I mean everything that 
flings the smallest shadow on peace. 

3E£tract6 from ^Rasters in tbe Spiritual %\te.* 

1. ^^HE Religious who does not make progress in 
VzJ perfection, goes backward. What was thy object 

in entering religion? Know thyself. Overcome thyself. 
Thy business is to please God in all things. His love and 
His grace are sufficient for thee. He serves not God who 
seeks consolation in the Religious state. 

2. He who loves poverty possesses all things. Of worldly 
things choose the worst and of heavenly things the best. 

He is not poor, who does not wish to feel the effects of 
poverty. Aim at the spirit of poverty. To have the name 
of being poor, and, at the same time, to enjoy the comforts 
of wealth, is to deceive men. 

3. He is not chaste who does not flee the occasions of 
impurity. 

Why dost thou wish to see that which has no value in thy 
eyes? Modesty of the eyes preserves from many sins and is 



* From the writings of Father Schneider, S.J. 



1 1 3 2 Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 



the mother of piety. "Chaste and gentle make us," so the 
Church sings to Our Lady. Woe to the Religious who is ill- 
tempered among the pious. It is better to bear an injury in 
silence and without murmur, than to fast on several days till 
evening. 

4. That Religious is not obedient, who, whilst exteriorly 
submitting graciously to orders, contradicts and murmurs 
interiorly, and criticises the Superior. 

The devil plays hand-ball with a vain and unmortified 
Religious. No one is more happy under the sun than the 
Religious who loves God, his Superior, and his cell, or the 
silence and solitude of the cloister. 

5. The supposition that in another convent, under another 
Superior, among other companions, in another employment, 
in other circumstances, one would make greater progress 
and be better satisfied, has already deceived many. Some 
in a few years have tried every kind of change consecutively, 
without becoming better, more happy, or more contented. 
God has placed us where we are; let us remain where we 
now are until it shall please Him to call us away. Where 
in the world is there a rose without thorns ? 

6. That Religious is not yet dead to the world who is 
greatly concerned or anxious about his relatives and friends 
in the world. 

7. The Religious who strives after perfection should 
willingly and fervently embrace all that is painful, burden- 
some, and disagreeable, all that requires combats, self-restraint, 
and self-denial. He should, indeed, prefer these to all that 
is agreeable to the sensual man. He should never hearken 
to the seductive voice of nature, but always follow the inspira- 
tions of grace leading to life eternal. 

8. I shall be a true child of my Order as long as I am 
candid and sincere toward my Superior. 

I will never bother myself about offices that may be later 
intrusted to me, but will abandon myself to God's designs 
and put my trust in Him alone. 

9. I will follow the Community and avoid all singularity. 

10. I will be as careful of the honor of my Order as any one 
can be of his *1. 

11. Beware of being a burden and a cross to thy Superiors 
or to any one else, but strive to give pleasure to all. 

12. In my Institute I will consider myself as a beggar 
admitted out of charity. 

13. What doth it avail me to live long in my Order if I 
do not attain its object and end? 

14. In the convent I am not the master, but the servant 



Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 1133 



of all, and in this should my honor and glory consist. For 
how should I wish to rule, since Jesus Christ came, not to 
be served, but to serve us, and the Blessed Virgin called 
herself only the handmaid of the Lord. 

15. If thou wishest to know whether thou lovest thy 
vocation, examine whether thou lovest mortification. Thy 
vocation is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, and how canst 
thou be His disciple, if thou dost not wish to be crucified 
with Him? 

16. I will spare no effort to maintain a constant peace 
and interior joy. 

17. The renunciation of self-love is a mortification, by 
virtue of which thou actest not as thou likest either inte- 
riorly or exteriorly, but only according to the good pleasure 
of God and of thy Superiors. 

18. Meekness is a sure sign of innocence preserved or 
recovered. 

19. Precipitateness and restlessness do not contribute to 
the success of a good work. To desire its success is good, but 
it should be without anxiety. 

20. God occupies Himself with me, as if I were alone in the 
world. It is also meet that I should occupy myself with 
Him, as if besides Him there were nobody and nothing in 
the universe. 

21. Meditate often on the Passion of Jesus Christ, thy 
King. He endured torments only to win thee and thy heart. 

22. Be truly humble, and thou wilt never think that any 
injustice is done to thee. He has only the appearance of 
humility who, though he humbles himself, can not bear to be 
humbled by others. If thou wishest to learn and know 
something very useful, learn and love to be unknown and to 
be considered as nothing. 

23. Do not complain of pains, sufferings, and adversity 
before casting a glance at thy crucifix and thinking on the 
twofold eternity. He makes the greatest progress in Religious 
life and virtue who manfully strives to overcome whatever 
he finds most difficult and disagreeable. 

24. Incense emits no odor nor ascends upward, unless it 
burns; and it is in suffering that we prove our love of God 
and our fidelity to Him. The road to the Mount of Olives is 
steep indeed; but the Mount of Olives is also the Mount of 
the Ascension. Those who suffer with Jesus Christ will be 
also glorified with Him. 

25. When we have once so far progressed as no longer to 
seek any human consolation, we then begin to relish spiritual 
and heavenly things. 



1 134 Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 

26. We should not imagine we are able to please every- 
body. 

27. We should expect a just return, not from men, but 
from God alone. 

28. We should observe in our neighbor only his virtues and 
advantages, and in ourselves only our faults and imper- 
fections. 

29. He who severely judges his own deeds, finds no reason 
to condemn others, but is inclined rather to excuse them. 

30. If thou wishest to live in great tranquillity and true 
peace, thy most ardent desires should be to see God in the 
next life, thy greatest fear to lose Him, thy most bitter pain 
not yet to enjoy Him, and thy greatest joy all that can lead 
thee to Him. 

31. Free thy heart from all that is created and seek God 
alone, and thou shalt find Him. 

32. Severity toward ourselves should render us more 
meek, indulgent, and affable toward others. If our neigh- 
bor's act has one hundred sides, we should always look at it 
from its most favorable side. When the sinfulness of an act 
no longer admits of vindication, we should at least seek to 
excuse it and admit that the intention was good. But if this 
is impossible, we should at least make allowance for the vio- 
lence of the temptation, for the ignorance, impulsiveness, or 
human frailty of the one who committed the fault. 

33. We should flee nothing more carefully than sloth, 
sadness, and dangerous familiarities. 

34. To bear cheerfully, gratefully, and lovingly the daily 
little inconveniences that are inseparable from our vocation, 
is a constant and most profitable exercise of mortification. 

35. I will consider and employ each day as if it were my last ; 
one day shall surely be my last; but which one? 

36. Thy spiritual progress is in proportion to thy self- 
denial. 

37. Attend to thyself. What others do is no concern of 
thine. Follow Jesus Christ. 

38. Thou art as great and as good as thou art before God ; 
neither more nor less. 

39. Beware lest, on account of thy negligence, God take 
away from thee the tenderness of thy conscience, and leave 
it insensible in thee. 

40. With the utmost fervor I will venerate the Most 
Blessed Sacrament, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, 
and my guardian angel. 

41. I will often during the day raise my heart to God by 
short and fervent aspirations and the renewal of a pure 
intention. 



Miscellaneous Extracts Maxims, and Prayers. 1135 



I will most carefully abstain from judging others and 
mingling in their concerns. What I can not excuse I will com- 
passionate, considering my own weakness and sinfulness, and 
saving a Hail Mary for the amendment of the culprit. 

43. I will always speak to every one in a friendly, respect- 
ful, and humble manner. 

44. My soul, what doth it profit thee to be loved by men, 
if, like Pilate, thou losest the friendship of Jesus Christ, on 
account of that love or popularity ? 

45. He who diligently considers Our Lord's life and Pas- 
sion will find in abundance therein all that is useful and neces- 
sary for his spiritual life. 

46. I will carefully consider what I have to do, and not 
what others are doing. 

47. Accustom thyself to excuse others out of true charity, 
and to be thoughtful of their welfare in all things. 

48. Be but little in thine own eyes, and desire to be also 
thus considered; and when thou art so treated, be not sad, 
but rejoice. .4// {or Jesus. 

* 49. To plod on perseveringly and faithfully when we 
are under a dark cloud, and can not see our way, no, not one 
step before us, still to toil on in trust and love, this is to 
give glory to God and joy to the Sacred Heart. 

50. When you go to your holy communion to-morrow, 
think that you see the divine Child looking through and 
through you with His clear pellucid gaze and asking you 
the question, "Will you be true'" Are you resolved to 
combat resolutely the visible faults all can see and be scan- 
dalized by, instead of the half-dozen imaginary ones with 
which you love so much to torture yourselves? And I 
should "love, I should dearly love you to return His glance 
with one as limpid and as true, saying, "O Lord, no one 
knows better than I how blind and weak I am, but I wish 
to know, I wish to see, what Thou desirest of me, and will try 
with all my heart, regardless of all obstacles, to accomplish 
it." He wishes you to be real. Be real. 

51. Jesus is our Lover — and a jealous One. We must 
be blind if we dare look at Him with a heart attached to 
anything but Himself. He is our King, and as such, claims 
undisputed possession of our All. Sacrifice and struggle! 
this is the consummation of the life of a good Religious. 

52. If you don't reverence Silence, you will lose prayer, 
recollection, holy inspirations. Get the habit of talking to 
God about everything. 



* From the writings of Father Dignam, S.J. 



1 136 Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 

53. Remember God loves offerings made in joy, and the 
cream of our offerings is to show joy when tried. If contra- 
dictions and annoyances come, let us try to offer a fervent, 
joyful act of thanksgiving that God has given us an oppor- 
tunity of practicing virtue. 

54. The praises of men pass. Let us seek only to glorify 
God in our work, taking cheerfully success or failure as He 
chooses to send it. Work, then, only for the eternal salva- 
tion of your charges that by Him they may be saved, while 
you remain hidden and unknown. 

55. Every time we lift ourselves up, either before others 
or only in our own minds, we frighten Jesus away.- He has 
so keen an eye and so sensitive a heart that He can not 
bring Himself to find a home in a soul possessed by self and 
pride. 

56. Here is a test of your honesty. We know we can not 
trust ourselves to crush self. Are we willing that others 
should do the business for us, or do we resist? If we take 
little slights, neglects, contempts — well, patiently, nay, 
even willingly, looking on each as a treasure God gives us to 
bring us nearer to Him, to destroy His enemy — our own 
self-love — then we are really aiming at His love. 

57. The spirit of St. Francis of Sales — the "omnia omnibus 
factus sum" of St. Paul, by which, by cruelty to self, you 
become sweet to everybody — is but little understood; but 
you must understand it, and put your whole heart into the 
work 

58. Duty without piety is meat without salt, but piety 
without duty is salt without meat. Let pious gluttons 
look to it. 

59. God speaks still, as He spoke to our fathers in primi- 
tive times when there were neither directors nor direction. 
Spirituality then consisted in doing the will of God. Each 
hour brings a duty to be done with fidelity. Attention to 
this made saints, and makes saints still. 

60. Life is a series of steps, each one bringing us nearer 
to the awful moment when we shall kneel at Our Lord's 
feet, and look up inquiringly into His eyes. 

61. The life that has been spent in industry and striving, 
and which is yet a failure, is the nearest approach to that 
of Christ, for what was His life, viewed only with external 
eyes, but a great failure? 

62. St. Joseph did not suffer martyrdom. What made 
him the greatest of saints and promoters? (1) God's will 
was enough to make him happy. He had no other desires. 
Poverty, monotony, labor, labor without praise, was sweet 



Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 1137 



to him if it was God's will. (2) Hence he was meek and 
obedient without asking why. (3) Zeal with little oppor- 
tunity came out in prayer. A perfect promoter was St. 
Joseph. 

63. To have a smile for all is a great means of doing good. 
But only those who try know how hard it is. We shall 
succeed better if we learn to smile at God; for He, dear 
Lord, loves to see us smile at Him, and, like His creatures, 
He is pleased with our cheerfulness. 

64. The vows are the irrevocable acceptance of all the 
blessedness of my creatureship, of all that God desires in 
creating me, that I should be to Him and He to me. They 
put me out that He may reign. Poverty means that I know 
that while He gives, I, and His gift no less, belong to Him 
and must. That having received it as a mendicant I am 
just the same mendicant when in possession, and that this, 
is as true of His caresses as of the food I eat. 

65. Chastity means that the God-Man loves me all, longs 
to possess me all, whom He made; loves the body of which He 
took the likeness for me, and delights in the consecration of 
it to Himself, and in its immolation by the imitation of His 
poverty, labor, and austerity. 

66. Obedience I do not think will ever be perfect till we 
sincerely think each one better than ourselves, and this 
practically and in the individual. We talk about reverencing 
God in Superiors. We can not do it until we are, as I say, 
sincere about reverencing God in every one else. Obedience 
is the presence of God. 

67. Always pray at holy communion to overcome your 
predominant passion or any weakness which disedifies 
others; let it be verified that the idols fall down before Our 
Lord in the Egypt of your heart. 

68. After a fall the first thing is to say : " Bcnum est mihi " • 
then, "Peccavi" — " Domine, miserere mei": then, "Cor 
contritum non despieies": and lastly: "Dixi nunc ccepi." 

69. It is not success but courage that is wanted. It is 
the looking up to Our Lord after every fall and saying spon- 
taneously: "Failed again. I'll try again." This touches 
Him. He is conquered at last. 

70. "Cultivate sweetness," says that most perfect of pro- 
moters, St. Francis of Sales. "I do not say be soft and 
easy, but be gentle and sweet." So we may notice that the 
saint saw all the difference between the two. 

71. Some of us, alas, are less ashamed to be selfish than 
to be thought so. Let us be brave and resolute; we shall 
obtain the priceless grace to be truly unselfish through 



1 1 38 Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 

Mary's Heart. Say to her lovingly: "O Queen of the 
Apostleship of Prayer, make us unselfish; make us worthy 
promoters of the Sacred Heart." 

72. Mother most pure, Mother most holy and most kind, 
may the love of Jesus and of thee grow in our hearts to- 
gether; may that love make us hate sin and the world, 
strengthen us to deny ourselves, confirm our faith, hope, 
and charity, and bring Thee, sweet Mother, to our death- 
beds to console our last hour. 

73. Devotion to the Sacred Heart means to be convinced 
of His personal love for me, to return it by personal love, 
and so (for this is the nature of personal love) to be glad when 
He is honored — to be sorry when He is dishonored — to 
make Him what reparation I can for the injuries done to 
Him by men. 

74. To brood over our sufferings is poison to the soul, so 
also is pondering over the faults of others. Count as a fault 
each time you think of any one's faults without thinking of 
their good qualities and praising God for them. We were 
created to praise. 

75. How peaceful will be the death of one who has never 
allowed himself to judge or say an unkind word! He will 
find at his judgment the Sacred Heart to be an open taber- 
nacle where he will rest for ever. 

76. It was as she (Our Lady of Sorrows) watched the last 
sufferings of her Beloved, that she learnt that immense 
compassion, that boundless pity which made her the Mother 
of the Apostles, the Refuge of sinners, the Promoter of the 
Sacred Heart's love for souls. If we make her sorrows our 
own, compassion will grow in our hearts, and make us like 
to her. 

77. Make it the fixed purpose of your life to make all 
others happy as far as it is in your power, and so (for that 
will be necessary) to put self out of view altogether. This 
then ought to be the first thought on awaking: "Dear 
Mother, for Thy honor I will take care that everybody who 
speaks to me to-day shall go away happier." This thought 
to be the first thought in your examen at night: "How 
many have I failed to make happy to-day?" 

78. vSimplicity of intention, setting our hearts on accom- 
plishing God's will alone, and minding neither reputation, 
popularity, comfort nor success — this is the only way to gain 
peace. 

79. If we look back on our lives we shall find that the 
heaviest cross that was ever laid upon us, which seemed at 
the time to crush us to the very earth, was in reality the 



Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims , and Prayers. 1139 



beginning of God's mercy for us and the turning point in 
our lives. 

80. If Jesus Christ is to be born in our hearts it can only 
be accomplished through death to self. It is not by one 
good act that self is destroyed — it is by reiterated efforts, a 
long and slow death after many wounds. 

* 81. The right and wrong of things turns exactly on 
the intention. 

82. Perfection means aiming at the highest. 

83. The time of adversity is the time to turn to God 
quickly; the sooner I turn to Him, the happier I shall be. 
Why should I bear pain alone, if God is willing to share it 
with me. God will always sympathize with us — if He 
does not always give consolation, He always gives strength. 

84. We must take everything to God — not only big things, 
but little ones too — each occurrence, each little disappoint- 
ment, whether in the natural or supernatural order — all has 
to go to God, and humility takes us there. How happy 
adversity is when it is the instrument that takes us to God! 
Whatever happened to our blessed Saviour was an in- 
ducement to Him to turn to His heavenly Father — He 
never wearied in that — it was the passion of His life. 

85. God is strong enough and loving enough to take us 
entirely into His own hands If God has taken away success, 
regard it as a blessed piece of destitution. 

86. How are we going to feel when judged favorably, or 
unfavorably? some people seem to live by the judgment 
of others. Are we living that we may stand well in the 
judgment of others? Human respect is the most entangling 
thing — will it be an answer to almighty God ? Is the esteem 
of others the end we are setting before ourselves? It is a 
wrong standard — we must do our actions so that Our Father 
who is in heaven may be pleased. The people who are truly 
free are those who have no human respect and go straight to 
God. 

87. There is no love that increases so fast as that which 
costs. 

88. If we concentrate all our attention on one thing it will 
all be well; much better to have all our energies concen- 
trated than dissipated. 

89. When anything goes against the grain it ought to be 
done more briskly. 

90. Our Lord avails Himself of His power to humble 



* From the writings of Father Morris, S.J. 



1 140 Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers. 

Himself to the utmost. No one entered the holy house of 
Nazareth without seeing that He was the last. He acted 
as one who had no rights, except to be the lowest of the low, 
though He was the Highest of the high. 

* 91. Believe me, my dear friends, believe an experience 
ripened by thirty years in the sacred ministry. I do here 
affirm that all deceptions, all spiritual deficiencies, all mis- 
eries, all falls, all faults, and even the most serious wander- 
ings out of the right path, all proceed from this single source 
— a 'want 0} constancy in prayer. Live the life of prayer; learn 
to bring everything, to change everything into prayer- — pains, 
and trials, and temptations of all kinds. 

Pray in the calm, pray in the storm; 

Pray on awaking, and pray during the daytime; 

Going and coming, pray; 

Tired out and distracted, pray; 

Whatsoever your repugnance may be, pray; 

Pray, that you may learn to pray. 

"Teach us, Lord, how to pray." 

"But I can not pray." That is heresy. Yes, you can 
always pray. If you feel a disgust, nay, a horror of prayer, 
pray on, pray in spite of yourself, against yourself. Beg 
for the courage in prayer which our agonizing Saviour merited 
for you by His pangs in Gethsemane and upon Calvary. 
Pray, for prayer is the strength which saves, the courage 
which perseveres, the mystic bridge, cast over the abyss, 
which joins the soul to God. 

t 92. You must be brave and carry your cross cheerfully, 
and leave yourself entirely in the hands of our dear Lord 
Often when you go to see Him, say the prayer of our holy 
Father: "Sume, Domine, et suscipe"; and the ejaculation: 
"In labore requies, in aestu temperies, in fletu solatium." 

93. If I feel inclined to be irritable, let me turn to my 
foster-father, St. Joseph. With so many cares he was so 
patient, and gentle. 

94. Our dear Lord will not be outdone in generosity, and 
we poor sinners will meet with equal generosity if, like Mag- 
dalen, we approach Him in the same humble, sorrowing, 
loving, and generous dispositions. 

95. Our dear Lord was crowned with thorns to make 
amends for our disobedience and independence. Ah! get a 
great horror of the spirit of independence. Learn submission, 



* From the writings of Father de Ravignan, S.J. 
t From the writings of Father James Clare, S.J. 



Miscellaneous Extracts , Maxims, and Prayers. 1141 



and try to comfort our dear Lord by being humble and 
obedient. 

Jesus appointed as the place of the Ascension the Mount 
of Olives, not Thabor, to teach us that the way to heaven is 
by suffering and the cross. 

His Blessed Heart is a very ocean of mercy. Peter and 
Thomas and Magdalen found it so. Then courage, my soul! 
I too shall find it so. 

96. Let us not forget that everything which Our Lord 
permits is intended for our real good, either directly or indi- 
rectly, and consequently let us drink the chalice, for it is 
mixed and presented to us by Our Father. We must not 
think of reward, but we must work for love. 

97. Who can tell the sea of sorrow that burst upon that 
maiden of fifteen! Now she understands the prophecies. 
She sees Calvary before her, and murmurs: "I am in the 
hands of God; be it done unto me according to His word." 
Mary had to make a great sacrifice, and with a great heart 
she did it. When Our Lord asks us to make a sacrifice, we 
must try to imitate our Mother. "Of myself I can not,; but 
I will lean upon Thee, O my God, and I will do it, come what 
will." Let our constant prayer be "Fiat voluntas tua," not 
in a spirit of repugnance or compulsion, but cheerfully, con- 
fidingly, and in a spirit of love. 

98. There is life and energy in the tabernacle, but there 
is no outward show or bustle. Let us try to learn from the 
Blessed Sacrament the right way to work with energy and 
constancy, and great peace. 

Outside the tabernacle, what is there that is worthy of 
our love? It is well for us, dear children, to take our stand 
by the tabernacle, and wrench our souls from all else. 

99. As to being misjudged, no doubt it is hard to suppress 
our wounded feelings; but when we put ourselves alone 
with our dearest elder Brother, and think how misjudged 
He was for our sake, and how cheerfully He bore it, and 
picture Him asking us to keep Him company, we soon nerve 
ourselves, not only to bear the suffering, but to be glad to do 
it for love of Him. Don't be afraid, dear child, that God 
will ask too much of you. He always asks for something 
that our nature will rebel against, but the pain of giving it 
lasts but a moment, and the pleasure is eternal. St. Igna- 
tius says: "Labor to make ourselves indifferent," not "be 
indifferent," because Rome was not built in a day, and we 
shall not become indifferent in a day. Let us not decline 
to accept any trials which God may send us, no matter how 
repugnant to our nature, even though they may cause our 



1 142 Miscellaneous Extracts, Maxims, and Prayers, 



hearts to break. Jesus has drunk the chalice for us, let us 
drink it for Him. Be thorough in the service of your good 
God. 

100. How then should we employ our time? (1) We 
should keep steadily to our spiritual duties; (2) Fulfil the 
duties of our state of life ; (3) Do what we owe to our station ; 
(4) Fill up our spare time well ; (5) Do even our least actions 
in a spirit of faith and love. You will never feel any sacrifice 
if you love. Look at the intensity of love and the loyalty of 
the saints; these ought to be a stimulus for us. In all cir- 
cumstances let our prayer be: "Non mea voluntas, sed Tua 
fiat." It will bring us strength and consolation, and will 
render us cheerful and ready to bear every hardship. 

Glory is only to be earned by the cross. 

OMY sweet Jesus, my Lord, my Redeemer, my ever 
devoted Brother, who for me and for my benefit 
never ceasest to expend Thyself, into Thy hands I resign 
the whole of my liberty, that I may be in future Thy bond- 
slave; I consecrate to Thee my mind, my heart, my will, 
and every sense of my body. Please to take full possession 
of me, body and soul, and do with me whatever Thou wilt. 
Only one thing I beg in return: give me grace never to 
relax in my love for Thee, and then I shall live happy and 
die content. So be it, my Jesus! 

Eternal Father, Who through Thy beloved Son dost 
teach us ever to pray "Thy kingdom come," grant us, O 
Lord, through His most Sacred Heart the grace of final 
perseverance in Thy love, that having with entire devotion 
promoted the glory of that Sacred Heart on earth, we may 
share the more intimate favors of its love for all eternity. 
Amen. 



Blpbabettcal 1Tnt>e£, 



A 

Actions, Offering of all one's, to 
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 515. 

Act of faith, 126, 142, 457. hope, 
126, 142; love, 126, 142, 459; 
contrition, 127, 384, 385, 458; 
of consecration to the Sacred 
Heart, 133, 632, 680; consecra- 
tion for Religious, 151; adora- 
tion, 361, 457; thanksgiving, 
362; atonement, 362, 440, 636, 
668; supplication, 363; contri- 
tion and prayer for pardon, 383; 
sorrow, 384; consecration, 441, 
1 1 24; humility and confidence, 
458; desire, 459; oblation, 459, 
462; adoration, praise, and 
thanksgiving, 461; petition, 462; 
trust, 463; praise, 483; oblation 
to the Holy Ghost 558; conse- 
cration and choice of St. Joseph 
as a patron, 597 ; consecration to 
St. Joseph, 599; faith, hope, and 
charity before the Blessei Sacra- 
ment, 612 ; Indulgenced, in honor 
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 628; 
homage to the Eucharistic Heart 
of Jesus, 634; admiration of the 
divine goodness, 644; resigna- 
tion, 700; reparation to the 
Heart of Jesus for the first Fri- 
day of the month, 626; of praise 
to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus 
and Mary, 724; consecration to 
our Queen and Mother, 753; 
consecration to the most holy 
heart of Mary, 754; consecra- 
tion to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, 
1 106 ; _ consecration to Our Lady 
used in some Religious Houses, 
1123. 



Acts and prayers which may be 
used during a novena of the 
Sacred Heart. 672. 

Acts for holy communion, Short, 
472. 

Adeste fideles (hymn), 1038. 

Administering holy communion to 
the sick, 910; the Sacrament 
of Extreme Unction, 912. 

Adoration, Act of, 361; acts of 
faith and, 457 ; praise and thanks- 
giving, Acts of, 461; hour of, 
610, 619. 

Adoro Te Devote (hymn), 418, 435. 
Advent, Devotions for, 1033. 
Agnus Dei, Daily prayer for those 

who carry an, 11 25. 
Agonizing, Prayers in honor of St. 

Joseph for the, 600. 
Agony, Prayers for the faithful in 

their, 682. 
All Saints, Novena for the Feast 

of, 1 1 02. 
Alma Redemptoris (hymn), 167. 
Alphonsus, Thoughts from St., on 

death and eternity, 871. 
Ambrose and Augustine, Hvmn 

of SS., 805. 
Angela Merici, St., Prayer to, 591. 
Angel Guardian, Prayer to the, 130, 

5 78; devotions to the, 578; 

litany of the, 579; prayer to 

one's, 581. 
Angelic Trisagion, The, 117. 
Angels, Offerings of Mass and com- 
munion in honor of the, 200; Mass 

of the, 284; devotions to the, 578. 
Angelus Domini, 137. 
"Anima Christi," A paraphrase of 

the, 451. 

Annunciation of Our Lady, Nove- 
na for the, 1056. 



II 



43 



1 1 4 4 A Iph abetical Index, 



Apostles' Creed, 33, 129; Apostles, 
Psalms sung on festivals of the, 
530; a prayer to the Apostles, 
SS. Peter and Paul, rioi. 
Apostleship of prayer, Morning 

offering of the, 133. 
Apostolic benediction and plenary 
indulgence at the hour of death 
(Ritus Benedictionis Apostolicae 
in Articulo Mortis), 916. 

Aquinas, Prayer of St. Thomas, 416. 

Archangels: Antiphon to St. 
Michael, 5S5; prayer to St. 
Raphael, 585; t prayer to St. 
Gabriel 585; prayer in honor of 
the holy, 1 109. 

Articulo Mortis, Ritus Benedic- 
tionis Apostolicae in (Apostolic 
benediction and plenary indul- 
gence at the hour of death), 916. 

Aspirations, 117, 124, 550, 579, 564, 
704, 1 104, 1 1 ic. 

Assisting at Mass for children, 
Method of, 233; short and sim- 
ple method of, 236. 

Assttmption, No vena for the, 1067. 

Athanasius, Creed of, 33- 

Ave Maris Stella (hymn), 529, 771. 

Ave Regina (hymn), 169. 

Ave Verum (hymn), 218. 



B 

Bellord, Bishop, Summary of a 
Method of Meditation, 78. 

Benedicite, or Song of the Three 
Children, 414. 

Benediction of the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, 537; reflections on, 541; 
prayers at, 542. 

Billiart, Venerable Mother Julie, 
and her devotion to the Sacred 
Heart, 676. 

Blessed Margaret Mary, Prayers of, 
119, 484, 672; act of consecra- 
tion by, 516; a no vena to, 674. 

^Blessed Sacrament, ejaculation in 
honor of the Sacred Heart in the, 
133; morning offering to the, 
141; night offering to the, 154; 
offering to the, of Mass and 
communion, 205; Mass of the, 
290; Mass in honor of the, 401; 
prayers . to the Holy Ghost in 
connection with devotions to 
the, 568; prayers for visits to 
the, 610, 615; acts of faith, 
hope, and charity before the, 612 ; 
prayer of St. Alphonsus Liguori 
for a visit to the, 617 ; sentiments 



of a Religious before the, 61 8-, 
Sighs to Jesus in the, 638; prayer 
for the glorification of the, 640; 
litany of the, 648. 

Blessed Trinity, Mass of, 278; 
prayer for Sunday to the, 549. ' 

Blessed Virgin Mary, Memorare to 
the, 146, 724; litany of the, 146; 
offering of Mass and communion 
to the, 222; Mass of the seven 
dolors of the, 302; mode of 
hearing Mass in honor of the ,352; 
ejaculation to the, 368; the Mag- 
nificat, or canticle of the, 526; 
psalms for the festivals of the, 
527; devotions in honor of the, 
720; prayer of St. Aloysius 
Gonzaga to the, 725; eleven 
novenas m honor of the, 725; 
no vena in honor of the, 726; 
rosary of the, 728; novena in 
honor of the dolors of the. 746; 
a prayer to the Mother of Pure 
Love, 748; the Thirty Davs' 
prayer to the, 750; three offer- 
ings in honor of th& M 753: com- 
ments on the rubrics of the Office 
of the, 756; novena for the 
Nativity of the, 1068; novena 
for the feast of the Presentation 
of the, 1072. (See also under 
Alary and Mother of God.) 

Bona Mors Devotions; prepara- 
tion for a happy death; exami- 
nation of conscience for extra- 
ordinary occasions; prayers for 
the sick and dying; the adminis- 
tration of the last sacraments, 
and the office for the dead, 
869. 

Bona Mors Litany, and other 
prayers for a happy death, A, 
898. 

Bonaventure, St., Prayer of, 417. 
Burial Service, The, 972. 



C 



Calendar, The, 15. 

Canticle, of the Blessed Virgin, 526; 
of the Seraphim, 548. 

Charity, The heroic act of, 571. 

Chaplet of the Holy Ghost, 554; 
of the Rosary for the Dead, 575; 
Indulgenced, of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, 623; in Honor of 
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 
743; Little, in honor of the Im- 
maculate Conception, 744. 



Alphabetical Index. H45 



Christmas Day, Psalms for, 536; 
hymn for, 1039. 

Church, Prayer to the Holy Spirit 
for the, 557, 1087; prayer for 
the wants of the, 640; prayer 
for the, and for the civil au- 
thorities, 642. 

Collect of St. Agnes, 1108. 

Come, Holy Ghost (hymn), 1062. 

Comments on the rubrics of the 
Office of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, 756. 

Communion, Offering of, 192; inten- 
tions for, 193; prayer of the asso- 
ciates for, 195 ; spiritual, at Mass, 
306; what the saints thought of 
spiritual, 308; devotions for, 401 ; 
after Mass and, 414; petitions 
and offering after, 421; reflec- 
tions after, 424; "a Mass of 
thanksgiving after, 426; various 
exercises of devotion for, 456; 
prayers before, 45 7*. prayers 
after, 461; prayer to Our Lady 
after, 464; simple prayers for, 
466; litany for, 469; short acts 
for, 472; after, 473; reflections 
and prayers, before and after, 
for Religious 489 ; a very com- 
mendable exercise for, 504; 
spiritual, 637; offering of, for 
the monthly recollection in 
preparation for death, 874; the 
order of administering, to the 
sick, 910^ (See also under Holy 
Communion. ) 

Compline, 157. 

Confession, Devotions for, 369; 
prayers to the Holy Ghost be- 
fore , 370; examen for , 371; 
offering of, 385; prayers after, 
386. 

Confidence, Acts of humil i tv and, 
458. 

Confiteor, The, 142. 

Consecration, Act of religious, 151 ; 
act of, 441, 1 1 24; act of, by 
Blessed Margaret Mary, 516; 
and prayer to the Holy Ghost, 
568; act of, and choice of St. 
Joseph as a patron, 597; to St. 
Joseph, 599; to the Sacred 
Heart of Jesu-, 133, 632, 650, 
680; of Religious communities 
and families, 150, 675; to Mary, 
our Mother, 723; a form of, to 
the Mother of God, 748; to our 
Queen and Mother, 753; to the 
most holy heart of Mary, 754; 
to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, 1106; 
to Our Lady, 11 23. 



Contrition and amendment, Re- 
flections for, 380; act of, and 
prayer for pardon, 383; short 
and efficacious act of, 384; acts 
of, 127, 385, 458. _ 

Conversion of unbelievers, Prayer 
for the, 568. 

Corpus Christi, On the festival of, 
536; devout exercises for Holy 
Thursday and the feast of, 604; 
novena for, 1064. 

Cor Sanctissimum Jesu, 420. 

Creed, Apostles', 33,; 129; of St. 
Athanasius, 33; Nicene, 36. 

Cross, Way of the, 687. 

Crucified, Prayer before a picture 
of Christ, 1059. 

Crucifix, Indulgenced prayer before, 
213, 420. 



D 

Daily examen, 189; short method 
of.. 190. 

Daily intentions, 187. 

Daily offering to the Sacred Heart 
of Jesus, 636. 

Daily prayer for the associates in 
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 188; 
in the Sacred Heart of Mary, 188; 
for those who carry an Agnus 
Dei, 1 1 25. 

Dead, The rosary for the, 575; 
office of the, 926. 

Death, Prayer for a happy, 153, 598. 

Desire, Acts of love and, 459. 

Devotion, Various exercises of, for 
holy communion, 456; of the 
Seven Sundays in honor of St. 
Joseph, 5S5. 

Devotions, for each day in the 
week, 278; for confession, 369; 
for holy communion ,401; prayers 
to the h oly Ghost in connection 
with devotions to the Blessed 
Sacrament, 568; for the Faithful 
Departed, 571; to the angels, 
and in particular to the angel 
guardian, 578; in honor of St. 
Joseph, 585: prayer to St. 
Joseph for October, 598; in 
honor of the Passion of Our 
Lord, 680: in honor of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, 720. 

Devout exercise, in honor of the 
seven sorrows and seven joys of 
St. Joseph, 586; to the Blessed 
Sacrament and to the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, 601; for all the 
Thursdays in the year, and espe- 



1 146 Alphabetical Index. 



cially for Holy Thursday and the 
feast of Corpus Christi, 604; 
of the six Sundays in honor of 
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, 1106. 

Dies irae, dies ilia Chymn), 986. 

Divine goodness, acts of admira- 
tion of the, 644. 

Divine Office, Prayer to be said 
before, 760; prayer to be said 
after, 761. 

Dolors of the Blessed Virgin, A 
no vena in honor of the, 746. 

Dressing, Prayer while, 117. 

E 

Easter, No vena for, 1060. 

Ejaculations, 119, 133, 134, 323, 
338, 368, 402, 410, 419, 420, 469, 
600, 618, 635, 637, 639, 702, 726. 

Ember days, 1035. 

Epiphany, Novena for, 105 1. 

Eternity, Thoughts from St. Al- 
phonsus on death and, 871. 

Eucharistic Heart, Ejaculation to 
the, 338; acts of homage to the, 
634; ejaculation to, 635. 

Evening prayer, Short form of, 152. 

Examen, Prayer before, 189; 
daily, 189; general, 191; for 
confession, 371 : on the Rules, 881. 

Examination, Method of particu- 
lar, 80; a more detailed method 
of » 372. 

Exercise for holy communion, from 
the prayers of the saints, 504; 
pious, of the Fridays in honor 
of the Sacred Heart, 682; in 
honor of Our Lady of Dolors, 745; 
of the six Sundays in honor of 
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, 1106. 

Exercises of devotion for holy 
communion, 456. 

Explanation of the Sulpician meth- 
od of mental prayer, 76. 

Exterior exercises for every day in 
the month, 684. 

Extracts, maxims, and prayers, 
Miscellaneous, 11 27; from mas- 
ters in the spiritual life, 1131. 

Extreme Unction, The order of 
administering the Sacrament 
of, 012. 

F 

Faith, Profession of, 37; act of, 
126; acts of, and adoration, 457. 

Faithful Departed, A mode of hear- 
ing Mass for, 342; devotions for 
the, 571; prayer for the, 682. 



I Fasting-days, 28. 

Faults, A petition to overcome 
one's, 476. 

Feasts of Obligation in the United 
States, 28; of special devotions, 
some movable, 27; table of 
movable, 29. 

Feast of the Sacred Heart, 681 ; 
novena for the, of the Sacred 
Heart, 1065; of the Visitation, 
novena for the, 1066; of the 
guardian angel, novena for the, 
1070 : presentation of the Blessed 
Virgin, novena for the, 1072; 
of All Saints, novena for the, 
1102. 

Festivals of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, Psalms for the, 527; of 
the apostles, 530. 

Formula of the Vows, 172. 

Friday, Mass and Communion on, 
214; Mass of the Passion for, 
296; act of reparation for first, 
626; pious exercise for, in honor 
of the Sacred Heart, 682. 



G 

General examen, 191. 

Gloria Patris, The practice of the 

seven, in honor of the Holy 

Spirit, 556. 
God, Ejaculation to, 323, 618; 

litany of the love of, 550; St. 

Gertrude's offering of the life and 

sufferings of Our Lord to, 699. 
Good Counsel, Prayer to Mary, 

Our Lady of, 746. 
Grace before and after meals, 173. 
Graces, Petitions for, 114; prayer 

to implore, for ourselves, together 

with acts of admiration of the 

divine goodness, 644. 
: Guardian Angels, Novena for the 

feast of the, 1070. 



H 

Habit, Praver w-hile putting on 
the, 118. 

Hail Mary, The, 129. 

Happiness, The Heart of Jesus the 
source of all, 671. 

Heroic act of charity, 571. 

Holy Communion, Devotions for, 
401, 473; petitions and offerings 
after, 421; a Mass of thanksgiv- 
ing after, 426; prayer to Our 
Lady after, 464; simple prayers 



Alphabetical Index. 



"47 



for, 466; litany for, 469; short acts 
for, 472. (See also under Com- 
munion.) 

Holy Familv, Prayer to the, 1050. 

Holy Ghost, Prayer to the, before 
meditation, 122; votive Mass 
of the, 281; prayers to the, be- 
fore confession, 37°; hymn and 
sequence of the, 551; chaplet 
of the, 554; novena to the, in 
preparation for the feast of 
Pentecost, 556; the practice of 
the Seven Gloria Patris in honor 
of the, 556; prayer to the, for 
the Church, 5571 short indul- 
genced prayer to the, 557; va- 
rious prayers suitable for a 
novena to the, 557', act of obla- 
tion to the, 558; offering to the, 
559; Little Office of the, 560; 
pious aspirations for obtaining 
the seven gifts of the, 564; 
and Religious Orders, 566; 
thanksgiving, consecration, and 
prayer to the, 568; prayers to 
the, in connection with devotions 
to the Blessed Sacrament, 568^ 

Holy Hour, 661 ; reflections, medi- 
tations, and prayers for the, 662; 
prayers for the, in honor of the 
face of Our Lord, 706. 

Holy Name of Jesus, Litany of the, 
134; a prayer to the, 1047; no- 
vena to the, 1053. 

Holy souls in purgatory, Indul- 
genced prayer in behalf of the, 
575- m 

Holy Scripture, Texts of, to excite 
sorrow for sins, 379. 

Holy Spirit. (See under Holy Ghost. ) 

Holy Thursday and the feast of 
Corpus Christi; Devout _ exer- 
cises for all the Thursdays in the 
year, and especially for, C04. 

Holy Trinity, Offering of Mass and 
communion to the, 197; prayers 
to the, 548. 

Holy Week, The Ceremonies of, 
explained, 707. 

Homage, Acts of, to the Eucharis- 
tic Heart of Jesus, 634. 

Hope, Act of, 126, 142. 

Hour of adoration, 610; holy, 661. 

Hours of Our Lady, The Office of 
the Blessed Virgin Mary, 755. 

Humility and confidence, Acts of, 
458. 

Hymns: At prime on Sundays and 
week-days throughout the year, 
138; ''Now with the Fast-depart- 
ing Light." 163; Alma Redemp- 



toris, 167; Ave Regina, 169; 
Regina Cceli, 169; Tantum Ergo 
Sacramentum, 210, 537, 622; 
Ave Verum, 218; Jesu Dulcis 
Amor Meus, 219; Veni, Sancte 
Spiritus, 282, 553; Lauda Sion 
Salvatorem, 293; Stabat Mater, 
303; "Jesus, Master, teach me," 
480; St. Francis Xavier's hymn 
of love, 482; Veni, Domine Jesu! 
507; Lucis Creator Optime, 525; 
Ave Maris Stella, 529, 771; O 
Salutaris Hostia, 537; "My 
God, My Lord, in Thine own 
place," 611; Te Deum Lauda- 
mus ; 539, 805; Veni Creator 
Spiritus, 551; O Filii et Filiae, 
719; Dies Iras, Dies Ilia, 986; 
SS. Ambrose and Augustine, 805; 
Adeste Fideles, 1038; "Oh, 
Come, All Ye Faithful!;' (for 
Christmas day), 1039; "Come, 
Holy Ghost," 1062; Tota Pul- 
chra Es, Maria, 1074; To the 
Saints and Martyrs of Religious 
Orders, 1076; "Lead, Kindly 
Light," 11 27. 

I 

Immaculate Conception, Mass of 
the, 299; Little Office of the, 
735; Little Chaplet in honor of 
the, 744; novena for the, 1073. 

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Chap- 
let in honor of the, 743. 

Indulgenced acts in honor of the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus, 628. 

Indulgenced aspirations and short 
prayers, 11 10. 

Indulgenced Chaplet of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, 623. 

Indulgenced prayer before a cruci- 
fix, 213, 420; after the Hail 
Mary, 469; to the Holy Ghost, 
557; in behalf of the holy souls 
in purgatory, 575; in honor of 
the Passion of Our Lord, 700; 
practices and prayers in honor 
of St. Anthony of Padua, 1103. 

Indulgences granted by Pope 
Pius IX. for a novena in honor 
of the Sacred Heart, 669. 

Infant Jesus, Prayer to the, 1037, 
1046; novena to the, 1049. 

Intentions, Daily, 187: for holy 
communion, 193. 

Interior practice, 376. 

Invocations and Salutations 
(Morning), 121; to St. Joseph, 
130; to the Guardian Angel, 



Alphabetical Index. 



130; to the patron saint, 130, 
131; "Anima Christi," 213; to 
St. Joseph, 599; to the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, 671. 
Instruction, Prayers to be said 
aloud before giving, 11 21. 



J 

Jesus Christ, Prayers composed by 
St. Clara of Assisi in honor of, 
696; seven offerings of the pre- 
cious blood of, 701. 

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 
(See under Blessed Sacrament.} 

Jesus, Litany of the Most Holy 
Name of, 134; prayer for the as- 
sociates in the Sacred Heart of, 
188; the Psalter of, 1025; no- 
vena to the Holy Child, 1040. 

June, Month of, 681. 

June, Prayer to the Sacred Heart 
said daily during the month of, 
1123. 



L 

Lent, No vena for, 1057. 

Litanies, novenas, indulgenced 
prayers, offices and prayers for i 
particular occasions, 547, 

Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus, j 
134; of the Blessed Virgin, 146; ! 
for holy communion, 469; of the 
love of God, 550; of the Guardian \ 
Angel, 579; of the Blessed Sac- 
r anient, 648; of the Sacred 
Heart, 651; of the Passion, 694; 
and other prayers for a happy 
death, 898; of the saints, 1012; 
for the Faithful Departed, 1022; 
of St. Joseph, 1056. 

Lord's Prayer, 128. 

Love, Act of, 1 26. 

Love and desire, Acts of, 459- 

Lucis Creator Optime (hymn), 525. 



M 

Magnificat, or canticle of the 

Blessed Virgin Mary, 526. 
March, Offering to St. Joseph said 

during the month of, 1 1 22. 
Marks of a fervent Religious, 485. 
Martyrs of Religious Orders, Hymn 

to the, 1076. 
Mary, Prayer for the associates in 

the Sacred Heart of, 188; 



prayer to, 746; prayer of a Re- 
ligious to, 749; prayer to, for the 
spirit of obedience, 11 24; form 
of dedicating a child to, 11 24. 
(See also under Bkssed Virgin.) 
Mass, Prayer before, 195; offering 
during, 196; methods of hearing, 
197 ; on Sunday, 19; ; on Monday, 
199; on Tuesday, 200; on Wed- 
nesday, 203; on Thursday, 205; 
on Friday, 214; on Saturday, 222; 
ordinary method of serving a 
priest at, 229; method of assist- 
ing at, for children, 233; devo- 
tions for each day in the week, 
278; of the Blessed Trinity, 278; 
of the Holy Ghost, 281; of the 
Holy Angels, 284; of St. Joseph, 
287; of the Blessed Sacrament, 
290; of the Passion, 296; of the 
Immaculate _ Conception of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, 299; of the 
Seven Dolors of the Blessed Vir- 
gin Mary, 302; spiritual com- 
munion at, 306: a method of 
hearing, for Religious, 310; 
method^ of hearing by way of 
meditation on the Passion, 323; 
in union with the Sacred Heart 
of Jesus, 331 ; for the Faithful De- 
parted, 342; in honor of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, 352; in 
honor of the Blessed Sacrament 
before holy communion, 401; 
and communion, 414; of thanks- 
giving after holy communion, 
426. 

Masters in the spiritual life, Ex- 
tracts from, 1 131. 

May, Prayers for the month of, 1063. 

Meals, Grace before and after, 173. 

Means of arriving at perfection, 374. 

Meditation, Method of, according 
to St. Ignatius, 69; outlines of 
Sulpician, 74; Bishop Bellord's: 
summary of, 78. 

Meditation, prayers before, 121; 
prayers after, 123; on the Passion 
of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ, and pious exterior and 
interior exercises for every day 
in the month, 684. 

Memorare to the Blessed Virgin, 
146, 724. 

Mental Prayer, 60; Is mental 
prayer easy? 63; Explanation of 
Sulpician Method of, 76. 

Method of particular examination 
in striving after perfection, 80; 
of daily examen, 190; ordinary f 
of serving a priest at Mass, 229; 



Alphabetical Index. 1149 



of assisting at Mass for children, 
233; of hearing Mass for Re- 
ligious, 310; of hearing Mass by 
way of meditation on the Pas- 
sion, 323; of examination, 372. 

Methods of hearing Mass, 197. 

Monday Offering of Mass and 
communion on, 199; method of 
hearing Mass on, 200; Mass of 
the Holy Ghost on, 281 ; prayer 
to be said on, 574; mode of hear- 
ing Mass on, for the Faithful De- 
parted, 342. 

Monthly retreat or day of recollec- 
tion and prayer in preparation 
for a happy death, 869. 

Morning invocations and saluta- 
tions, 120. 

Morning offering of the Apostle- 
ship of Prayer, 133; to the 
Blessed Sacrament, 141. 

Morning ^prayers, Short form of, 
for Religious, 139. 

Mother of God, Prayer to, 723; a 
form of consecration to the, 748. 

Movable feasts of special devotion, 
Some, 27; table of, 29. 



N 

Name of Jesus, Litany of the, 134; 

a prayer to the adorable, 1047; 

no vena to the Holy, 1053. 
New Year, An offering of the, 1047 ; 

no vena for the, 1050. 
Nicene Creed, 36. 

Night offering to the Blessed Sac- 
rament, 154. 

Night Prayers, 142. 

November, Practice for the month 
of, 577- 

Novena to the Holy Ghost in prep- 
aration for the feast of Pentecost, 
556; various prayers suitable for 
a, to the Holy Ghost, 557 ; to St. 
Joseph, 589, 600; to the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus, 669, 670, 672; 
for a special intention, 674; to 
Blessed Margaret Mary, 674; in 
honor of the precious blood of 
Jesus, 704; in honor of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary for any 
festival, 725, 726; in honor of the 
Dolors of the Blessed Virgin, 746; 
for Christmas, 1035 ; to the Holy 
Child Jesus, 1040, 1049; for the 
New Year, 1050; for Epiphany, 
105 1 ; to the Holy Name of Jesus, 
1053; for the purification of Our 
Lady, 1054; to St. Joseph, 1055; 



for the Annunciation of Our Lady, 
1056; in honor of Our Saviour's 
Passion, 1057; for Easter, 1060; 
for Pentecost, 1061; for Corpus 
Christi, 1064; for the feast of the 
Sacred Heart, 1065; for the 
feast of the Visitation, 1066; for 
the Assumption, 1067; for the 
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, 1068; to Our Lady of 
Mercy, 1069; for the feast of the 
Guardian Angels, 1070; to the pa- 
tron saint of the Religious Order 
to which one belongs, 107 1; for 
the feast of the Presentation of 
the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1072; 
for the Immaculate Conception, 
1073; to St. Benedict, Abbot, 
1078; to St. Francis of Assisi, 
1080; to St. Clara, 1081; to St. 
Dominic, 1081; to St. Catharine 
of Sienna, 1083; to St. Francis 
de Sales, 1085; to St. Jane 
Frances de Chantal, 1088; to St. 
Vincent de Paul, 1089; to St. 
Ignatius Loyola, 1090; to St. 
Ursula, 1092; to St. Bernard, 
1093; to St. Charles Borromeo, 
1096; _ of grace in honor of St. 
Francis Xavier, 1097; for the 
feast of All Saints, 1102; to St. 
Anthony of Padua, 1102. 

Novenas, a little book of, 1035. 

Novice, A picture of a good, 487. 



O 

Obedience, Prayer to Mary to ob- 
tain the spirit of, 1 1 24. 

Oblation, Act of, 459, 462. 

Offering of the Apostleship of 
Prayer, Morning, 133; to the 
Blessed Sacrament (Morning), 
141; to the Blessed Sacrament 
(Night), 154; of communion, 192; 
during Mass, 196; of precious 
blood, 197; of Mass on Sunday, 
197; on Monday, 199; on Tues- 
day, 200; on Wednesday, 203; 
on Thursday, 205; on Friday, 
214; on Saturday, 222; of con- 
fession, 385; of sacramental 
penance, 387; after holy com- 
munion, 421; before a picture 
of the Sacred Heart, 469; of all 
one's actions to the Sacred 
Heart, 515; to the Holy Ghost, 
559; daily, to the Sacred Heart, 
636; of sufferings of Our Lord, 
699; of the precious blood, 701; 



n5° 



Alphabetical Index. 



of intentions before reciting 
the Rosary, 7 28; in honor of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, 753". of 
Mass and communion for the 
monthly preparation for death, 
874; for the New Year, 1047; to 
St. Joseph during the month of 
March, n 22. 

Office of the Holy Ghost, Little, 
560; Holy Angels, 581; St. 
Joseph, 591; Sacred Heart of 
Jesus, 652; Immaculate Con- 
ception, 735; Blessed Virgin 
Mary, 756; Blessed Virgin Mary; 
or, the Hours of Our Lady, 755'. 
the Dead, 869, 926. 

Officium Parvum Beatae Mariae 
Virginis (The Office of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary), 755. 

O Filii et Filise (hymn), 719. 

Orders, Religious and the Hob- 
Ghost, 566. 

Order of administering holy com- 
munion to the sick, The, 910; the 
Sacrament of Extreme Unction, 
912. 

Ordinary method of serving a 
priest at Mass, 229. 

O Salutaris Hostia (hymn), 537. 

Our Lady, Vesper-song to, 155; 
prayer to, 221; prayer to, after 
holy communion, 464; no vena 
for the Purification of, 1054; 
novena for the Annunciation of, 
1056; novena to Our Lady of 
Mercy, 1069; prayer to Our Lady 
of Good Counsel, 1125. 

Our Lord, Devotions in honor of 
the Passion of, 683; St. Ger- 
trude's offering of the sufferings 
of, 699 ; indulgenced prayer in 
honor of the Passion of, 700. 



Paraphrase of the "Anima Christi," 
45. 1 - 

Particular examination, A method 
of, 80; subject-matter of , 81. 

Passion and the Sacred Heart, Of- 
fering of Mass and communion, 
214. 

Passion, Mass of the, 296; method 
of hearing Mass by way of medi- 
tation on the, 323; devotions in 
honor of the, 6S3; meditations 
on the sorrowful, of Our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ, 684; 
litany of the, 694; indulgenced 
prayer in honor of the, 700; 



novena in honor of Our Saviour's, 
1057. 

Patron saint, Novena to the, 107 1. 

Peace, Prayer for, 11 10. 

Penance, Short offering of sacra- 
mental, 387. 

Penitential Psalms, The seven (in 
Latin and in English), 388. 

Pentecost, On the festival of, 536; 
novena to, the Holy Ghost in 
preparation for the feast of, 556; 
prayer for the feast of, 557; no- 
vena for, 1061. 

Perfection, Means of arriving at, 
374- 

Perseverance, Prayer to St. Joseph 
for, 600. 

Petition, Act of, 462; to overcome 
faults, 476; to obtain graces, 
646; for help, 1 1 21; to St. Vin- 
cent de Paul, 1 1 26. 

Petitions, for graces, 114; and of- 
ferings after holy communion, 
421; of St. Augustine, 516; 
thirty-three, 1048. 

Picture of a good novice, 487. 

Pius IX., Prayer of, 706. 

Plenary indulgence at the hour of 
death, 916. 

Pope, Prayer for a deceased, 1109; 
prayer for the election of a, 1 109. 

Practice, Interior, 376; of the 
Seven Gloria Patris in honor of 
the Holy Spirit, 556; Indulg- 
enced, in honor of St. Anthony 
of Padua, 1 103. 

Praise, to the will of God, 130; and 
thanksgiving, Acts of, 461 ; act 
of, 483 ; to the Sacred Hearts of 
Jesus and Mary, Act of, 724. 

Prayer, 40; necessity of, 42; ef- 
ficacy of, 43; conditions of, 43; 
a talk about, 49; vocal, 58; 
mental, 60; is mental easy' 63; 
explanation of the Sulpician 
method of mental, 76; of St. 
Ignatius (Soul of Christ, etc.), 
to Our Lord Jesus Christ, 92; 
preparatory, 92; to obtain the 
grace of understanding, 94; to 
excite one's self to repentance, 
95; triple colloquy, 96; colloquy 
on God's mercy and compassion, 
98; to Jesus Christ, Our King, 
99 ; for assistance in contemplat- 
ing the scenes of the gospel, 100 ; 
to obtain the three degrees of 
humility, 101; on the three 
classes, 103; that we may be re- 
ceived under the standard of our 
divine King, 104; before election, 



Alphabetical Index, 1 1 5 1 



105; in desolation , i o 6 ; that we 
may unite ourselves with the 
sufferings of Our Lord, 107; to 
Our Lord Jesus Christ risen from 
the dead, 109; to excite love for 
God, no; while dressing, 117; 
while putting on the habit, 118; 
of St. Gertrude on awaking, 
118; of Blessed Margaret Mary, 
119; before meditation 121; to 
the Sacred Heart, 122; to the 
Holy Ghost, before meditation, 
122; after meditation, 123; morn- 
ing, 126; for holy Church, 128; 
Lord's, 128; Hail Mary, 129; of 
the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, 
your guardian angel, your patron 
saint, 130; short form of morn- 
ing, for Religious, 139; evening, 
142 152; for a happy death , 1 5 3 > 
898; daily, for associates in the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus, 188; daily, 
for associates in the Sacred Heart 
of Mary, 188; before examen, 
189; of the Associates for Com- 
munion of Reparation, 195; be- 
fore Mass, 195; indulgenced, be- 
fore a crucif.x, 213, 420; to Our 
Lady of Sorrows, 221, 745; to 
the Holy Ghost before confession, 
370; for pardon, 383; after 
confession, 386; of St. Thomas 
Aquinas, 416, 1105; of St. Bon- 
a venture , 417; indulgenced , 
443; before communion, 45 7', 
after communion, 461 ; _ to Our 
Lady after holy communion, 464; 
for holy communion, 466; of 
Ven. Father Olier, 468; of 
Blessed Margaret Mary, 484, 672; 
to become a fervent Religious, 
484; reflections and, before ^ and 
after communion for Religious, 
489; for the fulfilling of the will 
of God, 512; for Sunday to the 
Blessed Trinity, 549; to the 
Holy Spirit for the Church, 557; 
to the Holy Ghost, short indul- 
genced, 55 7, 568; for the feast of 
Pentecost, 557; for the conver- 
sion of unbelievers, 568; in be- 
half of the holy souls in purga- 
tory, 574, 575; to the Angel 
Guardian, 578, 581; to St. Ra- 
phael, archangel, 585; to the 
Archangel Gabriel, 585 ; of a Re- 
ligious to St. Joseph, 588; for a 
happy death, 598; to St. Joseph, 
598, 600, 601; for the agonizing, 
600; for a visit to the Blessed 
Sacrament, 615; of St. Al- 



phonsus Liguori, to the Blessed 
Sacrament, 617, 752, 1095; for 
the wants of holy Church, 640; 
for all things needful, commonly 
called the universal prayer, 643; 
when suffering, 679 ; for the faith- 
ful in their agony, 682; in honor 
of the Passion of Our Lord, In- 
dulgenced, 700; to the Heart of 
Mary, 723; of St. Aloysius Gon- 
zaga to the Blessed Virgin, 725, 
1 106, 1 107; in honor of the Im- 
maculate Mary, 742; to Our 
Lady of Good Counsel, 746, 11 25 * 
to Our Lady of Lourdes, 747 ; to 
Our Lady of Light, 748; said in 
some Religious Communities on 
Saturday evenings, 748; of Re- 
ligious to Mary, 749; the Thirty 
Days', 750; before and after Di- 
vine Office, 760, 761; in prep- 
ation for a happy death, 869; to 
the Infant Jesus, 1037, 1046; to 
the adorable Name of Jesus, 
1047; to the Holy Family, 1050; 
before a picture of Christ cruci- 
fied, 1059; for the month of 
May, 1063; for a happy death in 
honor of St. Benedict, 1079; to 
St. Scholastica, 1079; to St. 
Francis, 1086; for the Order of 
the Visitation, 1086; to obtain 
the protection of St. Francis de 
Sales, 1087; of the Church, 1087 ; 
to St. Vincent de Paul, 1089; 
to St. Angela Merici, 1091 ; to St. 
Anselm, 1094; to St. Teresa, 
1095; to St. Ann, 1097; to St. 
Francis Xavier, 1098; to the 
Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul, 
1101; to St. Patrick, 1101; in 
any necessity to St. Anthony, 
1 1 04; in affliction and anxiety 
before a statue of St. Anthony, 
1 1 04; to St. John the Evangel- 
ist, 1 105; to St. Mary Magdalen, 
1 105; to St. Stanislaus Kostka, 
1 107; asking for good priests, 
1107; to St. John Baptist de la 
Salle, 1 1 08; in honor of St. Wal- 
burga, 1 108; in honor of the holy 
archangel Michael, 1109; to St. 
Raphael, archangel, protector of 
travelers, 11 09; for a deceased 
pope, 1 1 09; for the election of a 
pope, 1 109; in time of war, 1109; 
for peace, 11 10; before visiting 
the sick, n 20; before school, 
1 1 2 1 ; to be said aloud before 
giving instruction , 1 1 2 1 ; before 
going to the parlor, it 21; for 



1 1 5 2 Alphabetical Index. 



Sisters in retreat, 1122; to the 
Sacred Heart, 11 23; to Mary, 
to obtain the spirit of obedience, 
1 1 24. 

Pravers, at Benediction, 542; to 
the Most Holy Trinity, 548; 
suitable for a novena to the 
Holy Ghost, 557; to the Holy 
Ghost in connection with devo- 
tions to the Blessed Sacrament, 
568; for every day in the week 
in aid of the souls in purgatory, 
575; for visits to the Blessed 
Sacrament and the Hour of Ad- 
oration, 610; for the Church and 
for the civil authorities, 642; to 
implore graces for ourselves, 644; 
during a novena of the Sacred 
Heart, 672; composed of St. 
Clara of Assisi in honor of the 
five wounds, 696 ; in honor of the 
Holy face of Our Lord, 706; of 
M. Dupont, 706; in honor of 
Our JLady of Perpetual Help, 746; 
for the sick, 904; miscellaneous, 
1075; novena and, to St. Jane 
Frances de Chantal, 1088; in 
honor of St. Anthony of Padua, 
1 103; and indulgenced aspira- 
tions, 1 1 10; for various occa- 
sions, 1 1 14, for travelers, 11 19; 
miscellaneous extracts, maxims, 
and, 1127. 

Precious blood of Jesus Christ, 
Seven offerings of the, 701; 
month of the, 703; novena in 
honor of the, 704; offering to, 
before the Rosary, 728. 

Preparation for a happy death, 
869. 

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, Novena for the feast of the, 
1072. 

Priests, Prayer asking for good, 
1 107. 

Profession of faith at the reception 
of converts, 37. 

Psalter of Jesus, The, 1025. 

Psalms: IV., Cum Invocarem, 160; 
XXX., In te Domine, Speravi, 
161; XC, Qui Habitat, 161; 
CXXXIII., Ecce Nunc, 163; 
CXVI., Laudate, Dominum, 175, 
524; CXXIX., De Profundis, 185, 
398, 536; The Seven Penitential, 
388; VI., Domine, ne in Furore, 
389, 391 ; XXXI., Beati Quorum, 
390; L., Miserere, 393 ; CXLII., 
Domine Exaudi, 399; CIX., 
Dixit Dominus, 519; CX., Con- 
fitebor Tibi, 520; CXI., Beatus 
Vir, 521; CXIL, Laudate 



Pueri, 522; CXIIL, In Exitu 
Israel, 522; CXXI., Laetatus 
sum, 527; CXXVI., Nisi Domi- 
nus, 528; CXLVIL, Lauda, 
Jerusalem, 528; CXV., Credidi, 
530; CXXV., In Convertendo 
Dominis, 531; CXXXVIIL, 
Domine, Probasti Me, 532; 
CXXXI., Memento, Domine, 534; 
CXXVI I., Beatus Omnes, 536; 
for the festivals of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, 527; sung 
on festivals of the apostles, 530; 
on festivals of one martyr or 
several, 534; on festivals of con- 
fessors, not bishops, 534; on 
festivals of confessors, bishops, 
534; on festivals of virgins and 
holy women, 535 ; on the festival 
of All Saints, 535; on Christmas 
Day, 536; on the festival of 
Easter, 536; on the festival of 
Pentecost, 536; _ on the festival 
of Corpus Christi, 536. 

Purgatory, Offering of Mass and 
communion for the holy souls in , 
199; a short indulgenced prayer 
for the holy souls in, 575; prayers 
for every day in the week in aid 
of the souls in, 575. 

Purification of Our Lady, No- 
vena for the, 1054. 

R 

Recommendation of a soul de- 
parting, 919. 

Reflections for contrition and 
amendment, 380; after com- 
munion, 424; before and after 
communion for Religious, 489; 
on Benediction, 541, 891. 

Regina Coeli, 138, 169. 

Religious Communities, Consecra- 
tion of, 150. 

Religious Orders, Hymn to the 
saints and martyrs, 1076. 

Religious and the Holy Ghost, 566. 

Religious, Short form of morning 
prayers for, 139 ; act of consecra- 
tion for, 151; a method of hear- 
ing Mass for, 310; a prayer to 
become a fervent, 484: marks of 
a fervent, 485; reflections and 
prayers: before and after com- 
munion for, 489; prayer of a, to 
St. Joseph, 588; sentiments of a, 
before the Blessed Sacrament, 
618; reparation and consecra- 
tion for, 631; consecration of 
communities, 675; prayer of a, 
to Mary. 749. 



Alphabetical I?idex. 1 1 5 3 



Remember of Our Lady of the 

Sacred Heart, 754. 
Renewal of Vows, 132, 133, 173, 633 ; 

at Mass, 878. 
Renovation of Vows, Formula of, 

133,633- 

Reparation, Prayer of the As- 
sociates for the communion of, 
195, 625; and consecration for 
Religious, 631; to the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus for the first Fri- 
day, 626. 

Resurrection of Our Lord, Novena 
in honor of, 1060. 

Retreat, or day of recollection and 
prayer in preparation for a happy 
death, 869; prayer for Sisters in, 
1122. 

Ritus Benedictionis Apostolicae in 
Articulo Mortis, 916. 

Roman Breviary, Commemora- 
tions from the, 851. 

Rosary for the dead, 575; of the 
Sacred Heart, 677; mysteries of 
the holy, 727; offering of the, in 
union with the precious blood, 
728; of the Blessed Virgin, 728. 

Rubrics of the Office of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, 756. 

Rules, Examen on the, 881. 



S 

Sacrament of Extreme Unction, 
The order of administering the, 
912. 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Ejaculation 
to the, 119, 637; prayer to the, 
before meditation, 122; in the 
Blessed Sacrament, 133; act of 
consecration to the, 133, 632, 
680; daily prayer for associates 
of, 188; Mass and communion in 
honor of the, 205 ; and the Pas- 
sion, 214; the holy Mass in 
union with the, 331 ; offering be- 
fore a picture of the, 469; of- 
fering_ of all one's actions to the, 
515; indulgenced chaplet of the, 
623; indulgenced acts in honor 
of the, 628; daily offering to the, 
636; form of consecration to the, 
650; litany of the, 651 ; a favor- 
ite novena to the, 670; invoca- 
tions to the, 671 ; other acts and 
prayers which may be used dur- 
ing a novena of the, 672; the 
Venerable Mother Julie Bil- 
liart and her devotion to the, 
676; rosary of the, 677 ; feast of 



the, 681; pious exercise of the 
Fridays in honor of the, 682; in- 
yoking the blessing of the, 682; 
indulgences granted by Pope 
Pius IX. for a novena in honor 
of the, 669; the Remember of Our 
Lady of the, 754; novena for the 
feast of the, 1065; prayer to the, 
said daily during the month of 
June, 1 1 23; form of consecrating 
a child to the, 1 1 24. 
Sacred Heart of Mary, daily pray- 
ers for associates, 188. 
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, 

Act of praise to the, 724. 
St. Agnes, Collect of, 1108. 
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Devout ex- 
ercise of the six Sundays in honor 
of, 1 106; prayer to, 1106, 1107; 
act of consecration to, 11 06. 
St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Prayer 
of, 752; prayer to, 1095; prayer 
of, for a visit to the Blessed 
Sacrament, 617; prayer of, to 
St. Teresa, 1095. 
St. Angela Merici, Foundress of the 
Ursuline Order, Prayer to, 1091. 
St. Ann, Prayer to, 1097. 
St. Anselm, Prayer to, 1094. 
St. Anthony of Padua, Novena to, 
1 102; indulgenced practices and 
prayers in honor of, 1103; pious 
practice of the Thirteen Tues- 
days or of the Thirteen Sundays 
in honor of, 1103; prayer in 
any necessity to, 1104;^ aspira- 
tions to, 1 1 04; prayer in afflic- 
tion and anxiety before a statue 
of, 1 1 04. 
St. Athanasius, Creed of, 33. 
j St. Augustine, Petitions of, 516. 
, St. Benedict, Novena to, 1078; 
prayer for a happy death in 
honor of, 1079. 
i St. Bernard, Novena to, 1093. 
i St. Bonaventure, Prayer of, 417. 
St. Catharine of Sienna, Novena to, 
1083. 

I St. Charles Borromeo, Novena to, 
1096. 

St. Clara, Novena to, 1081 ; prayers 

composed by, in honor of the 

five wounds, 696. 
; St. Dominic, Novena to, 1081. 
St. Francis de Sales, Novena to 

1085; prayers to, 1086, 1087. 
I St. Francis of Assisi, Devotions to, 

1079; novena to, 1080. 
St. Francis Xavier's hymn of love, 

482; novena of grace to, 1097, 

1099; prayer to, 1098. 



1 1 54 Alphabetical Index. 



St. Gertrude, Prayer of, on awak- 
ing, 118 ; offering to God, 699. 

St. Ignatius, method of medita- 
tion according to, 69; Suscipe 
of, 125; No vena to, 1090. 

St. Jane Frances de Chantal, No- 
vena and prayers to, 1088. 

St. John Baptist de la Salle, 
Prayer to, 11 08. 

St. John the Evangelist, Prayer to, 
1105. 

St. Joseph, Invocation to, 130; of- 
fering of Mass and communion 
in honor of, 203, 287; devotions 
in honor of, 585; devotion of the 
Seven Sundays in honor of, 585; 
devout exercise in honor of the 
seven sorrows and the seven joys 
of, 586; prayer of a Religious to, 
588; novena to, 589, 1055 ; Little 
Office of, 591; act of consecra- 
tion to, 597, 599; prayer to, for 
October devotions, 598; invoca- 
tion to, 599; prayer to, for per- 
severance, 600; prayers in honor 
of, for the agonizing, 600; 
prayer to, as patron of the uni- 
versal Church, 601; litany of, 
1056; offering to, during the 
month of March, 1 1 22. 

St. Mary Magdalen, Prayer to, 
1105. t 

St. Patrick. Prayer to, 1101. 

St. Raphael, Archangel, Prayer to, 

585, 1109. 
St. Scholastica, Prayer to, 1079. 
St. Stanislaus Kostka, Prayer to, 

1 107. 

St. Thomas Aquinas, Prayer of, 

416; prayer to, 1 105. 
St. Ursula, Novena to, 1092. 
St. Vincent de Paul, Novena to, 

1089; prayer to, 1089; petition 

to, 1 1 26. 

St. Walburga, Prayer in honor of, 

110.8. 

Saints, The. on spiritual com- 
munion, 308; on the festival of 
All, 535; thoughts from the, 683; 
litany of the, 101 2 ; hymn to the, 
1076. 

Salve Regina, 170. 

Saturday, Mass and communion on, 
222; Mass of the Immaculate 
Conception on, 299. 

School, Prayer before, 11 21. 

Sentiments of a Religious before 
the Blessed Sacrament, 618. 

Sequence of the Holy Ghost, Hymn 
and, 551- 

Seraphim, Canticle, of the, 548. 



Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost, 
Pious aspirations for obtaining 
the, 564. 

Seven offerings of the precious 
blood of Jesus Christ, 701. 

Seven Penitential Psalms, in Latin 
and in English, 388. 

Short and simple method of assist- 
ing at Mass for children, 236. 

Short form of morning prayers 
1 for Religious, 139; of evening 

prayers. 152. 
! Short formula of renovation of 
! vows, 133. 

Short method of daily examen, 190. 
i Short offering of sacramental pen- 
ance, 387. 

Sick, Devotions for the, and the 
last prayers, 904; the order of 
administering holy communion 
to the, 910; prayer before visit- 
ing the, 11 20. 

Sighs to Jesus in the Blessed Sac- 
rament, 638. 

Sorrow, Act of, 384. 

Sorrows and seven joys of St. 
Joseph, Devout exercise in honor 
of the seven, 586; a visit to our 
Lady of, 745. 

Special devotion, Some movable 
feasts of, 27. 

Spiritual communion at Mass, 
306; what the saints thought 
of, 308, 637 ; fruit of, 639. 

Spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius 
arranged in prayers, 91. 

Spiritual life, Extracts from mas- 
ters in the, 11 31. 

Stabat Mater (hymn), 303. 

Sub Tuum Presidium, 75, 148. 

Suffering, Prayer when, 679. 

Sulpician method of meditation, 
Outlines of, 74; method of men- 
tal prayer, explanation of, 76. 

Sunday, Offering of Mass and com- 
munion on, 197 ; method of hear- 
ing Mass on, 198; prayer for, to 
the Blessed Trinity, 549. 

Sundays, Devotions of the seven, 
in honor of St. Joseph, 585. 

Supplication, Act of, 363. 

Suscipe of St. Ignatius, 125. 



T 

Table of movable feasts, 29. 
Tantum Ergo Sacramentum 

(hymn), 210, 537, 622. 
Te Deum Laudamus (hymn), 539, 

805. 



A Iphabetical Index. 1 1 5 5 



Thanksgiving, Act of, 362, 414; 
a Mass of, after holy communion, 
426; acts of adoration, praise, 
and, 461; hymn of, 465; conse- 
cration and prayer to the Holy 
Ghost, 568, 621. 

Thirty Days' Prayer to the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, The, 750. 

Thoughts from the saints, 683; 
from St. Alphonsus on death and 
eternity, 871. 

Thursday, Offering of Mass and 
communion on, 205; method of 
hearing Mass on, 216; Mass of 
the Blessed Sacrament on, 290; 
devotion of the three, 601 ; de- 
vout exercises for all the, and 
the feast of Corpus Christi, 604. 

Tota Pulchra Es, Maria (hymn), 
1074. 

Travelers, Prayers for, 11 19. 

Trinity, Holy, Offering of Mass on 
Sunday, 197; prayers to the 
Most Holy, 548; prayers for 
Sunday to the Blessed, 549. 

Trisagion, Angelic, 117. 

Tuesday, Offering of Mass and 
communion, on, 200; method of 
hearing Mass on, 201; Mass of 
the Holy Angels, on, 284. 



U 

Unbelievers, Prayer for the con- 
version of, 568. 
Universal prayer, 643. 



V 

Veni, Creator Spiritus (hymn), 551. 
Veni, Domini Jesu! (hymn), 507. 
Veni, Sancte Spiritus (hymn), 282, 
553. 



Versicle and prayer in honor of the 

Immaculate Mary, 742. 
Vesper-Song to Our Lady, 155. 
Vespers for Sundays, 518. 
Via Crucis or Way of the Cross , 

The, 687. 
Virgin Mary, Little Chaplet in 

honor of the, 744. 
Visit to Our Lady of Sorrows, A, 

74*5- 

Visitation , Novena for the Festival 
of the, 1066; prayers for the 
Order of the, 1086. 

Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, 
prayers for, 610, 615; prayer of 
St. Alphonsus Liguori for, 617. 

Vocal Prayer, 58. 

Vows, Renewal of, 132, 173; for- 
mula of, 173; renovation of, for 
Religious persons, 633; a re- 
newal of, at Mass, 878. 

W 

War, Prayer in time of, 1109. 
Way of the Cross, The, 687. 
Wednesday, Offering of Mass and 

communion on, 203; method of 

hearing Mass on, 203; Mass of 

St. Joseph on, 287. 
Week Sanctified, The, 547; prayer 

for every day in the, in aid of the 

souls in purgatory, 575. 
Will of God, Praises to the, 130. 

Y 

Year, Offering on the last day of the, 
1046 offering of the new, 1047. 

Z 

Zeal for the interests of the Heart 
of Jesus, 465. 



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13 



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